Here’s my dilemma. As some of you know, I’ve been trying to move into a new house and I haven’t been on the water yet this year. In March, I received notice to renew the registration on one of my canoes, and I dutifully sent the DNR $20 to get a new decal.
Now I went to apply the new sticker and find I mistakenly renewed the registration for the Bell Magic that got stolen from me year before last. All my other boats have current registration. I called Ohio DNR and refunds must be requested within 30 days so I’m out of luck.
Today, I just took delivery of my new Necky Manitou II which I bought to ferry around my dearly beloved who just had shoulder surgery and can’t paddle her own canoe or kayak. I’m sitting here looking at my red boat decal and thinking, why not just slap it on the new kayak?
Part of me says bite the bullet and go buy another decal, but part of me says I already gave them the money for a boat registration so why not use it? I’ve only been inspected twice by the water police (both at a lake near Columbus) and they just looked to see that I had a sticker.
So whaddya all think?
Doc
Affix and relax
Hey Doc, good to hear from you. If I were you I would definitely use the sticker you’ve got. If anyone in uniform ever asks about it (won’t happen), I’d be sure and tell the WHOLE story, from the beginning, and don’t leave anything out. No way you get a fine after hearing that story, especially coming from you.
Easy & Tough…
This is totally a letter of the law versus spirit of the law issue. The letter dictates that you need to buy a new permit. The spirit of this is that you already bought a permit and are putting it only one boat…which makes perfect sense!
I am more a spirit of the law kind of guy and would probably use the permit…but $20 is a pretty low price to MAKE SURE you stay out of trouble.
Do it.
I hate registration by the boat. Fishermen would never tolerate having to hang a registration tag off each fishing rod.
use the sticker
I always try do what is right and I also work for the New York State Court System. The intent of the local ordinance is for you to pay a fee for each boat you use on the local waterways. You paid one fee and are only using one boat - it’s all zen.
Use the sticker…
Tell them your wife registered the boats, they’ll understand.
Ahh
the old “blame the wife” ploy.
Thanks guys
I’m going to slap the sticker on and forget about it.
I’ll put it in the water tomorrow - my first kayaking experience.
Doc
Do it.
The ODNR is going to screw you next year anyway, when any boat up for a new registration will have an additional $5 “scenic rivers program” fee added to your registration fee. PWCs, motorboats, and yachts will be paying the same thing they did this year.
I feel the same way
I feel the same way.
Use it.
They will ride by,see you have it, and a PFD, and move on.
Use. No ethical issue here.
I can’t even get the right tags on
Sometimes we have gotten the trailer tags mixed up. I never ever worry about the little stickers. Just make certain you buy enough of them for each boat you use in that state.
And
if you can follow that up with a good blonde joke, you’re golden.
What a nation we’ve become. I am
truly ashamed that a fellow citizen has to apply a tax stamp to the side of a hollow shell that temporarily keeps water at bay under human power if used properly. Apparrently, in America we have even such authoritative titles and power mongers such as, "Chief, Division of Watercraft." Their minions have a permanent brown stain in the center of their face. Another metaphor would be, camp dogs.
Dogmaticus