My Father purchased a Sunfish in NJ in 1977, after a few years of use it sat unused in his back yard in NJ before he moved to Florida. During the time it was in use in NJ there was no requirement to register the boat and so it was never registered. Currently Sunfish Sailboats are supposed to be registered in NJ.
If he were to trailer it back to NJ for a month or two of use in New Jersey's waters, would it have to be registered in NJ? His permanent residence is in FL where no registration is necessary to operate a Sunfish.
From my interpretation of the NJ DMV website, I do not think it would need to be registered. Like any other vehicle crossing state lines, as long as the boat does not stay in NJ permanently. As long as it is not used in NJ for longer than 180 days.
From NJ DMV: Boats and marine equipment that do not have to be registered
The problem is, this boat is not registered in FL because no registration is required. If challenged out on the water, how would I prove it is a Florida based boat and not a NJ boat, there are no registration numbers or decals?
Thank you for your thoughts.
-Greg
If he were to trailer it back to NJ for a month or two of use in New Jersey's waters, would it have to be registered in NJ? His permanent residence is in FL where no registration is necessary to operate a Sunfish.
From my interpretation of the NJ DMV website, I do not think it would need to be registered. Like any other vehicle crossing state lines, as long as the boat does not stay in NJ permanently. As long as it is not used in NJ for longer than 180 days.
From NJ DMV: Boats and marine equipment that do not have to be registered
- Those not based in New Jersey or operating for less than 180 consecutive days.
The problem is, this boat is not registered in FL because no registration is required. If challenged out on the water, how would I prove it is a Florida based boat and not a NJ boat, there are no registration numbers or decals?
Thank you for your thoughts.
-Greg