Most vessels greater than 25ft. and on coastal waters owned by US Citizens are Documented with the US Coast Guard. Documented vessels in the United States have the registered name and hailing port marked on the transom (back end) of the boat in letters 4 inch or greater.
US Coast Guard documented vessels have Certificates of Documentation instead of titles. The official number of the vessel, preceded by the abbreviation “NO.” is marked in block-type Arabic numerals not less than three inches in height on some clearly visible interior structural part of the hull. The number is permanently affixed to the vessel.
The Official Number and Hull Identification Number are both located on the Certificate of Documentation, near the top of the page.
If you cannot locate the Certificate of Documentation or Vessel Official Number, you may look up the vessel in the Coast Guard Port State Information Exchange (PSIX) Database via the link below.
https://cgmix.uscg.mil/psix/psixsearch.aspx
Simply enter the vessel name or Hull Identification Number (engraved or printed on the aft starboard corner of the vessel) and click “Search.” If the vessel has been USCG Documented, it will appear in the search results.
