Basic info for newbie about boat registration

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Bkkaquaman

New member
Hi everyone,  I'm a complete newbie to boating and need some info/advice on the registration aspect.  The story goes like this:
I saw a Rubber duck  on Gumtree (one which I thought would be suitable for my purposes).  It's an old one, probably hasn't seen the water for a long time and no doubt needs some extra work to be done on it. This I don't mind and I'm quite looking forward to working on it and learning more about boat design/maintenance and boating in general.
 The boat is in Johannesburg, I'm in Thailand, so I sent my sons from Cape Town up to Jhb to have a look at it.  Their verdict was that it was Ok for the price.
I'm at the point where I'm about to clinch the deal but have a question about the papers and registration.  The boat was used as a trade-in on a motor vehicle so the seller is not the registered owner. 
I've asked the seller for the registration papers and all that he's sent me are the papers of the the trailer. The number on the paper matches the number on the trailer.  He says that that is the papers of the boat because it states Glasscraft. Please see the attachment.  Is this correct? There are no numbers or markings on the boat itself.
Could someone please tell me what the actual registration process is, where I'm supposed to register it and what documents do I need and what will I get.  Is it anything similar to registering a car?
I'll really appreciate any feedback.
 

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Serra Moz

Sealiner
Bkkaquaman wrote:
Hi everyone,  I'm a complete newbie to boating and need some info/advice on the registration aspect.  The story goes like this:
I saw a Rubber duck  on Gumtree (one which I thought would be suitable for my purposes).  It's an old one, probably hasn't seen the water for a long time and no doubt needs some extra work to be done on it. This I don't mind and I'm quite looking forward to working on it and learning more about boat design/maintenance and boating in general.
 The boat is in Johannesburg, I'm in Thailand, so I sent my sons from Cape Town up to Jhb to have a look at it.  Their verdict was that it was Ok for the price.
I'm at the point where I'm about to clinch the deal but have a question about the papers and registration.  The boat was used as a trade-in on a motor vehicle so the seller is not the registered owner. 
I've asked the seller for the registration papers and all that he's sent me are the papers of the the trailer. The number on the paper matches the number on the trailer.  He says that that is the papers of the boat because it states Glasscraft. Please see the attachment.  Is this correct? There are no numbers or markings on the boat itself.
Could someone please tell me what the actual registration process is, where I'm supposed to register it and what documents do I need and what will I get.  Is it anything similar to registering a car?
I'll really appreciate any feedback.
Click to expand...

Good morning, great introduction about yourself hey....well done! OK.....take this one tip, and remember this, never buy a boat unless you have seen it with your own eyes, and unless you have tested it on the water, Did your friend survyed the pontoons??The rest will take care of itself - regarding matching numbers / trailer details.

Cheers
 
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TimJan

Sealiner
You don't "own" a boat you only own the trailer it sits on.
There are numbers on motors that you can use for insurance but a boat never gets registered in your name.
 
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Bkkaquaman

New member
TimJan wrote:
You don't "own" a boat you only own the trailer it sits on.
There are numbers on motors that you can use for insurance but a boat never gets registered in your name.
Click to expand...

Thank you TimJan.  This is exactly the type of info I'm looking for.  Appreciate your help and time to respond.
 
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Serra Moz

Sealiner
Bkkaquaman wrote:
Thank you Serra Moz.  Appreciate your advice and response.
Click to expand...


You see with rubber ducks, you need to know what you looking at, referring to the pontoons, welds .....I am NOT saying your people are not experts, but be careful with boats.

Keep us posted mate
 
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Bkkaquaman

New member
TimJan wrote:
You don't "own" a boat you only own the trailer it sits on.
There are numbers on motors that you can use for insurance but a boat never gets registered in your name.
Click to expand...
TimJan,  just something I thought of and I hope you don't mind me asking.  But if the boat is not get registered on my name,  how does it get a number?  I've seen on COF's of other boats that there is a Boat number?
Thanks.
 
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silverspiders

New member
The number on the boat is there to tie it to a COF and Buoyancy Certificate, both of which you will need to produce if stopped and asked. It also usually denotes the Category (e.g. Cat E, D or C) which determines where (how far out) you can use the boat and ties back to the COF.

As said above, there is no register or centrally held list of who owns what boat number. Trailers as per a car or any other vehicle.

The other thing you will need is a skippers license. This will also limit you to a Category (which again ties back to the boat category). You can only venture out within the limits of the lower Category (your license or the boat). So, for example if the boat is a Cat D, but your skippers is a Cat E, you can only go a max of 1nm from shore, and 15nm in either direction from the launch site (restrictions as per Cat E).
 
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silverspiders

New member
Oh, and another thing, make sure you run the motor before you buy it, ideally take the boat for a spin. I would also ask to see the service history. Motors that go a few years between services (i.e. only get looked at when something goes wrong) should be avoided IMO
 
B

Bkkaquaman

New member
silverspiders wrote:
The number on the boat is there to tie it to a COF and Buoyancy Certificate, both of which you will need to produce if stopped and asked. It also usually denotes the Category (e.g. Cat E, D or C) which determines where (how far out) you can use the boat and ties back to the COF.

As said above, there is no register or centrally held list of who owns what boat number. Trailers as per a car or any other vehicle.

The other thing you will need is a skippers license. This will also limit you to a Category (which again ties back to the boat category). You can only venture out within the limits of the lower Category (your license or the boat). So, for example if the boat is a Cat D, but your skippers is a Cat E, you can only go a max of 1nm from shore, and 15nm in either direction from the launch site (restrictions as per Cat E).
Click to expand...
Hello Silverspiders,
Thanks for the info and taking the time to respond, I do appreciate it.
I have read most of what you've explain on the SAMSA documents. Just one more question if you don't mind.  Where do I go to get this boat number?  Is it allocated when I go for the COF and Buoyancy certificate.  The SAMSA document is rather vague on this or I'm not understanding it correctly.  Your reply would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
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