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Boat Registration

On-screen text: BOATING

Speaker 1: With registrations, what are you looking for on a boat?

Speaker 2: So, here in the state of New Hampshire, we have bow numbers that would be assigned to each vessel being operated out there. And it starts with an “NH,” followed by four numbers, and then followed by two letters. And those are to be in block lettering, contrasting colors, so that they don’t blend in with the hull of the boat. A lot of times, a white-hulled boat will have black lettering for those bow numbers. And then a registration decal that would be assigned as well to that boat. Those need to be six inches from the bow of the boat, to the right of the bow numbers.

Speaker 1: So it’s really just like a license plate. You want everybody to be able to see it, and you want it to be up to date.

Speaker 2: Yes, that’s exactly what we’re looking for out here. That registration does run one calendar year.

On-screen text: REGISTRATIONS EXPIRE JANUARY 1ST

Speaker 1: Does every boat need to be registered?

Speaker 2: Not every boat is required to be registered. Sailboats under 12 feet are not required to be registered, as well as anything that’s manually powered. So your canoes, your kayaks, your whitewater rafters, they are not required to register their boat.

On-screen text: SAILBOATS > 12–20 FEET ONLY NEED THE DECAL

In the state of New Hampshire, if you have a sailboat [that’s] 13 feet to 20 feet, you are only required to have that decal on there, not displaying the bow number.

On-screen text: EVERY BOAT WITH A MOTOR NEEDS TO BE REGISTERED

Once you put a motor on it, even an electric motor, you are then required to be registered.

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