I am told that the U.S. can commandeer your boat at will if USCG documented.

Would this be true if she was out of U.S. waters ?

Would this ever be true if not USCG documented or if of foreign registry ?

I should add that fear of U.S. gov. seizure is not a significant motive
here, just an example of a potential disadvantage of USCG documentation, and
a weighing of pros & cons of USCG documentation is the sole consideration.
Another disadvantage, in certain waters, might be... flying the U.S. flag,
at all. On the other hand, registering as a foreign vessel would require
importation & licensing fees, which
is a not inconsiderable cost and would be a good reason to maintain USCG
documentation.

I guess under the 'right' circumstances any government can legally do the
same, but in that I'm considering hailing from a non-U.S. port, and maybe
registering it as a non-U.S. vessel, I was wondering what information should
be factored into such a decision.

The bottom line: if said boat is operating out of the U.S., or hails from a
port other than U.S., what [dis]advantages are there in having USCG
documentation ? Or is hailing from a U.S. port required for USCG
documentation ?

Sorry for not being initially more clear,

Courtney



"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 7 Apr 2007 17:44:09 -0400, "Courtney Thomas"
wrote:

What is gained or lost by discontinuing USCG documentation of a private
sailboat ?

Since there is no cost or effort to staying documented, why would you
want to drop it?

As long as the boat is not financed there is very little to lose
except that you will be required to post state registration numbers in
the US. If the boat is financed, you probably have a contractual
obligation to remain documented (and insured).