[DFWX]

Is there a length limitation for operation of a private yacht without the owner/operator having some sort of "drivers" license? The yacht would not be used for any commercial purpose or carrying any passengers for any fee. Just personal usage.

[DFWX]

Also does age of boat matter? Ours are 50s and 60s wooden yachts (Trumpys)

[yachtbrokerguy]

No license is needed in the US for personal use until you get to super mega giga fragilistic size. "Personal use" are the key words here, a real estate broker should not take clients to see water front houses on a boat, stuff like that.
Sometimes insurance companies require licensed captains when the USCG does not.

[NYCAP123]

DFWX,
Your posts intrigue me. Your profile says you have (3) boats, a 27, a 42 and a 46 in Daytona where you're miles from any inlet. You write about using Russian reject guns & guns you leave in salt water and now have multiple classic Trumpy's in the 50 and 60 foot range that are used strictly for private/ non-commercial activities yet you don't know about licensing requirements. What's the story here? My leg feel a little stretched.

[DFWX]

The past is different from the present. The 27 footer is a towable twin fiberglass cruiser in Texas. The 47 footer is on the St John River, which leads to the coast. The 42 footer was in Daytona Beach but now is down at Fort Lauderdale.

Years ago (many) I had a Huchkins "Fairform Flyer Piscatory" 45' that became my cruising boat.

I seemed to remember something of there being a length limit for which a license is required and was wondering what it is. The topic of firearms is a completely different matter and how I dealt in the past and present on the question of whether it is legal to have a firearm on board - which is not only a question of foreign jurisdictions, but now state, local, federal park, state park and almost endless others. I'm not much for keeping up with or having regulations dictate my life and certainly not my safety. But as I explore where to cash 'em all in and go for 1 very large yacht instead, I had a question of just how long can I go as that is not a regulation I could get away with breaking.

Otherwise I don't understand the sense of a contradiction. I've been boating and yachting going on nearly 4 decades. Times change. The number of rules grow.

[NYCAP123]

That makes a bit more sense. It sounded like we may have a junior here spouting trash, especially the guns. If you look back into that thread you'll see some stupid stuff (like realistic toy guns) obviously from a kid trying to sound cool and I don't like to see that encouraged for fear some kid will get themselves hurt trying to impress. I probably should have realized. (BTW,What I posted on that thread falls into the catagory of do as I say not as I've done)
So yeah, no license, but the insurance companies are starting to require captains, and don't let anything that can be construed as payment happen or you may find yourself without coverage if there's ever a claim.

[DFWX]

Understood about the toy guns. I'd rather have a hammer than a gun that won't fire - toy or real. Contrary to the movies, pointing a firearm at someone does not cause them to freeze. They will charge at you or run - and will charge at you as often as run from you. Rather have a hammer than a knife too. A couple of 12 ga. flare guns could do some damage and might end-run around a no-firearms rule (or might be considered a firearm other places).

I was serious in my view of cheap, throw away firearms if necessary for personal safety as an option of traveling dangerous waters but also where you firearms are prohibited (or you are unsure if they are legal.) I have quietly slipped a few (very few) old rifles and shotguns over the opposite side rather than address the issue. For example, if you are traveling through a national or state park waterway, is there some risk in having firearms as many prohibit firearms in the park? I'll throw away a hundred or two dollars to avoid the question.

Though this many years ago (two decades), in foreign waters I would grease them up and drop them over in shallow water before entering the port, leaving a small float (large bobber) with a line down to them. When departing, would then dive down and retrieve them (couldn't find the location once). The cost of that old rifle and shotgun combined was less than $150 plus $20 in ammo in zip lock bags. I'd rather just toss that much money than cross my fingers and hope I'm up on the local laws of the hour for every jurisdiction I go through and everywhere I might anchor or dock.

On insurance, insuring a wooden boat for lose of or damage to the boat is nearly impossible anyway unless surveyed as truly pristine and generally as the result of work and routine maintenance done by a yard. That is one of the numerous reasons why they are generally cheap and usually sell for less than the sum of their parts if dismantled and sold for parts. Though wooden yachts are more demanding (much) of attention, they also offer much in the way of customizing and brightwork.

Fortunately I like wooden boats, which also then allows us to afford sizes we otherwise could not and a Trumpy is not a Chris Craft woodie. Less than 500 Trumpys were ever made across 6 decades and less than 100 remain, so they are obscure collectables that also are functional.

My post was mostly self pondering of what direction I'm headed in yachting as I enter semi-retirement. One large yacht might make more sense than 2 or 3 medium to small size ones, particularly since we are about decided to shift to primarily a liveaboard lifestyle. However with fuel costs going as they are, keeping the twin inboard 27' cruiser that we can tow might make sense as an option for short term, distance "coastal cruising."

The cost of towing a boat from Florida to New England is much less than travel by water and also allows covering distance quickly for shorter time period adventures. The 27 footer is fiberglass cabin cruiser but with a fine full mahogany interior - an older twin inboard/outboard Chaparall, which are a cut above Bayliners (not to hurt anyone's feelings who owns a Bayliner.)

I tend to disregard regulations instead to decide upon what I want/need and generally get away with it. If I'm in another state and feel like fishing, I will. If
I see a boat is approaching that might be DNR I'll quietly slip the pole off the side if I'm unsure if my fishing license for that state is expired. But a requirement for someone to be licensed is not one I could get away with, particularly on the inner coast, the Keys and offshore from the lower East Florida coast.

I just seemed to remember there was an 85 or 100 foot limit, but not sure where I got that from. I had spent some time looking at USCG website material, but wasn't finding an answer. Looking around further, it appears the USCG allows up to 164' if strictly for recreational/personal use.

Thanks for your time replying.

[HONGKONG]

Originally Posted by DFWX

I was serious in my view of cheap, throw away firearms if necessary for personal safety as an option of traveling dangerous waters but also where you firearms are prohibited (or you are unsure if they are legal.) I have quietly slipped a few (very few) old rifles and shotguns over the opposite side rather than address the issue. For example, if you are traveling through a national or state park waterway, is there some risk in having firearms as many prohibit firearms in the park? I'll throw away a hundred or two dollars to avoid the question.

Though this many years ago (two decades), in foreign waters I would grease them up and drop them over in shallow water before entering the port, leaving a small float (large bobber) with a line down to them. When departing, would then dive down and retrieve them (couldn't find the location once). The cost of that old rifle and shotgun combined was less than $150 plus $20 in ammo in zip lock bags. I'd rather just toss that much money than cross my fingers and hope I'm up on the local laws of the hour for every jurisdiction I go through and everywhere I might anchor or dock.

I tend to disregard regulations instead to decide upon what I want/need and generally get away with it. If I'm in another state and feel like fishing, I will. If
I see a boat is approaching that might be DNR I'll quietly slip the pole off the side if I'm unsure if my fishing license for that state is expired.

This is definitely off topic, but I personally find it sublimely refreshing that in this day of perceived and perhaps over-regulation, we can treat lives led in malingering and in contravention of the laws of the land and turn it into public fodder and acceptance. While your forthrightness of your transgressions is illuminating, what your not revealing is what haunts........

[Capt J]

There is no requirement for a license for an owner to run the vessel recreationally. However, insurance companies are now the ones that are starting to regulate. They will ask for a resume and if you go up by a large jump say 42 feet to 65 or 70 feet, they will tell you that you need a 100 ton master in order for them to insure you or your premiums will be 50% more.