CA DMV registration stickers

scullygirl

scullygirl

New Member
So here's something I've been wondering about. Are Lasers required to have these DMV registration stickers stuck onto the boat? I was told by the previous owner when I bought it that I was not required to have them stuck to the boat, since it is a race boat. I'm the third owner of my boat, and I don't think its ever had its CF numbers or DMV registration sticker stuck onto the hull.

Can someone enlighten me on this? The boat and I reside in California.

Mary
 
It's determined by various state agencies. In NC it's not required because the length of the boat is less than required for registration.

CA is different. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/boatsinfo/boatreg.htm

Looks like if you only race it, or tune it up for racing, then it can go w/o the registration. But if you pleasure sail it at any time it has to be registered. I'd get out and do a lot of tuneups (c:
 
From the website:

Vessels brought into California for racing purposes only (exempted only during races and tune-ups).

Unless you bring your Laser from outside the state to race in a regatta in CA, it looks to me that you can't escape registering your Laser....

Don't we all love these laws, but hey, CA needs the money, AFAIK

 
Yep, I saw that. I finally decided that the second paragraph about the 120 days etc took care of any body bringing a boat into the state for racing as a visitor.

So I read the last line to say if you jumped up and brought a boat into the state, as in your own boat as a Californian, then you could race it as long as you wanted.

It's really a bit ambiguous. But then, what laws aren't :) .I think Mary's best bet is to wander down to the docks and see how many Lasers have numbers on them. If it's half and half, I'd have to get written permission :p But I'm such a rule follower.​
 
I have sailed many years in many different states. I have never had a registration sticker of any kind on my boat, and have had no interaction with any wildlife officials.

I think if you have a small vessel with no motor and you are wearing your lifejacket, they pretty much leave you alone There are too many drunk on powerboats for them to bother with you.
 
just be sure to remove old ID numbers and expired stickers... i got pulled over once in my laser in michigan due to an expired sticker. so i just removed all evidence of it ever being registered, etc, and had no further issues
 
My Laser is registered. I have all the paperwork. It's having the stickers and CF numbers placed on the hull that I'm wondering about. I guess I'll just look at everyone else's Laser and see what they do, and figure out the ratio of stickered and non-stickered boats.

Mary
 
It really depends on the harbor, and what the harbor patrol boss has on his priority list.

Dana Point used to be notorious for stopping people for not having CF numbers and registration stickers in the correct location. I have not sailed out of there in years, so I don't know if the situation has changed.

Lake Cachuma used to be pretty tight about having current registration, too.
 
I will say this. If you buy a boat, make sure all the ducks are in a row.

Several years ago I bought JY-15 in Texas, only to sell it a few months later. I quickly found a potential buyer, but he wanted to have it titled before showing me the money.

It turns out they had changed the law in Texas a few years before. Sailboats longer than 14 feet but with no motor had to be titled, but didn't require TX numbers. I had to get a bunch of paperwork filled out and notorized. Fortunately the person I bought it from was a friend. It got worked out, and I don't blame the guy who bought it for wanting it to be titled.

The silver lining was the 14 foot rule was good news for my Laser. The manufacturer's spec is 13' 11".
 
In California, DMV registration of a laser is required by law for a boat based here. Placing the sticker and numbers on the hull is required by law.

I have the sticker and numbers on my hull.

Having said that, I agree with the comment above - there is little risk of being challenged if you choose not to place the stickers/numbers on your hull. I'd say only about a third of the boats I sail against here have the sticker/numbers, and I'm not aware of anybody ever being challenged. I know of one guy who is careful to keep a copy of the title in his car just in case.

I had my numbers custom-made in colors that contrast, but compliment, the color of the hull, and with a little shape to them (but still within the law). The result looks less ugly on the hull than plain block upper-case letters in black or white.
 
Yeah, you are supposed to have them on. If you sail Marina Del Rey, you stand a good chance of being pulled over. In Ventura Harbor, where I sail, everyone has their numbers on.
 
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