Marina regulations

[SMIK12]

I''m wanting to buy a yacht in the USA this year with the intention of taking out a long term berth at a marina in North Carolina. I''m British and live in the UK and would travel back to the USA to spend two or three months of the year sailing. Can anyone advise me as to any laws/regulations that I should be aware of relating to non USA resident boat owners, registration, customs and excise,etc.

[lars]

SMIK. no problem for you whatsoever. There are two ways of registering a boat in the united states.. coast guard documentation or state registration. coast guard documented boats must be owned (and skippered) by u.s. citizens. it is also unlawful for someone to sell you a boat with a coast guard documentation. so state registration is a must for you .. any state is alright. the only consideration is paying state sales or property tax which varies widely. Another option is to register the boat as british. this would limit the time you can keep the boat in the united states to two years (2 one year cruising permits) then you have to make a trip to the bahamas and re-enter the united states to stay another two years. I''ve done this whole thing and it has not been a problem.. email me direct if you need some more help..lars