Re: [Paddlewise] Canoe and Kayak Registration

From: David Walker <dwalker_at_newwave.net>
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 08:00:46 -0400
Mel Lammers wrote:

> Here in Ohio (older state, circa 1803) all watercraft require a
> registration.  For canoe/kayak it is $15 for 3 years. Canoes / Kayaks don't
> have to have a title, just bill of sale or equivalent (home built).  The
> worst part is you have to put clunky numbers on your boat bow on both sides.
Hi Mel,

Ah yes. Those wonderful Ohio water bureaucrats. I live in WV but my
mother and other siblings live in Belmont county Ohio. About 20  years
ago I took my windsurfer to Seneca lake with the intent of having
alittle sail. I made the mistake of asking about local regulations. They
actually told me I had to mount, port and starboard, the above mentioned
registration numbers on a surf board. Plus carry an anchor !, a
throwable rescue cushion and a distress flag among other things.
Believing this to be nonsense I asked for a ruling from a higher
authority. When he was to busy to return from the water and render a
ruling I got tired of waiting and left. Figuring if he was that busy
he'd be to busy to notice me, even with a bright orange sail, I decided
after a three hour drive i was going to go sailing. So I found an empty
spot along the shore and had a nice 3 or 4 hours of sailing. Then drove
home. But I haven't been back.

Now I'm wondering if I might run into the same hassles with a kayak.
Does the state of Ohio really try to apply this requirement on those
"just passin through"? If i could do abit of kayaking on Seneca lake it
would work out great for me. I get to go and visit relatives taking my
young son to see his grandmother and we both get to do a little kayaking
along the way. As a bonus the winds are good enogh there to perhaps make
it worth getting a sail rig for my kayak.

Of course one always runs into problems of different folks having
different regulations and it can be difficult to know who to kowtow to.
Having lived in coastal states I know there were one set of rules for
the ocean, another set for the rivers and then the Corp of Engineers
added their own if on a man made lake.

Anyone know of a place to find the rules and how they apply to resident
and non-resident users of the various bodies of water in the different
states?

David

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Received on Wed Apr 18 2001 - 06:05:18 PDT

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