Registering your boat

Hi guys, I built a boat in Mexico but I'm having trouble registering it with the local authorities. They will only accept registration from a licensed boat builder, they won't register home built boats. I was wondering if I could register the boat in the USA even though it's currently located in Mexico? Or could I register it in a different country? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

US is out. They are really sticky.

Might require some creativity. What happens if you go to a different place and tell them you bought the boat used? You need a bill of sale, maybe pay taxes? All questions on my part...

 

How about becoming a licenced builder; what are the requirements?

 

If you have a domicile in the USA it would be easy to register.

 

Yes you can.
For the US it's a DMV matter, they want to see a stack of bills for the materials to verify sales tax, plus photos or affidavit that it's home buildt. Some states require a physical inspection, California will also tax every year, if you don't want that, look for another state. Motors may need emissions compliance certificates, the manufacturer can supply one.

After you have a registration you need to sort out the mexican TIP so that the boat is legal.

The mexican flag is only available to mexican nationals or companies. Proof of ownership begins with registering a build contract. It's all a bit complicated but it can be done if you insist, you need a long talk with a port captain.

 

In many states they don't require the bill of materials. The sales tax was already paid at the time of purchase.

 

In order to register in my state, you'd have to lie about the boat domicile.

Asks county where kept...fyi

Here in Mn, trailers require registration. But old trailers are thus impossible to register because they never used to be titled. So, the known workaround is to register as homemade. In the case of a custom made boat; maybe you work a different direction. Say the boat was purchased. People register yachts in the Caymans and Virgin Islands all the time. I doubt they go there to do it. But if your boat is ever stopped by Mexican authorities; seems to me you'd be best off with Mexican papers. So, eventually, I'd want Mexican reg.

 

You don't need to lie. If you have a domicile in the USA, the boat can be registered there.

 

Yes. But that is a big conditional for a Mexican national.

 

You have a real problem here. If you built the boat in Mexico, you would have to import it into the United States. The Customs, when you bring it in, is going to ask some questions based on what kind of boat it is because boats in the US (yes even boats imported for your own use) have to meet certain standards. The very first one is going to be a big obstacle. Does it have a Hull Identification Number? Obviously it doesn't because it's home built. If it doesn't they may give you a waiver for that (it used to be 90 days) in which time you have to bring the boat up to US standards. Depending on the boat this may include things like safe loading, flotation, electrical, fuel systems and EPA emissions standards. I don't know what all the rules are anymore because I haven't had to deal with this for 18 years but I suggest you direct your question to jeffrey.a.ludwig@uscg.mil They know all the current rules for imported boats including boats you are bringing into the country for your own use, not for purpose of sale. I do not think it would be legal to register it in a US state while the boat remains in Mexico, because the Federal Regulation and all States have a law the requires registration in "the state of principle use" which in most states is the boat s in the state 90 days or more. However, there are a few states that define this as 60 days and one or two that require it if you move to the state and intend to keep it in that state (they want their taxes) . If you get past the hurdles then the state can assign a HIN for a homemade boat. Most states have a form, or a clause on the registration form, where you can certify (under pain of sales or personal property tax) that you built the boat.

 

What about thailand? is it easier to build and register boat there? or maybe south america?

what are the best countries to do projects like this?

 

Building a boat sounds like an awesome project. I had a similar situation with my motorcycle when I moved it between countries.
When I needed to register my bike in the US, I was surprised by how helpful the DMV United States was. They had guidelines for registering vehicles from abroad, and it was a fairly straightforward process.
It might be worth checking with the US authorities or exploring registration options in nearby countries. Sometimes, their rules are more flexible.