transom etiquette

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The OP just needs to make sure that the documentation certificate (and any state registration) actually reads that this the name exactly.
If it is, he has to put in on there be it dorky or not.
 
As with Canadian Registration, an affidavit will need to be filed to prove that the name displayed is the same as the Certificate issued by the Registrar.
If the Certificate says "M/V" so should the transom. Or if not, not.
 
I would NOT consider a "Ships Prefix" to be part of the name. If the ships prefix was included in the 'Vessel Name' field of the application and subsequent documentation then it is now part of the name. So technically that would make you:

Motor Vessel "M/V <Boat Name>"

I would go so far as to say that even if you only placed the vessel name without the ships prefix on the transom, despite the ships prefix being in the name field of the paper, I doubt anyone inclined to look at the documentation and boat would notice. I would assume the name field on the paper was simply including the ships prefix, ignore it and move on. Nobody is going to confuse you with another boat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_prefix
 
Incidentally.... I DO use the designation "Motor Vessel" during initial VHF hails where I am going to need to be identified visually (e.g. bridge tenders, locks, harbor master, pump out boat, tow boat, etc). OR anywhere I'm checking in (e.g. moorings, slips)

Basically, anywhere in which the response will quickly be "What kind of a boat"; "Describe your vessel", etc).

Motor Vessel isn't pretentious. However, I do find referring to all personal vessels as "Yachts" a bit over the top. However, that is common in many other parts of the world.
 
i think my pretentious ass is going to put it on. Thanks for all the imput. M/V Windward out.

Wifey B: Well, why don't you put it on your pretentious ass then? :rofl:

Seriously, put exactly what is on the documentation you receive back from the USCG, which I'm betting will not be M/V and may well not have MV in any form. :)

And if you get all bent out of shape when you ask a question and people don't respond with the answer you want, then you're in deep trouble here or on any forum. :hide:
 
This sure has been an amusing thread. Mainship specifically called our boat model the "370 Motor Yacht" so that's how the credit union listed it on the loan paperwork. We have a few different accounts with them so when I stop by to make a payment, I always say "This is a payment on what you guys call our yacht." They always laugh.
 
Picture, or it never happened!

Wifey B: Dream on. Besides I just turned 40 so no longer a hot young girl. Voluptuous still though. :rofl:

I sure don't feel 40. I never outgrew 21, my age when I met my hubby. :)
 
Wifey B: Well, why don't you put it on your pretentious ass then? :rofl:

I realized later that was likely the OP’s goal all along - to create something that some folks will ask about and they can lecture them on, or more experienced folks can be debated. This entire thread was an exercise in provocation.
 
Wifey B: Dream on. Besides I just turned 40 so no longer a hot young girl. Voluptuous still though. :rofl:

I sure don't feel 40. I never outgrew 21, my age when I met my hubby. :)

Do you shop for clothing and female accessories at Forever 21? :eek:
 
This thread seems to have taken a weird turn to me.

Maybe the tone of the OP in the pivotol post here was tongue-in-cheek.

How about we give him the benefit of the doubt and read it as if it had a :p after it? Please.

(And, even if he just had a bad moment, there's no harm in rolling with it and taking it up later in a friendly, concerned PM if it looks like it is becoming habit forming. Me thinks.).
 
This thread seems to have taken a weird turn to me.

Maybe the tone of the OP in the pivotol post here was tongue-in-cheek.

How about we give him the benefit of the doubt and read it as if it had a :p after it? Please.

(And, even if he just had a bad moment, there's no harm in rolling with it and taking it up later in a friendly, concerned PM if it looks like it is becoming habit forming. Me thinks.).


Thank you Greg. I was thinking the same thing.
 
If the name is documented as "M/V Minnow", then when you call a bridge tender do you say, "this is the motor vessel M/V Minnow"? I guess the extreme case would be to name it "M/V Motor Vessel". Then you could call "this is the motor vessel M/V Motor Vessel".
 
If the name is documented as "M/V Minnow", then when you call a bridge tender do you say, "this is the motor vessel M/V Minnow"? I guess the extreme case would be to name it "M/V Motor Vessel". Then you could call "this is the motor vessel M/V Motor Vessel".

Yes, or just "this is MV Minnow", then adding "we're a northbound 40 foot power boat " which is all the info the tender needs (and many of them do keep a log of vessel names)
 
Yes, I was surprised at how many bridge tenders asked for the boat name and hauling port after we had called for an opening and giving them the name with the opening request
 
I usually say “power vessel”.
No complaints.
 
Let the novices put M/V on the transom.

The rest of us will be able to identify them easier.

By the time they realize the implication, they won't ne novices anymore.
 
I usually say “power vessel”.
No complaints.

"power driven vessel"is the defined term used in the Navigation Rules, and that includes anything under power, including sailboats. 90% of the larger sailboats you see out there on the water are power driven vessels.
 
"power driven vessel"is the defined term used in the Navigation Rules, and that includes anything under power, including sailboats. 90% of the larger sailboats you see out there on the water are power driven vessels.

Most sailboats have auxiliary engines. Colregs-wise, sailboats are power-driven vessels if their mechanical engines are active.
 
If the name is documented as "M/V Minnow", then when you call a bridge tender do you say, "this is the motor vessel M/V Minnow"? I guess the extreme case would be to name it "M/V Motor Vessel". Then you could call "this is the motor vessel M/V Motor Vessel".
Now that's a funny post.
 
M/V and such are adjectives, not names, of specific vessels.
 
IMO most people do not put the M/V on their transom. I may be speaking out of turn here, but I think it seems a bit pretentious.

You may be right about many people's thoughts, although I don't quite get it. Is it because M/V is normally used for larger vessels?

I just leave mine blank. I like being incognito.
There's no requirement in Australia to put your boat name anywhere. It's just too pretentious. :)

I can see the need for a boat's name being shown in high traffic areas, but I often just a hail a boat I pass on low wattage by the owner's first name.
 
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US Documented recreational vessels are required to have the vessel name and hailing port marked together someplace visible on the exterior of the hull.
 
US Documented recreational vessels are required to have the vessel name and hailing port marked together someplace visible on the exterior of the hull.

And exactly that, no more, no less.

The OP never confirmed having seen a certificate of documentation reading M/V and my understanding is they won't allow / marks. As to MV, they might, I don't know, just I don't think they would document it M/V Anything.
 
And exactly that, no more, no less.

The OP never confirmed having seen a certificate of documentation reading M/V and my understanding is they won't allow / marks. As to MV, they might, I don't know, just I don't think they would document it M/V Anything.

Actually, there are quite a few documented vessels with M/V as a part of the name, and even a few that begin with MV.

Here is the site where vessel names can be searched.

Interestingly the OP's M/V Windward is not one of them. Maybe it takes a while to appear in the database.
 
Actually, there are quite a few documented vessels with M/V as a part of the name, and even a few that begin with MV.

Here is the site where vessel names can be searched.

Interestingly the OP's M/V Windward is not one of them. Maybe it takes a while to appear in the database.

I see. Obviously, it's allowable.
 
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