Owning a boat is a privilege. Not everyone is able to get to sea Canada’s many seas and lakes with its friends and family. When you get to think about it, there are many similarities between driving on an open road and navigating through an open lake. The sense of freedom, with your people at your side in the middle of nowhere, is not something easy to achieve. Every privilege, however, involves a certain degree of responsibility. For that reason, there’s a series of paperwork you need to comply with before setting sail. This article, in particular, will tell you everything you need to know about the Transport Canada Registry. Read on and find out!
Canadian Register of Vessels
As an introduction, let us say that if you want to have your own vessel in Canada you need to either get a Pleasure Craft License or to get your boat registered at the Canadian Register of Vessels or the Small Vessel Register. This will depend on what you are looking for. A PCL, for instance, is free, but as such, it doesn’t have any other advantage. Being in the Transport Canada Registry, on the other hand, does provide you with some benefits.
You need to enroll your boat in the Canadian Register of Vessels under the following circumstances:
- If you will travel outside of Canada
- If you want to reserve a name
- If you will have a marine mortgage
- If you own a commercial vessel with a gross tonnage of 15 or more and a motor of 10 horsepower or more.
Small Vessel Register
You will need to inscribe your boat under the Small Vessel Register in some different specific situations:
- If you own a commercial vessel or a government-owned vessel with a gross tonnage of 15 or less and a motor of 10 horsepower or more.
- If you own a commercial river raft
- If you own a barge.
Vessels larger than this need to go to the Canadian Register of Vessels instead. If you don’t have the obligation of inscribing your boat into the Transport Canada Registry, you can also do it for the following benefits:
- It proves that you are the legal owner of the boat, and gives you the title to your ship.
- It becomes a marine mortgage.
- It allows you to identify your boat with a unique name in Canada.
- It gives you the right to fly the Canadian flag.
All of your Needs in One Place
Regardless of your needs, you can get yourself into any type of Transport Canada Registry in the National Vessel Registry Center. From Pleasure Craft Licenses up to registration, all of them can be found on our site. Furthermore, you have the possibility of completing your applications fully online and with the peace of mind of knowing that your details will be kept safe on our SSL-encrypted website. Contact any of our experienced staff representatives today and get your ship going… or sailing!
