Shilshole Blog

If your boat is documented with the US Dept of Homeland Security, (NVDC-National Vessel Documentation Center), then you have received in the past, a notice approximately 45 days prior to your documentation expiration.  The fee is $26 for a 1 yr renewal and can be done completely online.  NVDC is now also offering a multi-year renewal.  See their website for more details.

Last year, several boaters got a letter from a company (there are several) soliciting renewal prior to the regular letter they receive from the NVDC.  These companies’ fees were approx. $70 for 2 years.  Their paperwork and websites look very “official” and have caught many boaters off guard, including a neighbor of mine who had direct conversations with one of them.

These are 3rd party companies that have obtained the publicly available information on documented vessels and their owners.  They may be legit companies and are counting on us boaters to quickly make a decision or not verifying our GOOGLE search.  (Please read the NVDC site about 3rd party awareness information.)

If you want to remove yourself from any (non-political) solicitations, you can contact these opt out options posted on the Federal Trade Commission’s site.