Marking Vessel No

I bought my BCC Haiku (hull 121, ex Aura) last summer and have been able to document with the coast guard after a very slow process. Now I have to decide how to mark the vessel number on the inside in a permanent but “tasteful” fashion. I would appreciate any recommendations from those who have done this before. I hesitate to attack any of that lovely teak with a carving chisel.
AB
Old Saybrook, CT

I don’t know what is required in the U.S., but my BCC is documented in Canada (as opposed to being licensed). It was acceptable to display the vessel number by simply painting the numbers on the forward face of the sail locker bulkhead - literally carving the vessel number was not required.

Gary
Dioscouri
#064

Mines upside down on the lazertte bulkhead. Easy to read when you stick your head in.

On the road.

On Mar 15, 2013, at 10:17 PM, BCC Forums bccforums@samlmorse.com wrote:

on my previous boat the numbered was carved into a piece of wood that was glassed inside the aft lazarette.

Does anyone have know of a site I can go to and get the information I need to document my boat? I have searched around and all I come up with are firms that will take care of it for a fee. When you talk to the local coast guard folks on the great lakes they look at you like you have three eyes. Any insight would be great.

Thanks

Eric Pomber
BCC 29 Thistle

It is pretty easy to get all the information you need from the CG Vessel Documentation website:
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvdc/
A word of caution that it takes a long time (several months) to get a response to the application and if you make a mistake (as I did by submitting the wrong form of bill of sale) you start all over again with the wait.
AB

It is pretty easy to get all the information you need from the CG Vessel Documentation website:
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvdc/
A word of caution that it takes a long time (several months) to get a response to the application and if you make a mistake (as I did by submitting the wrong form of bill of sale) you start all over again with the wait.
AB

Thanks Andrew, I found that site about 5 minutes after posting that message. Documenting my boat is going to be difficult. The hull was laid up in 1977 and it went into storage for over 20 years. Then I bought the hull in 2003 and finished it in 2010. This complicates who the builder was, what year it was built. It was a major pain in the … when I went to register it with the state of Michigan. I hope the clear title I got from that circus will help with the documentation. The only thing that was easy was getting insurance. I told my insurance guy what kind of boat it was he looked it up and he asked how much insurance do you need. I put full replacement value on it and got the policy in two hours. Our boats strength and quality seem to be well known.

Eric

Andrew,
In 1982 I had a plastic plaque with “NO. --------- NET” made, and epoxied it to the forward side of the partial bulkhead forward of the head. So it wasn’t visible unless you stuck your head forward of the bulkhead. I know many BCCs have closed off that area, but it remains open on Shaula.

I recently installed a Lavac head and needed that space for the manual pump. I was surprised to find that the epoxy was very brittle and the plaque was easily pried off with a putty knife! I think I’ll epoxy it to the aft side of the main bulkhead, above the “workbench” (which we use for storage). I doubt the CG will check to see if the plaque can be pried off.

Since the letters and numbers are supposed to be 3" high, using a plaque rather than carving them on structural wood seemed reasonable way to go. I think it was Sam who told me that plastic plaques are acceptable. A piece of wood with the carved numbers, instead of plastic, would have been more fitting for a BCC wouldn’t it? Maybe I’ll use my Dremel tool and carve the numbers in a nice piece of wood!?

Dan Shaula

Call any maritime title agency and send them a check for 300 bucks, some things are worth paying for :slight_smile:

Eric, your boat will be documented as a 1977 Sam Morse, its not the completion date its the hull layup date. Look at your Hull ID is has an H indication home built. To my knowledge there are no legal ways around this.

I have my documentation numbers painted inside my lazarette…put a layer of clear epoxy over them to protect them…here is the text of a USCG document spelling out the options…

Arabic numerals are the most common symbolic representation of
numbers in the world. Permanently affixed means that the numbers
must be affixed to the vessel so that alteration, removal, or replacement
would be obvious. Numbers can be painted, carved, or welded.
For more information on documented vessels, contact the U.S. Coast
Guard National Vessel Documentation Center at (800) 799-8362 or
online at www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvdc.
NO.1234567 3"
Interior display (recreational and commercial).

I also self documented back in 2001 with little hassle… likely become more complicated since 911 as it is a well know fact that Al Qaeda favors the BCC as the cruising boat of choice.

1 Like