Bill Ludeman's Page

Paulagyiri,   too much spam and stuff to respond to a private request.  If you are on the level ask any question or email me more info.  Sorry but the way this is worded it sounds like a scam to me.   If not - sorry.     Bill

I am not sure where the best place to post this but it is IMPORTANT.

I had my boat safety checked by the US Coast Guard Auxiliary - it was free and they also don't turn you in for major violations.    I made every effort to "Pass" the inspection.     THE ONE BIG THING IT TURNED UP was very important.    I did not have an HIN or Hull Inspection Number.    Something that has been overlooked for 30 yrs with no trouble.   My boat was sold by the builder and purchased by another fellow who then sold it to me.    By the letter of the law we all committed crimes.    Argh!     I had no idea nor did anybody else.    I read the Florida statute and freaked out.     I also read up on this - It is a Federal requirement and the rules have change several times since my boat was built.     My boat now has an HIN clearly marked so is stone cold legal.   I have looked at many  older home built boats and this has never come up.  I don't know if they do or do not have HIN's but now that our government has HomelyLandsickurity in charge of the waterways it is for sure smart to go check on it and make sure you're legal.   The law says that ANY law enforcement officer can confiscate and impound your boat until its proven that you legally own it.    In other words they can take your boat and charge you for storing it while the guvmint sorts out whatever.  SInce mine has a thirty year history and has been registered in three states it might take them forever to sort it out.   Scary stuff.      I have taken steps to further backup the legality of my boat.    I hate to sound like a scaredy cat (pun intended)  but this stuff terrifies me. 

The other interesting thing that I turned up was that the USCGA inspector glanced at my type 3 MSD and said its a Portapotti.    I showed him the rating on it and he said oh don't worry its ok to have a portapotti.    Very worrisome - it is a standard looking potti but has the needed stuff to pipe thru the deck and a pump out fitting.    He also argued I would have to have a Y valve to be legal.   Now here is a guy who simply has not read the various rules and he is inspecting boats.    He passed me but taught me that if it looks like a portapotti it is probably going to have to be PROVEN that its a type 3 MSD.   So I printed out ALL the info on it including the US Coast Guards regulations and put them all in a zip lock next to my MSD.    Glad I found this out before it made me eligible for a misunderstanding resulting in a ticket.   One of my neighbors in the anchorage was threatened with a 5,000 dollar fine!?!?   Dunno if they can do that but don't want to find out.     

So the "free" USCGA VSC or Vessel Safety Check ordeal is over and it was well worth finding out about.   It turned up two problems I did not know I had and allowed me to fix them gracefully.     I would encourage anyone in the US to go ahead and get one and pay attention to what the inspector says.    Hope this helps - Bill and Tang in Palatka Fl