What does Florida require for a Beachcat license?

1) All boats 16' or greater in length are required to be registered and titled. ( http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/faqboat.html#7)

2) My guess is that you are good for 90 days. ( http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/faqboat.html#5)

You will need to have the boat registered or titled in your name also the trailer. If you don't have either of these, he can apply for this in FL on his own. I went through this selling boat to a Guy in TX. I HIGHLY ADVISE you let him deal with it. It costs me hundreds of dollars and a month to get a title in a hurry for the boat I sold. Most states have a process for getting registration for boats not having a title, its just a long process.

As long as you do not reside in FL, I can't see them giving you hassle for the boat not being registered there. We keep our fishing boat there for the past 15 years, never a word about needing to change it.

i have a solcat 18 and a nacra 18 square in fl. i have registered neither and have had no problem after over 2 years of sailing in fl. waters.
marc

#1 - All FL boats over 16' are required to be titled and registered

you will need to provide a title for the boat and registration (or title) for the trailer. If you don't have a title, he can go through the tax collector process (huge pita)

As marcs2 noted: there has been almost no enforcment / problems (in my area at least) for people who don't title/reg beachcats... but that could change at anytime.. and does not "follow the letter of the law". The big issue here (tampa area) is most boats weren't required to be registered in the past.. .so no one titled them. Now that the law has changed... most aren't wiling (or able) to get the paperwork dealt with. Many of us have boats from out side the USA and have no papers at all.. and little or no chance of getting a title (without tons of grief)

#2 Daniel is correct - "Florida recognizes valid registration certificates and numbers issued to visiting boaters for a period of 90 days. An owner who intends to use his vessel in Florida longer than 90 days must register it with a county tax collector. However, he may retain the out-of-state registration number if he plans to return to his home state within a reasonable period of time"

We have 60 beach cats on our beach in South Florida and most have been there for over 10 years, and not one of them has a registration. None of the beach rental sites that I have been to, and they are numerous over here, not one boat with a Florida registration. Would all the sailors who say they have them send in a photo of what they look like. This comes up quite often and why some people insist that have to have one is beyond me. There are a few saying to consider "Let sleeping dogs lie" and " Don't pass up a good opportunity, to just shut up"

The only time the Florida Marine Patrol seems to pay any attention to a small sailboat is when you are sailing naked or drunk. 😀

For the record, I got a new title for my boat from www.getnewtitle.com It was expensive at $400, and took about a month. It involved them registering the boat in Maine in my name, then using that registration to get a title.

SC and FL both require my boat to be registered, I have chosen to take my chances and not worry about it. I have had plenty of people give me lip about selling a boat without a title, when it comes down to it. There are plenty of people willing to buy a boat without the title.

DaveW70 wrote: The only time the Florida Marine Patrol seems to pay any attention to a small sailboat is when you are sailing naked or drunk. 😀

Not that I've experienced. They usually just wave.

Edited by Headhunter on Feb 29, 2012 - 06:48 AM.

thank you all for your posts! nothing better than going to the source of knowledge and experience. i'm headed to panama city april 8-13 and my little friends and i can hardly wait.......being from the great plains.
thanks again!
j

Oh man I came into this thread late. I saw the title and thought. Probably a 20 minute test, but the parallel parking would be a Bitch!!

when i registered my boat in mississippi, the book said i was good as a visitor in all 50 states. they could care less about cat sailors here UNLESS you are fishing, then they want to know all about you and your boat and your fishing license and what's in your ice chest and your safety equipment. in that case it's best not to be buck nekid' and s#%t hammered drunk! but if your not fishing, PARTY NEKID'!!!

Just my two cents....I've never been pulled over in my car to show proof of registration either but I've never taken that as an opportunity to just let it expire.

my registration was 25$ for 3 years...cheap...

You do not need a registration in Florida. In this thread on the Hobie 16 forums, you need a title for the boat, but not a registration (it is not required to carry the title on board). The thread was originally about no wake zones, but just read down a little on the first page. The poster of the thread ended up getting a refund for a registration he found out he didn't need. http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=9454

Also, I can personally vouch. I pass by police all the time on the Caloosahatchee river and I have no FL numbers, or registration sticker. I have never been harassed.

http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/faqboat.html#5
http://myfwc.com/boating/boating-regulations

this covers it for residents and visitors.

Is a non-powered vessel required to be registered and titled?

If the non-motor powered vessel is less than 16 feet in length, it is not required to be registered or titled. However, if the vessel is 16 feet or more in length, it is required to be registered and titled.

Pyroboy, many of us do not register in many states that the law does require it and have no problems, that doesn't mean its legal.

Edited by bacho on Mar 10, 2012 - 07:31 AM.

bacho wrote:

Is a non-powered vessel required to be registered and titled?

If the non-motor powered vessel is less than 16 feet in length, it is not required to be registered or titled. However, if the vessel is 16 feet or more in length, it is required to be registered and titled.

Pyroboy, many of us do not register in many states that the law does require it and have no problems, that doesn't mean its legal.Edited by bacho on Mar 10, 2012 - 07:31 AM.

Read this: http://www.leetc.com/vehiclevessel.asp?page_id=vesselxreg You do not need a yearly registration in Florida. You clearly did not read through the thread that I linked in my previous post.

a hobie 16 is over 16' in lenght.... legally... it is required to have both title and registration

pyroboy08 wrote: [quote=bacho]

Is a non-powered vessel required to be registered and titled?

If the non-motor powered vessel is less than 16 feet in length, it is not required to be registered or titled. However, if the vessel is 16 feet or more in length, it is required to be registered and titled.

Pyroboy, many of us do not register in many states that the law does require it and have no problems, that doesn't mean its legal.Edited by bacho on Mar 10, 2012 - 07:31 AM.

Read this: http://www.leetc.com/vehiclevessel.asp?page_id=vesselxreg You do not need a yearly registration in Florida. You clearly did not read through the thread that I linked in my previous post.

He makes a good point in that county registration requirements apparently differ from state. Regardless, in open water or ICW, following state registration guidelines is probably best if you're of the volition that being 100% compliant is necessary for a beachcat (I'm not.)

I bet that county page is just old data - (Copyright © 2009, Lee County Tax Collector's Office. )

County: Non-motor-powered vessels, (if you have a non-motor-powered vessel that is 16 feet or longer, you need a title but you do not need a yearly registration.) - http://www.leetc.com/vehiclevessel.asp?page_id=vesselxreg

State: If the non-motor powered vessel is less than 16 feet in length, it is not required to be registered or titled. However, if the vessel is 16 feet or more in length, it is required to be registered and titled. - http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/faqboat.html#5

when the law changed (reg needed for 16' and above) there was a ton of misinformation and lack of coordianation between the state tax collectors. you could ask 3 diff people and get 3 different answers. We had a catamaran dealer write the head of the tax office, and recieved clearly old data (they were unaware at that time of the changes)

it seems that registration or rather lack of registration is not a problem in fl. so let sleeping dogs lie. if it becomes a problem we will read about it and there is a solution to it. so don' worry about lack of registration on your beach cat.
marc

I'm not so worried about the registration, but the title... My boat has gone through three owners and never been titled.

pyroboy08 wrote:

You do not need a yearly registration in Florida. You clearly did not read through the thread that I linked in my previous post.

I did read that thread, in fact I read it on that forum before you ever linked it. I am gonna trust the STATE .GOV website any day of the week over some county .com website. What are you gonna say when DNR pulls you over? "Officer, your departments website is wrong and those rules don't apply to me, I read on the website for Lee county that I do not need to register my boat."

pyroboy08
here is what you say. we were launching our solcat 18 and a marine patrol officer was at the ramp. he asked how long was the boat. i replied 18' . he said you need to register it. i said that i did not know that and that i would take care of it. still not registered with no problems.
marc

wow! I cannot believe that my county government deceived me! Well, actually I can. I apologize for my misinformed posts. No matter, I'm not worried about getting nailed for lacking registration. Although bacho makes a good point that I could get busted, regardless of what the county site told me.

I think most of us fall into that same boat. Not legal but not worried. In my opinion, as long as you have life jackets, not drunk and a good attitude the enforcement will not be too concerned with you.

life jackets, not drunk and a good attitude

1 out of 3 aint bad in my eyes (i wear a life jacket)

Edited by MN3 on Mar 14, 2012 - 07:45 AM.

and do not forget that oral sex is also illegal in fl.
marc

marcs2 wrote: and do not forget that oral sex is also illegal in fl.
marc

Even with registration?