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§ 29.1-702. Registration requirements; display of numbers; cancellation of certificate; exemption.

A. 1. The owner of each motorboat requiring numbering by the Commonwealth shall file an application for a number with the Department on forms approved by it.

§ 29.1-703. Identification numbers required; decals

Every motorboat on the waters of this Commonwealth shall be numbered except those specifically exempt in § 29.1-710.

§ 29.1-700. Definitions.

"Personal watercraft" means a motorboat less than sixteen feet in length which uses an inboard motor powering a jet pump, as its primary motive power and which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on, rather than in the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside, the vessel.

"Vessel" means every description of watercraft, other than a seaplane on the water, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water.

§ 29.1-733.2. Definitions

[...]

"Watercraft" means any vessel that is used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water and is propelled by machinery, whether or not the machinery is the principal source of propulsion, except:

[...]

3. A vessel that measures 18 feet or less in length along the centerline and is propelled by sail;

[...]

§ 29.1-733.3. Applicability (Article 2.1. Virginia Uniform Certificate of Title for Watercraft Act)
.
Subject to § 29.1-733.29, this article applies to any transaction, certificate of title, or record relating to a watercraft, even if the transaction, certificate of title, or record was entered into or created before July 1, 2014.

§ 29.1-733.5. Law governing watercraft covered by certificate of title.

A. The law of the state or other jurisdiction under whose certificate of title a watercraft is covered governs all issues relating to the certificate from the time the watercraft becomes covered by the certificate until the watercraft becomes covered by another certificate or becomes a documented watercraft, even if no other relationship exists between the jurisdiction and the watercraft or its owner.

B. A watercraft becomes covered by a certificate of title when an application for the certificate and the applicable fee are delivered to the Department in accordance with this article or to the governmental agency that creates a certificate in another jurisdiction in accordance with the law of that jurisdiction.

§ 29.1-733.6. Certificate of title required.

A. No person shall operate a watercraft subject to titling under this chapter unless the owner has applied to the Department for a certificate of title for the watercraft or has been issued a valid temporary registration certificate as provided for in § 29.1-703.1.

Author:	VBScott [ Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:19 am ]
Post subject:	Virginia Cat Registration Question
Anyone familiar with what the registration requirements are on a Hobie 18 in Virginia?

Author:	jonh [ Thu Aug 23, 2012 4:20 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Virginia Cat Registration Question
Hopefully someone from VA has experience, but having recently gone through this in NC figured it would be on the VA website: See bullet point three: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/re ... n/laws.asp See bullet point two here in Overview section: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/wo ... itling.asp I'd just give them a call to be sure.

Author:	sunvista [ Fri Aug 24, 2012 6:55 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Virginia Cat Registration Question
I think it is optional for any boat without an engine. No beach cat sailors that I know of bothers with registration. I've never seen the Marine Patrol stop a catamaran except for PFD violations.

Author:	turbofan [ Sat Aug 25, 2012 3:40 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Virginia Cat Registration Question
Can't say for Virginia, but Maryland doesn't require it for sail power only-NC requires registration for boats over 16 feet, I believe. Most cat sailors I know just don't bother. Dave

Author:	Flying Hollander [ Sat Apr 28, 2018 7:03 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Virginia Cat Registration Question
I realize that this topic was started a long time ago, but I just did some research on this since I have the same question. Here's a link to a forum post that features a handy overview: https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic. ... on#p270996 Title 29.1 (Game, Inland Fisheries and Boating), chapter 7 of the Virginia Code deals with boating. Some relevant details: Quote: § 29.1-702. Registration requirements; display of numbers; cancellation of certificate; exemption. A. 1. The owner of each motorboat requiring numbering by the Commonwealth shall file an application for a number with the Department on forms approved by it. § 29.1-703. Identification numbers required; decals Every motorboat on the waters of this Commonwealth shall be numbered except those specifically exempt in § 29.1-710. § 29.1-700. Definitions. "Personal watercraft" means a motorboat less than sixteen feet in length which uses an inboard motor powering a jet pump, as its primary motive power and which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on, rather than in the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside, the vessel. "Vessel" means every description of watercraft, other than a seaplane on the water, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water. § 29.1-733.2. Definitions [...] "Watercraft" means any vessel that is used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water and is propelled by machinery, whether or not the machinery is the principal source of propulsion, except: [...] 3. A vessel that measures 18 feet or less in length along the centerline and is propelled by sail; [...] § 29.1-733.3. Applicability (Article 2.1. Virginia Uniform Certificate of Title for Watercraft Act) . Subject to § 29.1-733.29, this article applies to any transaction, certificate of title, or record relating to a watercraft, even if the transaction, certificate of title, or record was entered into or created before July 1, 2014. § 29.1-733.5. Law governing watercraft covered by certificate of title. A. The law of the state or other jurisdiction under whose certificate of title a watercraft is covered governs all issues relating to the certificate from the time the watercraft becomes covered by the certificate until the watercraft becomes covered by another certificate or becomes a documented watercraft, even if no other relationship exists between the jurisdiction and the watercraft or its owner. B. A watercraft becomes covered by a certificate of title when an application for the certificate and the applicable fee are delivered to the Department in accordance with this article or to the governmental agency that creates a certificate in another jurisdiction in accordance with the law of that jurisdiction. § 29.1-733.6. Certificate of title required. A. No person shall operate a watercraft subject to titling under this chapter unless the owner has applied to the Department for a certificate of title for the watercraft or has been issued a valid temporary registration certificate as provided for in § 29.1-703.1. Therefore, under VA law a Hobie 18 (or 14, 16, or 17, for that matter) is not considered a watercraft. The H18 is considered to be 18 feet long and thus classified as a "vessel" and not a "watercraft". Should you encounter a law enforcement officer who would argue that the H18 may be a smidgen over 18 feet, rest assured that the according to the official Hobie Racing classification the hull length is in fact 5.48m - or 17.979 feet. Curiously, the VA code defines length as "length as measured along the centerline" (§ 29.1-703.1), which in the case of a cat would be several feet shorter than the hull length. Sounds like our elected officials didn't consider multi-hull situations when they wrote the law. Either way, since the H18 measures under 18 feet and is propelled by wind-power I would conclude that there is no requirement to title and/or register it. The trailer, of course, will need to be titled and registered.

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Author:	touayang84 [ Mon Apr 30, 2018 4:08 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Virginia Cat Registration Question
When i was stationed at fort eustis, i also called them. As long as there is no motor, it doesn’t fall under motoboat. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Author:	HobieMarty [ Thu May 03, 2018 5:24 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Virginia Cat Registration Question
Alabama is just the opposite in that I have to register my H16, but the trailer doesn't require any registration or title.

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