Dingy registration question, Washington State

[billrh42]

I've recently acquired a Ranger Tug. It is Coast Guard registered. It comes with an 8' dingy which I will be powering with a 3hp electric motor. The dingy was registered in Washington but the last registration tag is dated 2017 since the previous owner said that it does not really need to be registered. After some research I'm thinking I still need to register it as it was previously registered and it will be in US and Canadian waters.

Does anyone have a diffinitive answer for this ?

Thank you.

-Bill

 

[80Ramey]

I've recently acquired a Ranger Tug. It is Coast Guard registered. It comes with an 8' dingy which I will be powering with a 3hp electric motor. The dingy was registered in Washington but the last registration tag is dated 2017 since the previous owner said that it does not really need to be registered. After some research I'm thinking I still need to register it as it was previously registered and it will be in US and Canadian waters.

Does anyone have a diffinitive answer for this ?

Thank you.

-Bill

I had the same questions and found this on the WA DOL site.

Register a boat | Washington State Department of Licensing

dol.wa.gov

• Tenders 10 HP or less used for direct transportation between a registered boat and the shore and for no other purpose. The tender must display the number of the registered boat followed by the suffix "1".

 

[Mastercraft]

I had the same questions and found this on the WA DOL site.

Register a boat | Washington State Department of Licensing

dol.wa.gov

• Tenders 10 HP or less used for direct transportation between a registered boat and the shore and for no other purpose. The tender must display the number of the registered boat followed by the suffix "1".

So if I use it to go get crab pots, use it as a life raft, cruise around the islands, do I need a license?

 

[billrh42]

• Tenders 10 HP or less used for direct transportation between a registered boat and the shore and for no other purpose. The tender must display the number of the registered boat followed by the suffix "1".

Since my tug is registered through the Coast Guard I don't have a Washington registration number. Does anyone just not have any registration numbers on their dingy in Washington?

 

[scross]

So if I use it to go get crab pots, use it as a life raft, cruise around the islands, do I need a license?

Technically, yes if that’s the use it needs it’s own registration. That said, in 12 years of cruising around the San Juan Islands, Puget Sound, the Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast, Desolation Sound and Vancouver Island we have never been asked about dinghy registration. And we’ve been boarded/inspected three times during those years. I do have our dinghy separately registered but no one seems to care….

 

[80Ramey]

So if I use it to go get crab pots, use it as a life raft, cruise around the islands, do I need a license?

It would appear so. Not sure how strictly this is enforced. It may be worth registering just for the peace of mind.

 

[gswearin]

The other advantage of registration is big bold numbers if your dinghy goes adrift! My registration is $30/year.

 

[MechGuy]

I had the same questions and found this on the WA DOL site.

Register a boat | Washington State Department of Licensing

dol.wa.gov

• Tenders 10 HP or less used for direct transportation between a registered boat and the shore and for no other purpose. The tender must display the number of the registered boat followed by the suffix "1".

This is exactly what I did. I used my USCG number with a -1 after for the dinghy. No WA State registration since my outboard is under 10 hp and I just use it to get to shore.

 

[CarrieIF]

I've recently acquired a Ranger Tug. It is Coast Guard registered. It comes with an 8' dingy which I will be powering with a 3hp electric motor. The dingy was registered in Washington but the last registration tag is dated 2017 since the previous owner said that it does not really need to be registered. After some research I'm thinking I still need to register it as it was previously registered and it will be in US and Canadian waters.

Does anyone have a diffinitive answer for this ?

Thank you.

-Bill

We have a RT29S that is USCG registered. That does not exempt you from required WA registration. You must file your USGC documentation with the Washington State Department of Licensing and get a yearly sticker. The cost for the RT will far far outweigh the cost of a sticker for the dinghy. We do buy a sticker for the dinghy. We also get a Customs and Border Patrol decal for frequent border crossings.
Links:
WA boat yearly decal: https://dol.wa.gov/vehicles-and-boats/boats/register-boat/documented-boats

Customs and border patrol decal: https://dtops.cbp.dhs.gov/home

 

[scross]

We have a RT29S that is USCG registered. That does not exempt you from required WA registration. You must file your USGC documentation with the Washington State Department of Licensing and get a yearly sticker. The cost for the RT will far far outweigh the cost of a sticker for the dinghy. We do buy a sticker for the dinghy. We also get a Customs and Border Patrol decal for frequent border crossings.
Links:
WA boat yearly decal: https://dol.wa.gov/vehicles-and-boats/boats/register-boat/documented-boats

Customs and border patrol decal: https://dtops.cbp.dhs.gov/home

One note on the Customs and Border Patrol decal. It’s required for boats 30+ feet. When we were boarded by the USCG last year for a random inspection they asked for our decal. I told them we were 28 feet and didn’t need one. They thought we were bigger but agreed with me that we did not need the decal. Length for this decal requirement is not LOA but hull length. If your hull length is under 30 feet (like a R-29 or our C-28) you can get a decal but it’s not required to do so.

 

[billrh42]

Thanks for all the comments so far. My R29 Ranger Tug is Coast Guard registered and also has the yearly Washington State tags. So no Washington registration number on the bow. I called the WDL to ask if I should be using the CG Document number followed by a -1 for the dingy, they didn't know and told me to call the CG. I've tried contacting them on the non-emergency number but haven't been able to talk to a human yet. I'm leaning to not having anything on the dingy but I'm wondering what others have done that have a CG registered boat. Do you use the CG Document number, something else, or nothing at all?

 

[Pandion]

Although a lot of people handle this in many different ways, it is pretty straight-forward if you look at the actual policies and laws of the respective agencies. The USCG will defer to the individual states in regard to tender registration. From the USCG NVDC (https://www.dco.uscg.mil)

From the Revised Code of Washington (https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=88.02.570) exempting vessel registrations, here are the relevant sections:

Exemptions. (Effective until January 1, 2029.)​

Vessel registration is required under this chapter except for the following:

(7) A vessel equipped with propulsion machinery of less than ten horsepower that:
(a) Is owned by the owner of a vessel for which a valid vessel number has been issued;
(b) Displays the number of that numbered vessel followed by the suffix "1" in the manner prescribed by the department; and
(c) Is used as a tender for direct transportation between the numbered vessel and the shore and for no other purpose;

(9) A vessel with no propulsion machinery of any type for which the primary mode of propulsion is human power;

So, by the letter of the law, a USCG-documented vessel's tender does not need to be registered in WA provided that it's under 10hp, only used for shore transportation, and it has your USCG doc number followed by "-1" on it. Or, you only use muscle power to make it go.

For us, it's cheap and easy enough to just register the tender with WA DOL and then use it like we please.