Documentation fees audited - Boat U.S. Reports

Boat/US Magazine, Nov, 2002

The cost of documenting a vessel with the U.S. Coast Guard should be going down after an audit of the federal program found the fees charged boat owners have exceeded the cost of providing the service by at least $1.5 million.

Documentation is a form of national registry and although recreational vessels are not required to be Coast Guard documented, many owners prefer it.

The Inspector General of the Dept. of Transportation found that revenues from the fees charged for documentation exceeded the cost of running the program for 1999, 2000 and 2001.

The audit was performed at the request of Rep. Corrine Brown, (D-FL) Ranking Minority Member of the House Transportation Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. The Coast Guard agreed to revamp its cost accounting system and adjust fees for the future.