Vessel registration?

Question

building a sailing ship. 36-40L@WL 13-16W@D with water ballast, 2 or 3 masts (not sure) square rigging. not sure of draft or height above waterline yet. main question is about inspection, title, and whatnot in the US, and where I need to go to find out this stuff as well as sailing on the ocean.

Answer 1

gotta ask the coast guard, at least in Alaska they are the source for all the different things that need to be addressed when building a boat from the ground up.

as for the guy who said "you don't need inspection"

have you ever been boarded by the coast guard for inspection? better yet have you ever been boarded by the coast guard for inspection, and not passed and had to go home, and possibly spend a ton o money on this and that which doesn't meet the coast guards specs?

Answer 2

Don't need inspection..The title and registration is done by your state dmv.

I think you should sail with a friend and get knowledge before taking on a huge enterprise as you portrayed.

Buying a good used established boat  is a lot better than building one which may have low resale value. There are some good bargains if you look around

You wont save much if anything by building your own.

Answer 3

You can go through the Coast Guard which supersedes all state registration, but you will need to have the vessel inspected. You could also go through your state and get the inspection without much hassle depending on your state. Just a word of advice, if you go the state route and plan to operate your boat on any water way the Coast Guard has authority on, be prepared to be boarded by the Coast Guard and have a complete inspection done on sight and have your voyage terminated if your vessel does not meet regulation.