# New requirements for Co Boat Rgistration (motors only)



## yesimapirate (Oct 18, 2010)

And what if the boat was bought in pieces? Frame from here, tubes from there, motor from somewhere else. 
OR what if you built your own frame and glued together your own rubber?

These aren't questions for you mattman. Just questions out loud.


----------



## yesimapirate (Oct 18, 2010)

A quick call to the local state park, and I have answered my out loud question. If there's no proof of purchase on a raft you've owned or built long before the new requirement was in place, you have to take your boat to a location that does the registering and have a park ranger inspect the boat. They will then issue you the registration.

**My statement is not the official word of CO P&W. I would suggest you make the same phone call I did to one of the registration locations if you want the official word of what warrants no proof of purchase needed. The young lady did say that you should call ahead of time to arrange your visit as park rangers aren't just standing by in office.

http://cpw.state.co.us/buyapply/Pages/RegistrationLocations.aspx


----------



## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

Typically registration of boats is done via hull identification numbers (or serial number in most cases on rafts). The other accouterments have nothing to do with registration, not even the motor ironically... Why don't they just have us register the motor? wouldn't that make the most sense? Nah, too simple.

If you glued up your own boat, you should be exempt! But alas, you'd probably have to jump through some sort of home made vin number hoop.


----------



## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

In some states I believe you do register just the motor. In Co it is the hull which you register. Don't know why it is done this way. I imagine these rules are made from the perspective of registering a power boat, which is mostly what CPW deals with.


----------



## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

I haven't run into a state that you register the motor - I'm not saying your wrong, I just haven't seen it. With that said - my comment was mostly tongue in cheek with a little useful information and a lot of whining.

I know for most boats the boat is registered as it's what holds the people and has the greatest number of limitations. I get it, but in the case of small (under say, 5-10 hp) it would be nice to register the motor and not the boat, since it's the deciding factor on whether registration is required. I have several motors laying around but have never rigged one to my raft because I don't want to drop several hundred bucks to register a boat that will rarely have a motor on it. I'd happily register the motor for the same amount that could go on several different boats... anyways, I'm just tilting at windmills.

Oregon, washington, idaho, montana, and wyoming all register the hull, not the motor. The remaining states are only of marginal importance so I've never needed to look into their requirements...


----------



## dirtbagkayaker (Oct 29, 2008)

yesimapirate said:


> And what if the boat was bought in pieces? .



This law is in effect in Idaho but not enforced. Once the motor is attached it requires a number attached to the sides of the boat and registration as a motor boat. 

Only the hull is registered with its coast guard number. So you can add luggage rakes and a down rigger if you want to. 


The bigger problem is that most rafts/cats are not approved by the coast guard to have a motor attached. If a savvy license department catches on we may not be able to register raft as a motor boat?


----------



## seantana (Mar 5, 2015)

elkhaven said:


> I have several motors laying around but have never rigged one to my raft because I don't want to drop several hundred bucks to register a boat that will rarely have a motor on it.


Registering and titling my NRS 130 in Missoula cost me ~$80 IIRC. You don't get into the multiple hundreds until you're over 19' I believe.


----------



## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

seantana said:


> Registering and titling my NRS 130 in Missoula cost me ~$80 IIRC. You don't get into the multiple hundreds until you're over 19' I believe.


Interesting, I swear the last time I added it up it was around $225... Maybe I'm confusing my camp trailer?...Thanks for the clarification!


----------



## H2UhOh (Jul 27, 2010)

elkhaven said:


> Typically registration of boats is done via hull identification numbers (or serial number in most cases on rafts). The other accouterments have nothing to do with registration, not even the motor ironically... Why don't they just have us register the motor? wouldn't that make the most sense? Nah, too simple.
> 
> If you glued up your own boat, you should be exempt! But alas, you'd probably have to jump through some sort of home made vin number hoop.


I don't know about homemade rafts, but beware that CO lumps commercial kit trailers purchased via mail or out of state with true homemade ones. And yes, that means it has to get a state-authorized VIN inspection, after which they issue you a metal tag with a new VIN on it that is supposed to be permanently attached to the trailer, meaning welded or riveted. Next, you bring all the usual paperwork AND the signed VIN Verification sheet to the county DMV.

The alleged reasons for these inspections was for safety and for determining the trailer was not stolen. However, it became clear to me by the quick glance the trooper gave my trailer, contrasted with his perusal of the paperwork, that the goal was to collect any uncollected state sales tax. I had ordered my trailer from a dealer out of state and got hit with the tax at registration time.


----------



## seantana (Mar 5, 2015)

elkhaven said:


> Interesting, I swear the last time I added it up it was around $225... Maybe I'm confusing my camp trailer?...Thanks for the clarification!


No problem. The biggest pain in registering was getting a certificate of origin, but one phone call to NRS with my serial # fixed that.


----------



## brokenpaddlejon (Sep 11, 2005)

I'm hoping its not a couple hundred bucks. I just got a motor for my hyside. Won't actually register it until I need to, but that seems real steep, considering I have 21 ft. ski boat with a 350 hp engine that cost way less than that including trailer registration.


----------



## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

My 14' raft is $35 a year, so no worries.


----------

