I'm a Canadian planning to buy an American boat, but I'm NOT planning to
bring it back into Canada.


Where can I register it?

Ed

It is typical for a state to require you to register a vessel that remains in
state waters beyond a statuatory period of time.
90-days is a common time frame.

You can probably show your Canadian address on the registration. The tax man's
issue is "where's the boat?" not "where's the owner?"

It is typical for a state to require you to register a vessel that remains in
state waters beyond a statuatory period of time.
90-days is a common time frame.

You can probably show your Canadian address on the registration. The tax man's
issue is "where's the boat?" not "where's the owner?"

x-no-archive:yes


Ed McDermott wrote:

I'm a Canadian planning to buy an American boat, but I'm NOT planning to
bring it back into Canada.


Where can I register it?

Why register it? Why not just document it in Canada? Do you have to
take it to Canada to do that?

If you are going to take it down to the Caribbean or something,
wouldn't documentation be better than registration anyway?

grandma Rosalie

Why register it? Why not just document it in Canada? Do you have to
take it to Canada to do that?

If you are going to take it down to the Caribbean or something,
wouldn't documentation be better than registration anyway?

grandma Rosalie


Can't speak for all 50 states, but a good many (such as the one where I live)
require
state registration of a documented vessel.

The state is prohibited by law from issuing a "title" to a documented boat. The
state is not prohibited from requiring owners of documented boats to submit to
registration and paying an annual tax. As a result, most states do.

If documentation were a workable scheme around the stae tax collector, I bet
we'd have every single vessel that met the minimum tonnage, etc, documented.
:-)

x-no-archive:yes

(Gould 0738) wrote:

Why register it? Why not just document it in Canada? Do you have to
take it to Canada to do that?

If you are going to take it down to the Caribbean or something,
wouldn't documentation be better than registration anyway?

Can't speak for all 50 states, but a good many (such as the one where I live)
require state registration of a documented vessel.

That has nothing to do with the original question which was partly
from another thread from Ed McDermot which said

Now Here's the funny one. If you don't bring the boat into Canada you
don't have to pay GST or PST but you can't register your boat in Canada.
Since I'm not planning to bring my boat back, I don't know how I'm going
to register it.

I'm a Canadian but I may not be able to fly a Canadian Flag on my boat.

So I was answering how he could fly a Canadian flag on his boat
without registering it in Canada. I don't know whether a Canadian
documented boat has to be registered in any state in the US. That's
another question which is too complicated for me.

The state is prohibited by law from issuing a "title" to a documented boat. The
state is not prohibited from requiring owners of documented boats to submit to
registration and paying an annual tax. As a result, most states do.

Again - tax is not the issue. We are talking about a Canadian who
buys an American boat whether he takes it back to Canada or not. I
would think that a Canadian could document a boat in Canada and fly
the Canadian flag - it wouldn't have to be registered in Canada if the
laws in Canada are anything like the US. SOME states in the US do NOT
allow registration of documented boats (Texas for one).

If documentation were a workable scheme around the stae tax collector, I bet
we'd have every single vessel that met the minimum tonnage, etc, documented.
:-)



grandma Rosalie

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 19:16:06 GMT, in message

Rosalie B. wrote:

(Gould 0738) wrote:

Why register it? Why not just document it in Canada? Do you have to
take it to Canada to do that?

If you are going to take it down to the Caribbean or something,
wouldn't documentation be better than registration anyway?

Can't speak for all 50 states, but a good many (such as the one where I live)
require state registration of a documented vessel.

I'm a Canadian but I may not be able to fly a Canadian Flag on my boat.

So I was answering how he could fly a Canadian flag on his boat
without registering it in Canada. I don't know whether a Canadian
documented boat has to be registered in any state in the US. That's
another question which is too complicated for me.

A further complication is that there are two options in Canada and the
names are different than in the US. "Registration" is the formal,
somewhat expensive process that covers anything from a modest cruiser
on up to a full sized ship. "Licensing" is the small vessel version
that requires numbers on the bow. Both are administered by the federal
government and both can lead to payment of provincial and federal
taxes. In practice, neither one requires the vessel to be in Canada to
complete the paperwork.

Ryk

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 08:01:50 +0000, Ryk wrote:

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 19:16:06 GMT, in message

Rosalie B. wrote:

(Gould 0738) wrote:

Why register it? Why not just document it in Canada? Do you have to take it
to Canada to do that?

If you are going to take it down to the Caribbean or something, wouldn't
documentation be better than registration anyway?

Can't speak for all 50 states, but a good many (such as the one where I live)
require state registration of a documented vessel.

I'm a Canadian but I may not be able to fly a Canadian Flag on my boat.

So I was answering how he could fly a Canadian flag on his boat without
registering it in Canada. I don't know whether a Canadian documented boat has
to be registered in any state in the US. That's another question which is too
complicated for me.

A further complication is that there are two options in Canada and the names are
different than in the US. "Registration" is the formal, somewhat expensive
process that covers anything from a modest cruiser on up to a full sized ship.
"Licensing" is the small vessel version that requires numbers on the bow. Both
are administered by the federal government and both can lead to payment of
provincial and federal taxes. In practice, neither one requires the vessel to be
in Canada to complete the paperwork.

Ryk

I tried to "register" Far Cove when I bought it years ago. Among other
things, you requi
- "papers" verifying customs, etc. into Canada
- a note from the mfr saying iirc that they no longer want it
- and, since "registration" officially means allowing the Queen to use it in
her navy, a note from the US gov't saying they don't want it.

In other words, I HIGHLY doubt you could register a vessel without importing
it into Canada. (Unless things have changed A LOT in 15 years!)

OTOH, I suspect you can license it. They seem pretty lax about that.

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 08:01:50 +0000, Ryk wrote:

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 19:16:06 GMT, in message

Rosalie B. wrote:

(Gould 0738) wrote:

Why register it? Why not just document it in Canada? Do you have to take it
to Canada to do that?

If you are going to take it down to the Caribbean or something, wouldn't
documentation be better than registration anyway?

Can't speak for all 50 states, but a good many (such as the one where I live)
require state registration of a documented vessel.

I'm a Canadian but I may not be able to fly a Canadian Flag on my boat.

So I was answering how he could fly a Canadian flag on his boat without
registering it in Canada. I don't know whether a Canadian documented boat has
to be registered in any state in the US. That's another question which is too
complicated for me.

A further complication is that there are two options in Canada and the names are
different than in the US. "Registration" is the formal, somewhat expensive
process that covers anything from a modest cruiser on up to a full sized ship.
"Licensing" is the small vessel version that requires numbers on the bow. Both
are administered by the federal government and both can lead to payment of
provincial and federal taxes. In practice, neither one requires the vessel to be
in Canada to complete the paperwork.

Ryk

I tried to "register" Far Cove when I bought it years ago. Among other
things, you requi
- "papers" verifying customs, etc. into Canada
- a note from the mfr saying iirc that they no longer want it
- and, since "registration" officially means allowing the Queen to use it in
her navy, a note from the US gov't saying they don't want it.

In other words, I HIGHLY doubt you could register a vessel without importing
it into Canada. (Unless things have changed A LOT in 15 years!)

OTOH, I suspect you can license it. They seem pretty lax about that.

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 19:16:06 GMT, in message

Rosalie B. wrote:

(Gould 0738) wrote:

Why register it? Why not just document it in Canada? Do you have to
take it to Canada to do that?

If you are going to take it down to the Caribbean or something,
wouldn't documentation be better than registration anyway?

Can't speak for all 50 states, but a good many (such as the one where I live)
require state registration of a documented vessel.

I'm a Canadian but I may not be able to fly a Canadian Flag on my boat.

So I was answering how he could fly a Canadian flag on his boat
without registering it in Canada. I don't know whether a Canadian
documented boat has to be registered in any state in the US. That's
another question which is too complicated for me.

A further complication is that there are two options in Canada and the
names are different than in the US. "Registration" is the formal,
somewhat expensive process that covers anything from a modest cruiser
on up to a full sized ship. "Licensing" is the small vessel version
that requires numbers on the bow. Both are administered by the federal
government and both can lead to payment of provincial and federal
taxes. In practice, neither one requires the vessel to be in Canada to
complete the paperwork.

Ryk