Re: [Paddlewise] Stolen Boat Update

Scott wrote:
<SNIP>>>>>This incident has got me thinking about boat registration as well.
I have
always been against the registration of kayaks. However, if kayaks were
required to have numbers on them, and the authorities actually sited those
that did not, then that would sure make it a lot more difficult for someone
to use a stolen boat. I don't know, I'll have to give this some thought as
well.<<<<<<<

The Coast Guard number is required and the fine to a manufacturer is, I
believe, $50 per boat not numbered.

State registration might have some minor benefits in recovering stolen
kayaks but the fees, numbering cost (for 2 inch high numbers) and the tax
collections that kayak registration would allow would mean that every kayak
owner in that state would have their money stolen a little at a time every
year and just as importantly have to deal with another onerous bureaucratic
detail making their life less free in order to comply with the law. In
Washington, now one must pay to park within a quarter of a mile of a
trailhead. This might seem logical as a user fee but the last time I wanted
to take a very short hike to a hanging bridge I knew about (on the way to
going somewhere else) we drove to the nearest ranger station a few miles
beyond only to find out that that station didn't offer the permit we needed
to park for an hour or less and the next nearest ranger station that did was
20 miles away. Laws like that sure take the fun out of spontaneity don't
they. Don't encourage the bastards. They aren't looking to help you. They
are thinking "revenue source" and are happy to take away your time, your gas
money and your freedom (and your pleasure in that freedom) for a few bucks
of revenue. I don't see the self appointed "governing" body of paddling, the
ACA, much differently. I won't help them gain more power or help guide their
hand into my wallet. Here is the kind of people governments and volunteer
governments often attract. "(name withheld--kayak store) wouldn't dare not
let you drop off my friend's kayak there if I ask them, I'm their ACA
certifier." Maybe not an exact quote, but the meaning was clear. She held
the reigns of power and knew how to use them for her own and her friends'
benefit.

I couldn't agree more with the advice from Scott and others regarding
recording serial numbers and making your kayak positively identifiable. New
or used, make sure the Coast Guard number is written on the receipt or bill
of sale of any kayak you buy or sell and save that paperwork. Lots more
precautions to take can be found on the "stolen kayaks" page of our website
under "How to Avoid Buying a "Hot" Kayak & How to Safeguard Your Kayak"

Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com


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