Are these boat numbers legal?

[Carl C]

So far no trouble but my contact with the police has been limited. People keep telling me that they are not legal though. They look so perfect that I would hate to change them. Should I just wait and see what happens?:crossfing (now if that darn sticker were only yellow!)

[lee]

leave it, only in your home state would you be bothered and he would have to be a pain or you doing something to bring attention to your self the only thing that would be done you would be told to change it and have to do so before boarded again what are the odds. on lake michigan my state sticker is 3 years expired and i'm not paying till i get my warning

[gold-n-rod]

If a watercop really wanted to hassle you, s/he prolly could since the markings are supposed to be of a contrasting color. The black of your numbers does serve to highlight the number, but the color us still predominately yellow. Definately not contrasting on a yellow boat.

I've seen that style used a lot, but again, it depends. Some of the watercops I've run across are just plain old grouchy and other give some slack. For example, the Coasties who let me hightail it back home to get a fire estinguisher that got left behind in the garage. They reminded me that I was "technically" eligible for a $2500 fine! :shocking: :shocking: :shocking: I'm sure that got a chuckle at my mad dash up the lake and into the ramp.

Just to be safe, I'm using white numbers on a red hull.

[joel3078]

What part is illegal? The yellow color? It has plenty of contrast due the black border and shading. If a cop pulls ya over ask em if they ever considered being a referee as obviously his/her eye are bad. :jestera: If we can read it here, so can a Jury of your peers. The cop should have fun explaining the definition of contrast as written by the letter of the law. Contrast is subject to interpretation. Again, if the numbers can be read at whatever the magical distance is in your state, then they are fine. Also there are rules regarding height and spacing but that's another story. Find out what the law is in your state and be able to prove that you are abiding by it. If not, get yourself a new set of numbers.

[mattyboy]

In NY would be in trouble
the entire letter's color must be a contrasting color to the hull color( it was explained to me by a water enforcement officer as spelled different dark yellow and light yellow are spelled the same) and they must be 3 inch block letters and trust me on this YOU DON"T WANT THE STATE REG STICKER THE SAME COLOR AS YOUR BOAT AND YOU DON"T WANT THE LAST LETTERS OF YOUR NUMBERS TO BE FU again trust me on that :eek: ;) :yes:
just another reason to have the man in your business ;)

bad news Carl MI has the same regs on letters as NY but maybe if they can see them they might not hassle you

from the MI safe boaters handbook
The registration number and validation decal must be displayed as follows:

Number must be painted, applied as a decal or otherwise affixed to both sides of the bow, as high above the waterline as practical.
Number must read from left to right on both sides of the bow.
Number must be in at least 3-inch-high block letters.
Number’s color must contrast with its background.
Letters and numbers must be separated by a space or hyphen. Example: “MC 3717 ZW” or“ MC-3717-ZW.”
No other numbers can be displayed on either side of the bow.
Decal must be affixed on both sides of the vessel three inches following the last character of the registration number.

[Chili 18]

This makes me think back to when I was younger. Seems the only time the coast guard was an issue was when you needed help or requested a safety inspection. Now There are DNR guys and local police and every one and there brother floating by the mouth of my harbor checking out everyone who comes and goes. THIS really takes the pleasure out of an afternoon on the lake in many ways. Sometimes I wait till dark and they are gone. I think the DNR guys think my boat is cool and Ive asked them on ocasion if the exhaust noise and numbers were ok. They said ya sure. I just hate the idea of going thru an checkpoint. Oh but perhaps Osama bl is out on the lake today... bull. Ive seen these guys randomly nab folks and use the breathalizer. Now I dont get stinking loaded on the water, and always maintain my safe edge. But the thought I could get DUId after a fun afternoon just takes the fun out of it. I think the police boats disrupting the flow of traffic do more harm than good. I think the influx of law on water corresponds with the popularity of PWC. I think many PWC operators do not take navigation laws seriously and thus pissed off many boaters who complained, and this is the result. Bah humbug.

[Carl C]

I'm not going to change the #s unless I have to. Matty, you always come up with the scoop but I'll never put plain block #s on this boat. The cops have been OK to me. In 24 years of boating I haven't gotten a ticket. But they do keep trying to radar me. I got 2 tickets in the Mustang last summer.:banghead: Anyway, I'm going to explore some new waters this summer and there will be new cops. We'll see what happens. I just hope I'm not elligible for a $2,500 fine.:eek: lee, you're lucky you haven't been checked in 3 years and that might be an expensive ticket!

[Chili 18]

I'm not going to change the #s unless I have to. Matty, you always come up with the scoop but I'll never put plain block #s on this boat. The cops have been OK to me. In 24 years of boating I haven't gotten a ticket. But they do keep trying to radar me. I got 2 tickets in the Mustang last summer.:banghead: Anyway, I'm going to explore some new waters this summer and there will be new cops. We'll see what happens. I just hope I'm not elligible for a $2,500 fine.:eek: lee, you're lucky you haven't been checked in 3 years and that might be an expensive ticket!

Carl, I have some coolie blue with black outline on the deep red hull side. Certainly no more readable than yours are. DNR boys said it was ok when I asked them. That may be a pointer, if you boat on the same lake all the time. Stop and ask them, before they chat with you another time. Sort of defuses the situation if they already know who you are and that your boat is safe and that you "respect" their "authority." They may pick someone else to mess with next time they're bored...

[Carl C]

That may be a pointer, if you boat on the same lake all the time. Stop and ask them, before they chat with you another time. Sort of defuses the situation if they already know who you are and that your boat is safe and that you "respect" their "authority." They may pick someone else to mess with next time they're bored... But what if they say "well now that you mention it.............." I'm not too worried about the cops on my regular lake.

[mattyboy]

well Carl I really was hoping you had your MI boaters safety handbook on hand to read the regs ;)



and everything is fine until it is not fine then your boat is too fast, too loud , and you boat is not in spec, and they can't make out your numbers ;) again trust me on this :)
wheres your ny state reg boy???? but officer it is right there on the side
NY 1506 FU !!!! :eek:

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=6514&d=1096203540

[Carl C]

well Carl I really was hoping you had your MI boaters safety handbook on hand to read the regs ;)
and everything is fine until it is not fine then your boat is too fast, too loud , and you boat is not in spec, and they can't make out your numbers ;) again trust me on this :)
wheres your ny state reg boy???? but officer it is right there on the side
NY 1506 FU !!!! :eek:
http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=6514&d=1096203540 Screw the handbook I wanted real life input! I was pretty sure that technically my #s were not legal but I know that you can get away with some creativity here. In my case though the #s are partly the same color as the hull and are hard to read from a distance. Matty, is that a picture of your boat? Name it "Suck My Wake" and you're good to go! Those plain white #s are UGLY but the sticker is cool. Picture what a yellow sticker would look like there.:toiletpap

[mattyboy]

Screw the handbook I wanted real life input! I was pretty sure that technically my #s were not legal but I know that you can get away with some creativity here. In my case though the #s are partly the same color as the hull and are hard to read from a distance. Matty, is that a picture of your boat? Name it "Suck My Wake" and you're good to go! Those plain white #s are UGLY but the sticker is cool. Picture what a yellow sticker would look like there.:toiletpap


Carl, I was trying to give you real life input
seriously as this is the second question you brought up about local laws and regs in your area I would grab a book, you may have been boating for 24 years but now your boating in a Donzi and weather you like it or not you are gonna draw attention and it might not always from fans ,
the reg sticker i posted i had to deal with for 3 boating seasons and everywhere I went the local water police could not see it if I was stopped once i was stopped 25 times sometimes by the same crew in those 3 years
It is not my fault officer that ny went to a red sticker
now the sticker is green it may be ugly but suddenly I am not
the center of attention any more and now cause they can see the sticker the patrols don't come so close they just wave from a distance
So I take my ugly white stickers and boat in peace, you'll have to find out what you can get away with and your decals are very common now all the newer boats have them

[Carl C]

as this is the second question you brought up about local laws and regs in your area I would grab a book, i was stopped 25 times Who follows laws and regulations? I wanna know what I can get away with. It sounds like the NY cops are a little too ambitious. edit: I probably should have titled this thread " Are these numbers going to get me in trouble".

[mattyboy]

Who follows laws and regulations? I wanna know what I can get away with. It sounds like the NY cops are a little too ambitious. edit: I probably should have titled this thread " Are these numbers going to get me in trouble".

some how i don't think it will be the numbers that get you in trouble :rolleyes:

[Carl C]

some how i don't think it will be the numbers that get you in trouble :rolleyes: Hey now, who's the one who got pulled over 24 times in 3 years???:eek!: Me? Zero times, and not for lack of trying!:crossfing

[Patti]

http://www.smileys.ws/smls/action/00000034.gif

[Trueser]

Think of it as a reason to pull you over. Then they can find other reasons to hassel you. Have you been drinking? How loud are those pipes.

Food for thought.

[joseph m. hahnl]

NO WORRYS: the tickets Free "It's the violation that cost all the money"!


BY the way the white numbers on Matty's boat look great. They match the accent of his boat perfectly. Which to me is what they should do.

Those chrome prisom letters would look so qute:biggrin:


joe

[tommymonza]

Years ago in the mid 70's my dad had 26 MONZA in holland ,michigan that was a light medium blue that had black registration numbers on it and the Coast Guard used to stop us every time we went out and write us up for not having a contrasting color for our numbers.My dad stood his ground and took it to court and beat the coasties on it,they still stopped us every time we went out for safety inspections after we won the case.I have a lot of stories about being harassed by the Coasties from the last 25 years,now days i avoid running by them like the plague.

[ChromeGorilla]

Matty is right...... depends if someone pissed in the cops wheatties that morning. Carl I had a yellow Jetski with the same exact sticker set you had. After 3 years of owning it and being inspected several times by GA DNR, FL FWC and the USCG over that time frame and not one officer having an objection to the reg numbers, it wasn't until one day at the ramp a local Sheriffs Marine patrol was sitting at the ramp doing "courtesy" inspections after you put your vessel on the trailer. This focker went through the whole deal and had nuttin on me and decided that he felt the number weren't contrasting enough to him. Thank you sir may I have another.......

It's up to you if ya wanna chance it. But it does leave room for interpratation. And the LEO's opinion is usually the one that counts. I would just put some nice solid black numers on it and be done....

[boxy]

What Chrome, and everyone else said, especially if you are going to modify your exhaust.....

[Carl C]

What Chrome, and everyone else said, especially if you are going to modify your exhaust..... Really???:frown: I might wait til I get one warning. It sounds like Lake St. Clair isn't too strict. Jeez, you guys have me worried now, I've never dealt with Coasties and these are border waters too!

[Doug G]

Carl, I'm on LSC 5 days a week during the boating season. The CG is usually patrolling around the mouth of the Clinton River, Metro Beach, and the Nautical Mile. It's been my experience that they are usually looking for safety inspection certificates, life jackets, etc. It has also been my experience that they are alway very courteous and professional. I often boat with my neices and granddaughter, and you can imagine when armed men approach your boat, the kids get nervous. The coasties always take the time to talkl to the kids and never have hassled me in any way. They will stop you if you are drawing attention to yourself and will always ask to see a safety inspection certificate. The way your numbers are right now, you won't get one. It would be my guess that they would give you a pass the first time, the second time, you'll get ticketed.
The only person I know that ran into a problem with the CG, copped a big attitude when approached. They pretty much ruined his whole day. Because this is a border area, I would expect them to be pretty harsh if a boater has an attitude. My advice, for what it's worth, would be to fix your numbers, get a safety inspection, and if they ask to come alongside, greet them with a wave and a smile. :wavey: :D
Doug

[Rootsy]

be friendly, polite and obliging and make their job easy and they'll do what they are sworn to do and treat you the same way back and it'll go a long way to a warning vs an infraction if you are in violation... any fine you receive will be the result of your negligence and not their attitude... i've been inspected by the CG at metro beach... and i've had more than one sherrif's deputy check out my boat at local lakes... they say they want to see under my hatch and look at my safety gear but more than anything they want to just check the girl out... the metro beach experience was very positive and eventhough i ring much louder than the law allows for noisewise i had all of my safety gear in place and i was wearing a PFD... the coasties were very professional and polite.. wrote me the safety inspection cert and we were on our way...

an attitude will get the book thrown at ya... and the last thing you want to do is argue with them or a copper about an infraction unless you have the specific law written in black and white to present to them... doubt the old donzi is big enough for a stack of law books... agree with them that your numbers may not be contrasting enough and you appreciate the clarification and you'll probably get a warning... but don't try to pull the same stunt twice.. you'll get your wings clipped.

common sense dictates that if you question the validity of something vs the written law... then it's probably not in compliance...

so take your chances... but i'd avoid alcohol and have your ducks in a row... and remember just cause they might not enforce laws regulary they have the right to enforce them at any time they deem necessary... only takes a few examples to matriculate and get the attention of the rest of the folks out there...

JR :)

[Carl C]

Carl, I'm on LSC 5 days a week during the boating season. The CG is usually patrolling around the mouth of the Clinton River, Metro Beach, and the Nautical Mile. It's been my experience that they are usually looking for safety inspection certificates, life jackets, etc. It has also been my experience that they are alway very courteous and professional. I often boat with my neices and granddaughter, and you can imagine when armed men approach your boat, the kids get nervous. The coasties always take the time to talkl to the kids and never have hassled me in any way. They will stop you if you are drawing attention to yourself and will always ask to see a safety inspection certificate. The way your numbers are right now, you won't get one. It would be my guess that they would give you a pass the first time, the second time, you'll get ticketed.
The only person I know that ran into a problem with the CG, copped a big attitude when approached. They pretty much ruined his whole day. Because this is a border area, I would expect them to be pretty harsh if a boater has an attitude. My advice, for what it's worth, would be to fix your numbers, get a safety inspection, and if they ask to come alongside, greet them with a wave and a smile. :wavey: :D
Doug I am always cordial with the water police as long as they are cordial with me. The Oakland County Sheriff's Dept. Marine Div. are also very professional - thanks guys(and ladies). I'll try to cop a certificate from one of our local deputies. They may pass the numbers. I always have the required gear and papers. Are flare guns still required on the big lakes? I have GPS and handheld VHF.

[Sam]

Carl, take a minute and read the Mich reg's @ (http://boat-ed.com/mi/handbook/toc.htm) and yes you do need a visual signaling devise min qty of 3 on any motorized vessel 16 ft or longer.

If you plan on boating on LSC I would strongly recomend you cary all the required saftey gear and then some. I cary extra flares both hand held and launcher type. By the way if you stray into Canadian waters they have thier own regs and you better be in compliance or else. Keep in mind that guns are a big no no in Canada so if you do get stoped your flare gun is a "flare launcher" :yes: . I would also cary a hand held VHF radio, that should do the job in keeping you out of big trouble. Just keep in mind that they are only 5 watts and the rule of thumb is they will transmit one mile for every watt.

[Chili 18]

I would also cary a hand held VHF radio, that should do the job in keeping you out of big trouble. Just keep in mind that they are only 5 watts and the rule of thumb is they will transmit one mile for every watt.

I was out of fuel and night was coming about two miles out in Lake Michigan. {First time on new boat, learning about how the gauge reads 1/4 but is actually empty.ooooo} So radioed cg to notify in case i didn’t find a tow. On five watts, I was getting responses for help from Chicago, 35 miles away... I think atmospheric conditions and battery level must play big roles in how far you xmit. This was on a West Marine handheld VHF

[Sam]

Sounds like you were in some sort of time warp :biggrin.: . On my best day with a 25 watt radio and an antenna that stood 20' above the horizion I might get 20 -24 miles. I sure wouldn't count on a hand held as my main radio if I was going out on big water :eek!:. Beyond the power of the radio I've always found that weather, antenna height and the basic curve of the earth are the biggest factors in marine radio performance.



I need a boat ride bad !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chili 18]

After hearing from boatUS in Chicago, I switched the thing to low power and was still able to chat with Michigan City Coast guard several miles away. They have a super duper antenna way up high no doubt. The boat Us guy I presumed was on the water at the time. Perhaps he was several miles in my direction at the time?? But a base station makes more sense like you say.

But anyway...:confused: