Nautical terms
29 of 469 terms in Crew, roles & paperwork. Show all
A
- Abstract of title (A/T) Crew, roles & paperwork
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A record (form CG-1332) that anyone may request from the NVDC for a documented vessel, drawn from the ownership documents, mortgages and lien notices filed there. Buyers order one to check for recorded debts before paying.
- ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council, American Boat & Yacht Council, ABYC standards, ABYC certified technician) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The American Boat and Yacht Council, which sets the standards for designing, building and repairing recreational boats, and certifies marine technicians trained to them.
Examples of ABYC standards BoatUS highlights: CO detectors must be replaced when they expire, bilge pumps need smooth-walled hose, circuits need proper fuses and breakers, and new boats need an ELCI on shore power.
- America's Boating Club (United States Power Squadrons, USPS) Crew, roles & paperwork
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A volunteer boating safety organization, also known as the United States Power Squadrons, that works with the Coast Guard: its examiners do free Vessel Safety Checks, and it is one of the groups that issue domestic MMSI numbers.
B
- Bill of sale (CG-1340) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The document transferring ownership from seller to buyer. For a documented boat the Coast Guard form CG-1340 is used and filed with the NVDC; in states without boat titles, a bill of sale is key proof of ownership.
- Boating accident report (Accident report, BAR) Crew, roles & paperwork
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A report the operator or owner must file with the state when a recreational boat is involved in a death, disappearance, injury needing more than first aid, damage of $2,000 or more, or loss of the boat. A death or disappearance must be reported immediately.
State rules can be stricter; check with the state boating law administrator where the accident happened.
- Boating under the influence (BUI) Crew, roles & paperwork
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Operating a boat while impaired by alcohol or drugs, a federal and state offense. Under federal law a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or more (0.10 in some states) brings civil and criminal penalties, and alcohol is the leading known factor in fatal boating accidents.
C
- Captain's license (OUPV, Six-pack license, Merchant Mariner Credential, Master license) Crew, roles & paperwork
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A Coast Guard credential needed to carry passengers for hire. The entry-level OUPV ("six-pack") endorsement covers uninspected boats with six or fewer paying passengers; a Master endorsement is needed for inspected vessels carrying more.
No Coast Guard license is needed to run your own boat for pleasure, though states may have boater education rules. OUPV endorsements are not valid on international voyages. Applications go through a Coast Guard Regional Exam Center.
- Certificate of Documentation (COD, CG-1270, Recreational endorsement) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The Coast Guard document (form CG-1270) issued for a documented vessel. A recreational boat's certificate carries a recreational endorsement and can be renewed for 1 to 5 years; the original, current certificate must be kept aboard.
- Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCG Auxiliary, CG Aux) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The Coast Guard's uniformed civilian volunteer arm. Members teach boating safety courses, carry out free Vessel Safety Checks and help with patrols and aids-to-navigation checks.
- Coast Guard boarding (Boarding, Heave to for boarding) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The Coast Guard may board any US vessel at any time to check documents and safety equipment. When hailed, a boat underway must stop ("heave to") or maneuver as directed so the team can come aboard; afterward you receive a boarding report.
Other federal, state and local officers may also board and inspect. A boarding officer can end a voyage for especially hazardous conditions such as missing fire extinguishers or a fuel leak.
D
- Documentation (USCG documentation, Federal documentation, Documented vessel) Crew, roles & paperwork
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Federal registration of a boat by the Coast Guard's National Vessel Documentation Center, an alternative to state numbering. The boat must measure at least 5 net tons and be owned by a US citizen. It proves nationality abroad and allows a preferred ship mortgage.
Documented boats still follow federal equipment rules and may still owe state fees, taxes or a state use decal.
G
- Garbage placard (MARPOL placard, Waste management plan) Crew, roles & paperwork
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Federal rules (MARPOL Annex V) ban dumping plastic anywhere and any garbage in US navigable waters. Ocean-going boats 40 feet and longer with a galley and berths also need a written waste management plan naming the person in charge.
H
- Hailing port Crew, roles & paperwork
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The US place name that a documented vessel shows with its name on the hull, usually on the stern, in letters at least 4 inches high.
- Hull Identification Number (HIN) Crew, roles & paperwork
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A boat's unique 12-character serial number: maker's code (3 characters), serial number (5), month and year of manufacture or certification (2) and model year (2). The primary HIN is on the starboard side of the transom near the top; a duplicate is hidden inside.
Removing or altering a HIN is prohibited. State agencies may verify it by tracing, photos or inspection before registering a boat.
M
- Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO, Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin, MCO) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The builder's document that comes with a new boat, listing its HIN and engine serial numbers and recording its transfer to the dealer. You need it to register or document a new boat.
- Marine surveyor (Surveyor, SAMS, NAMS) Crew, roles & paperwork
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An independent professional who inspects a boat and reports on its condition and value, usually for a buyer, lender or insurer. The two main professional associations are SAMS (Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors) and NAMS (National Association of Marine Surveyors).
The surveyor works for you, not the seller, broker or lender: you choose and pay them and the report is yours. Some insurers only accept members of one association or the other.
N
- National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The Coast Guard office in Falling Waters, West Virginia that documents vessels, renews certificates, records mortgages, liens and bills of sale, and issues abstracts of title and deletion letters, including through its online eStorefront.
The NVDC warns that private companies offering to handle documentation for a fee are not part of the Coast Guard.
- Net tonnage (Five net tons, Net tons) Crew, roles & paperwork
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A measure of a vessel's enclosed volume, not its weight: the gross measured volume minus certain spaces, worked out by formula. A recreational boat must measure at least 5 net tons to be eligible for Coast Guard documentation.
O
- Official number (Documentation number, O.N.) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The number the Coast Guard assigns a documented vessel. It must be permanently marked inside the hull on a structural part, in block numerals at least 3 inches high preceded by "NO.", so that removing or changing it would be obvious.
- Oil discharge placard (Oil pollution placard, Discharge of Oil Prohibited placard) Crew, roles & paperwork
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A placard at least 5 by 8 inches, required on boats 26 feet and longer with a machinery space, posted in the engine space or at the bilge pump control, stating that discharging oil or oily waste into US waters is prohibited.
Pumping an oily bilge overboard is illegal; any discharge that leaves a sheen or discoloration counts. Spills should be reported to the National Response Center.
P
- Passengers for hire (Paying passengers, Charter) Crew, roles & paperwork
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People carried in return for payment. Once a boat carries passengers for hire it is a commercial operation and needs a licensed operator, and more than six passengers require a Coast Guard-inspected vessel.
- Preferred ship mortgage (Preferred mortgage) Crew, roles & paperwork
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A boat loan recorded against a documented vessel with the Coast Guard. The availability of this kind of mortgage is a main reason lenders ask for larger boats to be documented.
R
- Registration numbers (Bow numbers, State numbers) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The state-issued number painted or attached on both sides of the forward half of the hull, in plain vertical block letters at least 3 inches high, contrasting with the hull color, with the state validation decal placed as your state requires.
- Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit (RP, Operator permit) Crew, roles & paperwork
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An FCC permit for the person operating a marine radio, needed when you travel to or talk with foreign ports. It requires no exam and is valid for life.
S
- Ship station license (FCC ship radio license, Station license) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The FCC license for the radios aboard a vessel. Recreational boats operating only in US waters do not need one for a VHF, radar or EPIRB, but you do if you travel to a foreign port such as Canada, Mexico or the Bahamas.
Going to a foreign port also requires the operator to hold a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit, a lifetime FCC permit with no test.
- Skipper (Captain, Master, Operator, Person in charge) Crew, roles & paperwork
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The person in command of the boat and responsible for its safe operation, whether or not they hold a license. On a recreational boat that is usually the owner or whoever is running it.
The law holds the master or person in charge responsible for giving any help that can safely be given to someone in danger at sea, and the Navigation Rules do not excuse the owner, master or crew from the consequences of neglect.
- State registration (Certificate of Number, CON, Registration) Crew, roles & paperwork
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State numbering of a boat. Boats with propulsion machinery must be registered in the state of principal use (unless documented, and some states register those too), and the Certificate of Number must be aboard whenever the boat is used.
If you move the boat to a new state of principal use, the old certificate stays valid for 60 days.
- State title (Boat title, Title) Crew, roles & paperwork
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A state certificate of ownership for a boat, required in most states for boats that are not federally documented. Trailers often need their own titles and registration.
Before buying, BoatUS advises cross-checking the HIN on the boat against the seller's papers and searching the title and registration with the state.
Y
- Yacht broker (Boat broker, Broker, CPYB) Crew, roles & paperwork
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An agent who sells used boats for owners, much like a real estate agent. In a normal sale the broker is paid by and works for the seller; a buyer's broker agreement is needed to have one represent you.
BoatUS notes only Florida and California license brokers. A Certified Professional Yacht Broker (CPYB) has passed an exam and agreed to a code of ethics.
General guidance for recreational boaters, researched from the sources listed and written in our own words. Your equipment manuals, local knowledge, the Navigation Rules and a qualified instructor come first.