Documentation is a national system that is separate and different from the Alaska registration and numbering system. In Alaska, a vessel can either be documented or registered, not both. If a customer states that the vessel has been documented or shows paperwork that confirms that a vessel has been documented, we are prohibited from registering the boat.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

• All commercial vessels of 5 or more net tons used on the navigable waters of the U.S.

DOCUMENTATION OPTIONAL

• A commercial vessel of 5 or more net tons engaged in foreign trade.
• A recreational boat in excess of 5 net tons. (at the option of the owner)

If an owner of a vessel has the option between two forms of registration, what are the advantages?

• The main benefit of documentation versus numbering is that a documented vessel may be the subject of a Preferred Ship Mortgage under the Ship Mortgage Act of 1920. This means institutions regard a documented vessel as a more secure form of collateral.
  
• For larger and more expensive boats, it may be easier to obtain bank financing if the boat is documented rather than numbered.

All documentation paperwork is handled through the following:

National Documentation Center
792 T J Jackson Drive
Falling Waters, WV 25419-9502

(1-800-799-8362)

History: 5/5/06 - Change of address for documentation paperwork.

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