Licensing your vintage canoe in Ohio

C

Caledonia

New Member
I just found out while trying to register my 1965 Old Town WC canoe that Ohio now requires that boats without a 12 digit HIN (hull inspection number) be assigned one before they can be licensed. The original original serial numbers are not sufficient. This means calling and setting up an appointment with a license bureau that handles watercraft, taking the boat to their location and getting it physically inspected. For me that's about an hour drive away. If you want a small Alternative Registration sticker and the boat previously had the Traditional Registration stamps with gigantic ugly numbers, that requires an extra step of having the bureau call in to ODNR Watercraft while you're at their location to make the switch.

It's just a canoe...
 
Caledonia said:
Ohio now requires that boats without a 12 digit HIN (hull inspection number) be assigned one before they can be licensed.
It's just a canoe...
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Indeed, just a canoe. Is a license required for "just a canoe" or is it required when you use it with a motor?
I can't imagine what a nightmare it would be if I needed to license all of my canoes.
 
In MN, if a craft is on the water, it needs to be registered - someplace.
I "believe" craft like canoes, paddleboards, small sail boats, etc, only need the decal (about 2 1/2 x 3 in).
If the craft is motorized I "think" it needs the decal AND the 3" numbers attached to both sides.

So I would see if OH allows reg from other states.
Last I checked, (a number of years ago) a canoe could still be registered in MN w/o the Coast Guard number.

Note that in MN, registered is NOT titled.

Dan
 
MGC said:
Is a license required for "just a canoe"
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Page four of the Ohio state document at https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/ohiodnr.gov/documents/watercraft/OhioBoatOperatorsGuide.pdf indicates that "Canoes or kayaks of any length" must be registered and 'Display the assigned “OH” number and the issued boat tags on the boat as required.' Maine considered this in 2005 as described at the link below. It was going to cost me nearly $200 annually to register my canoes even though I only use each one a few times a year. Good luck,

Benson


Fitz

Thread 'Maine Registration??'

I got wind of a Maine canoe and sailboat registration effort. Anyone know anymore about this?
 
Well, aside from the "authorities" tracking me down I damn well will not be paying the government to own a boat. Mine are not powered by a motor etc. Am object made of wood that floats has no impact on our environment or commerce. Better keep my comments to that.
 
I can't talk to your state, but here in MN the fee to reg a canoe is fairly cheep (about $40 for 3 years) and the fee goes to the DNR to manage the water, ie, how much useage, where is the usage, create and maintain boat access and much more.

If a water craft doesn't display a sticker, a CO will issue a ticket. (ask me how I know)

from googxx
"In the 2024 Minnesota fishing season, approximately 1.4 million fishing licenses were sold, and the state has over 834,974 registered boats.

I damn well will not be paying the government to own a boat.
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I remember the discussion here about Maine. I'm glad it went by the wayside, at least for now.
I really surprised that a registration is required for a simple watercraft in some states. Even here in NY, home to some pretty farcical legislation, we do not need to have a registration unless the craft is motorized. Even then, with the small numbers of ECO's it seems very unlikely that there would ever be an active campaign to track down scofflaws. In over 60 years of paddling, I have only once encountered an ECO on a carry, and yes, I did have the requisite PFD's and even a fishing license.
WRT paying fees, those of us who hunt, fish, shoot, etc. are paying the salaries for Conservation Officers, remediation and preservation costs for land and water, Hunter Education courses and more through our purchases of sporting goods and licensing fees. The 1937 Pittman Robertson act has allocated funds from our spending that are equally beneficial to all members of the outdoor community. If you bought arrows, fishhooks or bullets, you chipped in. If you showed up with your optics at the great dismal swamp to watch egrets, you may have enjoyed a "free ride".
I suppose the next thing I'll be expected to do is register my pets;)
 
I have had many wooden canoes and small boats licensed in Ohio. In NW Ohio, the DNR person from the watercraft dept. would inspect the canoe at your location. I would provide a unnotarized bill of sale. The inspector would measure the boat and fill out the form. A few days later, two small metal tags with the HIN would arrive in the mail. One goes on the exterior of the hull and the other goes under the deck. There is also a special provision for historic watercraft to place numbers on a placard and hang it over the rail.

The bill of sale and the HIN will satisfy the BMV. Sometimes they will need to be reminded that a title is not required for canoes and small boats(under 14'). Some customers from other parts of the state have been required to transport the canoe to the watercraft dept.
 
This subject comes up from time to time. Michigan enacted the law in the '90's without anyone knowing. It became a messy issue. A registration fee was charged. But also, the canoe required a bill of sale first. And then the owner was required to pay a sales tax on the amount. Because a legislator had a son with a paddle board, the paddle boards were exempt. A protest was organized on the same day as Verlen Kruger's return to Lansing. We paddled our unregistered canoes on the Grand River and then portaged them to the capital. It received press coverage and we were able to convince Lansing to repeal the law. It still comes up at times. Imagine owning a canoe collection of antique canoes and having to deal with that.
 
Gil. Thanks for relating your experience on this. That’s helpful. The process seems needlessly complicated and it requires a considerable time commitment to initially figure out and then a number of steps to complete. Rob
 
One last comment, here in MN the 2 largest threats to our waterways are......

1 - Climate Change
2 - AIS - Aquatic Invasive Species

Other then trying to manage the changes in the lakes/streams, there's little we can do to change the Climate (relative to the lakes), the water will continue to warm and impact/change the species that live in it.

AIS - well, that's mostly spread by users of the lakes, ie, watercraft - including canoes. Here any watercraft taken out of any water should be inspected and hosed off, sometimes with heated water on known invested lakes. Many lake owner organizations partner with the DNR to provide this service in hopes of limiting or slowing the spread.

​

 
MGC said:
If you bought arrows, fishhooks or bullets, you chipped in. If you showed up with your optics at the great dismal swamp to watch egrets, you may have enjoyed a "free ride".
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Which is why I try to remember to purchase a federal duck stamp each year, even though I am not a duck hunter (except with camera). Plus, it never hurts to add a new stamp to the collection...
 
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Dan Miller said:
Which is why I try to remember to purchase a federal duck stamp each year, even though I am not a duck hunter (except with camera). Plus, it never hurts to add a new stamp to the collection...
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Indeed, a great way for a "birder" to chip in. And the stamps are always attractive works of art. Sadly, when they are used for hunting, they must be defaced/cancelled with the user's signature. I know quite a few wing shooters who purchase an extra one or two for their collections.
All of that aside, there has been some recent disturbance in the allocation of federal funding to the state levels, even to the extent that hunter ed. programs have been threatened. The next months will be interesting. Better snap those images sooner rather than later.
 
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