Tugmuts Archive Registering my boat

[Fishman]

I'm new to tugnuts but love all the information available.

Excuse me if this has already been discussed.

I live in ca. And plan on purchasing a r27s or 29s in next 1-2years. Will probably purchase in washington or BC as that seems to be where most are for sale.

I could use the boat 6 months in oregon, several months in BC and Washington.

I am trying to sort out the various regulations as it pretains to registration and sales tax.

Registering with coast guard. What are fees to register and continue to keep registered, documented?
Coast guard wants a home port? Will this answer have anything to do with what state it is registered? If it is on a trailer what is home port?

California says you don't have to register in state if documented but you pay the use tax.
Ca.says if boat has been out of state for year there is no use tax to bring it in.

Oregon Says you must register even if documented but no use tax.
When not using the boat can I store in oregon and get oregon registration? This could save on sales tax (use tax)
Since Oregon requires registration even if documented, do I have to put their registration numbers on?

If I purchase in Washington or BC and use in washington and BC. Is there a certain time before sales tax and registration is due, if documented or not.

Is there any advantage to keeping the boat in BC if that is where it will be used much of time rather then Oregon?

What do most owners do that use and or keep their boats in Washington or Bc?

I really don't want to pay ca use tax since little to no time will it be used in ca. I live about 50 miles from Oregon. It would be used for fishing in oregon.

There seems to be a lot of moving pieces.. To document or not. To keep boat in oregon on trailer or docked for a year, no ca.use tax and no ca. Registration

Can I register in oregon if only stored there?

It seems Washington would want sales tax if I keep it there longer than 45 days? How could you cruise for the season which is longer than 45 days?

I don't know what out of state owners do when purchase a boat in washington and keep it in Washington or Bc to use?

I'm sorry for being convoluted in my questions.

I look forward to any help and thoughts

Fishman

 

[baz]

Seems you must discuss things with DMV in CA, OR and WA at least. Each will have their own requirements I'm sure. You may wait a bit on this forum as there are others here I think are in similar situation as you and could chime in with their advice etc.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Some folks think they can bypass state tax laws by registering a boat or RV in a state where they don't actually live. If your state finds out about it, they can and will go after you for the sales/use tax and registration. California has made a concerted effort on this in the past decade.

If you live in Oregon (or Montana - states where there is no sales tax) you are golden. If you don't, you are trying to defraud your home state. Yes, there are companies who will set up an LLC for you in that state, to establish "a base." Your state government will use home ownership, utility payments, etc to establish your "legal residence."

If you are a full-time boater or RVer, you can pick your state of residence; South Dakota, Texas, Montana have been favored due to low sales/use tax and registration. BUT, if you own a home (or rent) in California, that is your state of residence - they will be looking for their "cut" on purchases you make.

States have different requirements for the necessity of registering your boat in that state, dependent on how many consecutive days you spent in that state or its waters.

Same applies to documenting a vessel: it does not relieve you of paying sales tax, although some states will not require you to register (and pay for that sticker), some will.

As state coffers get stretched thinner, there will always be politicians and state Department of Revenue folks who will be looking for ways to bring in what they think is owed.

I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV. We have been full-time RVers and/or boaters at different times over the years. Do your own research to find out how your state will deal with this situation.

Good luck with the process.

 

[Fishman]

Thank you for replies.

I think it is going to require a lot of foot work as was suggested talking to state authorities.

I was afraid it would be taken that I wanted to do something outside the law. Quite the contrary I am trying to find out what the rules are so I can work within them, much as we do in going to a CPA.

I'm sorry if it came across any other way.

Fishman

 

[scross]

Our boat is registered in Oregon. No sales or use tax and the annual fees are dirt cheap. But we live in Oregon and per the Oregon laws, our boat must be registered in Oregon. We use the boat in Oregon a lot but also some in Washington and more in British Columbia. We may use it for short periods in California at some point.
If we use Our Journey more than 60 days a year in WA waters (not dry storage) Washington state wants to have us register it there unless we apply for, pay for and get a visitor permit. So we never stay in WA waters that long.
Spend most of our cruising season in BC. BC will let you visit their waters for up to 45 days at a time without needing to get duplicate safety equipment meeting Canadian requirements (life jackets, fire extinguishers, etc.) and even longer before needing to be registered as a Canadian vessel.
If you live in California you will need to register in California, even though you live only a few miles from the Oregon border. California will literally hunt you down if they smell a chance to collect taxes and fees. I’d recommend moving to Oregon! 😉

 

[Fishman]

Thanks for the info scross---- very helpful.

I wondered how people handled cruising in
in Washington and Bc.for longer periods?
Where do you put in when going to Washington?
I see you live right across the hill from me.

Hope you are out of smoke.

Thank you again

Fishman

 

[scross]

Thanks! We are in deep smoke in Ashland -still!
Just got back on Monday from a 16 night cruise to BC to get out of the smoke. We are heading out again in two weeks for another 2-3 weeks in the San Juan’s and Gulf Islands.
We launch from Bellingham but a lot of folks like launching from Anacortes.
While we plan some 3+ week long cruises next year, I don’t see us going into Canada for more than 45 days at a time.

PS: The various state laws can be in direct conflict with each other in regards to where the boat must be registered. Say that you live in California but have the boat moored in Washington during the season but wintered in California. Because you live in California that state wants you to have it registered in California and pay California fees and taxes. But since you are using the boat in Washington, Washington state wants it registered there and for you to pay their taxes and fees. Obviously you can’t have the boat registered in two different states at the same time. Having the boat documented changes all that but you are still looking at paying taxes and fees in both states. Very, very confusing.....

 

[Fishman]

Yes it is very confusing. That was why I posted the question.

Does Washington want you to register your boat if it is on a trailer when not in use?

What do you do with your boat when going back and forth? Tow, leave in morage or leave on trailer?

Sounds like you have a good program going.

Hope to see you out there one day or maybe buy lunch and get to know more about the logistics.

 

[scross]

Washington states registration laws seem to be based on time in Washington waters. I have not found any reference to registration requirements for time in dry storage or for time while being repaired. Some counties in Washington have employees who go marina to marina looking for out of state registered boats. I have not heard of them going from dry storage lot to dry storage lot looking for boats.
We typically tow our boat up to the Columbia River (Oregon side) in the spring, up to Bellingham in June, leave it in dry storage near Bellingham when not in use during the summer, then back to the Columbia in September and finally back home in early November. That way just one round trip towing each season - about 1,250 miles or so.

 

[scross]

One more thing about your original question. If you buy a boat from Canada you may get the advantage of the exchange rates but you will probably need a import broker to get the boat into the USA. Expect to spend about $600 to $900 for those expenses. Also, you need to identify the state you will be registering the boat in at the time it’s imported.

 

[Fishman]

Good info on purchasing a boast in BC

 

[scross]

Let me clarify one point about California. Technically, the law says that if you own a boat, live in CA but the boat is in the state less than 120 days and is used primarily in another state you don’t have pay California fees and taxes. Good luck proving that even if true!!
I owned a plane while living in California in the 1980s. The plane was based at Minden, Nevada 12 months a year. Maybe in CA for maintenance or other issues 2 weeks a year. Yeah, had to pay CA property taxes and fees on it. Protests to my county and the state went nowhere even with full documentation of paying airport storage in Nevada 12 months a year. My belief was that because I lived in CA and I owned the property, they were going to get their money for it regardless of what the facts were....

 

[Fishman]

As I understand the law it also says if you use it more than 50 percent of time out of state or if you owned it for a year before bringing it into ca. There would be no use tax.

As you said very very confusing.

 

[McX]

Documenting your vessel adds an extra layer of confusion to this mess. Or maybe it clears things up, I’m not sure.

If you document your vessel with the USCG, you do not need a state title or WN number. You still need to pay state registration and get the sticker, though. It also makes it easier to go through customs to Canada.

I think there is supposed to be a 5 ton displacement minimum, but I’ve heard of smaller boats being documented and plan to document my R-27 when it is finally built in 2023.

https://www.boatus.com/expert-advice/ex ... a%20vessel.