Quote:
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Originally Posted by Winnipesaukee
"...I'll play it safe and get it registered..."
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Why? You are entitled to sail registration-free. If you sail for several short seasons in New Hampshire, that registration fee can add up to getting replacement sails!
When I had a sailing vessel that did not require registration, I put the applicable RSA on the bow! (
RSA 350: E4, was it?) The MPs would approach...and wave! For $3 in stick-on letters, I saved plenty over the years.
Another tip: Carry your PFDs openly and attach the required whistle to it prominently—like at the shoulder area. Aside from registration, your compliance with NH laws are displayed openly and will avoid a stop. Also, don't be the only boat in sight!
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Winnipesaukee
"...I'm bound to have an MP see me at some point..."
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Oh-yes-you-are—
definitely! 
You are required to carry registration (which on a sailboat often gets faded, soggy, torn, or even lost in the hulls of a catamaran); but your driver's license (also required) is from Massachusetts, which absolves you of any required registration anyway.
My visiting B-I-L is from California, and stores his big powered sailboat here. His CA registration fee is very cheap. (Only $5, IIRC).
Even Winnipesaukee-bound powerboats from New Jersey don't get numbers; but some some reason, unpowered sailboats seem to get stopped more readily.
Having a young lady on board a Hobie seems to make it even
more likely!
