When a boat manufacturer or importer sells a recreational boat, the company should provide a Certificate of Origin to the purchaser. The purchaser needs a Certificate of Origin to obtain a title or register a boat with State numbering authorities. The procedure is the same as when an automobile is purchased. In the boating world this document is also often called a Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin, Master Builders Certificate, Carpenters Certificate, etc. They are all the same thing.Ā
If you wish to utilize the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin to obtain Initial Coast Guard Vessel Documentation, you may proceed to the webform application via the link below:
https://unitedstatesvessel.us/initial-documentation/
We receive numerous complaints from owners who are unable to register their boats and obtain State registration numbers because they do not have a Certificate of Origin. The State authorities tell many of these people to request a form from Coast Guard Merchant Vessel Documentation offices called a “Builders Certification,” which the Coast Guard offices use to establish the fact that vessels intended for documentation were U.S. manufactured. It is not necessary to use the “Builders Certificationā form for boats which will be registered in a State.Ā
To eliminate confusion, printed below is a prototype Manufacturer’s Certificate of Orgin for the use of recreational boat builders and importers. Copy this form, or use it as a model for designing your own. Put your company logo on it if you want to. Just try to make sure you complete a Certificate of Origin and that the form accompanies each boat you build. This will make it much easier for the eventual first purchasers of your products to title and register their boats.
