Question about MIC and HINs

I have a corporation. It is my yacht charter company and it is also the company building my boat.

The boat is being built in FL. I'm then motoring a shell (no interior) to RI to complete the boat.

How do I get a MIC for it, so I can get a HIN and register it for the trip up?

Really not sure about the origin of a boat and the paperwork involved there.

 

Ike is the expert on these questions. But until he answers there was a recent thread which has some relevant posts: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/about-selling-homemade-skiffs-37598.html

Short answer is there are several possible alternatives assuming you will registering the boat rather than documenting it:

1) Obtain a MIC from the USCG Boating Safety Office. You may have to convince them that you are will be building and selling boats to the public. Once you have an MIC then you as the boatbuilder assign a HIN to each boat you build. There are rules, essentially a simple formula, on how to come up the HIN for each boat you build. Then if you are not going to document the boat you go to the relevant state office in the state you will register the boat in, and register the boat. They will have their own requirements on what is needed to establish ownership of the boat and it's value for tax purposes.

2) Skip getting an MIC if you will only be building boats for yourself, or if the USCG says you are not a building boats for sale to others. Instead go the the relevant state office in the state where you will register the boat. They will issue you a HIN. The first three characters will be an abbreviation for the state and the letter Z. They will have their own requirements on what is needed to establish ownership of the boat and it's value for tax purposes.

 

Sorry, Haven't been on-line much lately. Got other things to do, like fishing and boating! Times running out, winters coming.

You may not qualify for a MIC. MICs are issued to persons or companies building boats for sale to the public, or importers bringing boats in for the purpose of sale. But call them anyway and discuss it. Call USCG HQ, Po Chang at 202-372-1075, 0r e-mail him at Po.L.Chang@uscg.mil

In the meantime look at http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/hin.html

All is not lost. The state can issue you an HIN. Go to the state department that registers boats in Florida (the DMV?) tell them you are building the boat yourself and need a HIN. They will assign one when they register the boat.

Possible problem. If this boat is to be documented with the USCG then the state may decline to issue you an HIN. (yes, they can do that) Then you would have to get one through the USCG Documentation Office or from Po at HQ http://uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvdc/

Now for the possible alternatives: You could make an argument that at this stage the boat is not complete, and so does not yet need an HIN. There is a lot of leeway in the law about when the HIN has to be affixed. It has to put on before the boat is "introduced to interstate commerce". So it can be put on anytime between when the keel is laid to when the completed boat is delivered.

However, they may argue (I know I would) that if the boat is complete enough to be used as a boat (your are motoring to RI after all) then it requires an HIN.

If Po isn't there call Mr. Phil Cappel. He's the boss. (202) 372-1076 Philip.J.Cappel@uscg.mil