“Breeze Bender, AMF used to suggest splitting the hull / deck seam at the stern to upgrade to the new style rudder.”
Ah, that must be what they did! I’ve never been bold enough to split the seam on any of my boats.
Would Pennsylvania's DMV accept a registration "1971 certificate/document" from another state?Any help would be greatly appreciated. This little boat deserves to come alive again!
Would Pennsylvania's DMV accept a registration "1971 certificate/document" from another state?
I am about to go Knee Deep sending copies of owner death certificates from way back. The sail has a tag from around 1967. All paperwork is filled out to that year, though I am now sure it is a 1971. Had a saying in the Navy "if you're wrong stay wrong!" Unless i can get specific documentation i am staying on path. Paid too much to re submit paperwork.
I just need to get a new hull number and i am gold! Might send a picture of the original sticker that has worn many years ago. It is possible the number was located there.
New Hampshire, which is relatively "short" on bureaucracy (although neighboring domestic immigration is forcing a change) will register a Sunfish.Hey, OP, if those DMV obstacles prove to be insurmountable, know this: in the Socialist Republik of Kalifornia, I had no other option but to declare my 12' Minifish a "home-built" boat, using some receipts from the Home Depot for lumber, fasteners, etc., for an entirely different project. The boat was a barn find, it sat in some guy's back yard for decades and the original owner was probably dead & buried, no paperwork whatsoever left behind.
Once I turned in the receipts & filled out the "home-built" form, I was issued a *new* HIN and I had to go get that number engraved on a thin aluminum plate (key & trophy shop did the engraving), then mount the plate on the starboard quarter of my "home-built" boat, taking great care to entirely cover the original HIN still visible under fresh paint, LOL. Chose an aluminum plate just the right size to cover the old HIN, you understand.
Ironically, that whole process was MUCH easier than trying to deal with bureaucratic DMV bull$h!t, and I soon had registration stickers on the bow of my boat, which were all I wanted in the first place so I wouldn't get hassled by waterborne Donut Boyz & Revenue Collectors. Now, if I was able to do that in Kalifornia, MAYBE you can do it in PA or NJ if you find yourself up against a bureaucratic wall, so to speak.
Of course, I had to go to a different branch office of the DMV once I started down the "home-built" route, didn't want the pogues I talked to at the outset to get wind of the "home-built" scheme... but in all honesty, I could've used Depot receipts for household detergents, toilet paper, a garden hose & the proverbial kitchen sink to bag the "home-built" registration stickers, nobody gave those a second glance, the important thing was to have receipts in hand, LOL.
JUST SAYIN', IN CASE YOU'RE EVENTUALLY FORCED TO GO THIS ROUTE DUE TO RIDICULOUS BUREAUCRATIC BULL$H!T, AYE???
GOOD LUCK, & BON VOYAGE ONCE YA GETS THEM THAR STICKERS, LOL!!! CHEERS!!!
P.S. When I mounted the aluminum plate on the quarter, I pre-drilled all holes (plate & hull), then used a bit of epoxy and snug-fitting pop rivets to install the plate. Worked like gangbusters, never leaked, never got hassled over registration stickers, the thin plate never created drag or impeded my progress, etc. Just something to think about, hope it's helpful to ya! BTW, even though I served in the USA INF, I hail from a nautical family (2 CDRs, USN Submarine Service, they were the ranking officers in our immediate family---had an Air Force colonel in the Pentagon, but he was an uncle). I copy that naval remark about "staying wrong!!!" LOL.
Now all HINs are engraved or molded into the transom, a better system.
I didn't think Pa requires any registration for this boat since it is not motorized. If you live in PA you fall under their registration laws even if you are in another state with your boat.I realize this type of issue comes up, (some may find this redundant) but I figured I would go strait to the professionals! The boat commission is requiring proof of year from manufacturer.
Some details..The original owner passed away, never registered the boat. (No paper trail) Due to no hull number (prior to 1972) they want proof of age.
In order to get sticker for state park use a hull number is needed. I want to sail it in NJ. Since it is over 12 feet registration is required. How to prove age when the original company is no longer in existence? This makes Restoration very difficult.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. This little boat deserves to come alive again!