2026 Boat Reg Form

[MeredithMan]

Received the 2026 Boat Reg Form in the mail this weekend. I don't recall ever receiving it so early. Interesting that the fee is broken up as follows:

Boat Fee: $32.44
Reg Fee: $52.00
Decal Fee: $21.50

I don't recall last year being broken out like that, but the total is $6.00 higher than last year. I also think the "optics" of a Decal Fee being $21 is bad...they could have just buried it in the registration fee, or split it between boat fee and reg fee.

[John Mercier]

Is that the one that had to be separate for federal reasons?

[AC2717]

wasnt the Decal fee $3 last year?

[Descant]

As I recall, the Department of Homeland Security offerd a lot of money to NH as part of Marine Patrol doing enforcement on the coast. That was when we merged Marine Patrol with State Police. Maine, being IMHO, much smarter than NH, with a lot more coast, said let the USCG patrol the coast and we'll do inland. For many years the USCG tried to get their foot in the door on NH inland waters, especially Winnipesaukee, and we always refused. This time around, the USCG came up with this crazy thing about verifying where wed allocated registration fees and added a requirement for the extra decal. The N H legilstaure, I believe lobbied by the Dept of Safety for $$ reasons, went along. In my mind, we shoulod have told the USCG to stick to their business and we would do ours. Let them have the coast and merge Marine Patrol with Fish and Game. To me, the bureaucracy is running this, not the elected representatives.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by AC2717

wasnt the Decal fee $3 last year?

So a 700% increase…..sounds about right!

Dan

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by Descant

As I recall, the Department of Homeland Security offerd a lot of money to NH as part of Marine Patrol doing enforcement on the coast. That was when we merged Marine Patrol with State Police. Maine, being IMHO, much smarter than NH, with a lot more coast, said let the USCG patrol the coast and we'll do inland. For many years the USCG tried to get their foot in the door on NH inland waters, especially Winnipesaukee, and we always refused. This time around, the USCG came up with this crazy thing about verifying where wed allocated registration fees and added a requirement for the extra decal. The N H legilstaure, I believe lobbied by the Dept of Safety for $$ reasons, went along. In my mind, we shoulod have told the USCG to stick to their business and we would do ours. Let them have the coast and merge Marine Patrol with Fish and Game. To me, the bureaucracy is running this, not the elected representatives.

If I remember F&G is about $2 million annually in the RED.
The SAR fund looks good, but the snowmobiles and OHRV are shifting costs to hunting and fishing licenses.

I think they will attempt to get a $20 per registration increase in the next funding round to balance it out. But I think snowmobiles are at that point that increases could cause a tourist shift to Maine.

So it may be that, along with the biomass issue, that the Legislature doesn't feel comfortable merging those two.

[phoenix]

every sticker creates a fee that will only go up

[John Mercier]

There are outside factors that can create limits.

But for boats, we probably have not reached them.

[Descant]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

If I remember F&G is about $2 million annually in the RED.
The SAR fund looks good, but the snowmobiles and OHRV are shifting costs to hunting and fishing licenses.

I think they will attempt to get a $20 per registration increase in the next funding round to balance it out. But I think snowmobiles are at that point that increases could cause a tourist shift to Maine.

So it may be that, along with the biomass issue, that the Legislature doesn't feel comfortable merging those two.

I think part of boat reg fee goes to SAR. Part (30%?) of unclaimed road tax refunds goes back to F & G too. F & G funding is quite a mix.

[ishoot308]

I honestly can't believe more people are not up in arms about this increase...Yeah I get it "if you can afford the boat you afford the sticker" but that's not the point... How can the state, feds whoever justify a 700% increase in one year!!

Dan

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

I honestly can't believe more people are not up in arms about this increase...Yeah I get it "if you can afford the boat you afford the sticker" but that's not the point... How can the state, feds whoever justify a 700% increase in one year!!

Dan

The first post mentioned it was only $6 more, so it's not 700% higher at all, but simply a different enumeration...or am I missing something?

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[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

The first post mentioned it was only $6 more, so it's not 700% higher at all, but simply a different enumeration...or am I missing something?

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The decal was $3.00 last year...Here's the original thread confirming the $3.00 decal fee...

https://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums...ad.php?t=29854

Dan

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

The decal was $3.00 last year...Here's the original thread confirming the $3.00 decal fee...

https://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums...ad.php?t=29854

Dan

I get that, but if the overall cost for the OP was only $6 higher, then most of the "decal fee" was simply included in another section of the bill.

It doesn't really matter what the fees are called or how they're broken up as long as the overall increases are reasonable and the money goes where it's supposed to.

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[Descant]

Especially on smaller lakes that aren't visited by MP very often, I would expect more boaters tro forego the pleasure of registration. Perhaps we should only require the new decal on coastal waters? The CG has noi authority to patrol on inland lakes. Anybody kanow if the CG getsd anything out of the new decal? Maybe they're just being jerks if they don't get $$. This could be like NH paying the CG, which pays NH to patrol the coast.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by Descant

I think part of boat reg fee goes to SAR. Part (30%?) of unclaimed road tax refunds goes back to F & G too. F & G funding is quite a mix.

$1 to SAR.

Unrefunded Gas Tax is $9.20 per OHRV/Snowmobile Registration.

Point is they are upside-down on a dry well.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

I get that, but if the overall cost for the OP was only $6 higher, then most of the "decal fee" was simply included in another section of the bill.

It doesn't really matter what the fees are called or how they're broken up as long as the overall increases are reasonable and the money goes where it's supposed to.

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And they are still working the dam maintenance fund.
The original idea of taxing waterfront properties per foot went in the klink, then it was $5 per boat registration (which was way shy of the $8 million annual projected budget).

[fatlazyless]

You can go swim all the 22-mile length of Lake Winnipesaukee, Center Harbor to Alton Bay with a three dollar foam noodle swim belt for free, no foam noodle state registration stickers required! .....

Be sure to wave while swimming past Welch Island ....... helloooooo! ....... which way to Pop's Clam Shell?

Who knows, but maybe it will help reduce the number of motorboats, and there will be more kayaks, canoes, rowboats, sup's, pedal boats and small sailboats under twelve feet, all which don't need no N.H. state stickers!
Increasing the motorboat stickers fee could be good for N.H. paddlers and small sailboat sailors .... just say'n?

You know the NH dividend & income tax, and the $50 NH state yearly automobile safety inspection have recently been eliminated, plus the NH prepared food tax was lowered from 9% to 8.5%.

To achieve a N.H. Safe Boater Card, there should be a quarter mile, 440-yard, in-the-lake swim requirement, where you need to swim a straight 440-yards out the deep Lake Winnipisaukee water in an administered test swim.

[TiltonBB]

As of yesterday, Tuesday December 16, the town of Gilford did not have the 2026 decals. They expect them soon.

[MeredithMan]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

I get that, but if the overall cost for the OP was only $6 higher, then most of the "decal fee" was simply included in another section of the bill.

It doesn't really matter what the fees are called or how they're broken up as long as the overall increases are reasonable and the money goes where it's supposed to.

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This is why I stated in my original post that the optics of this are very bad. My first thought was, "21 bucks for a f**** decal?" An overall $6 increase doesn't bother me, but having the bill imply that $21 of it is for decals is very bad optics.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

This is why I stated in my original post that the optics of this are very bad. My first thought was, "21 bucks for a f**** decal?" An overall $6 increase doesn't bother me, but having the bill imply that $21 of it is for decals is very bad optics.

Agreed the optics are bad, and especially so without so much as a note to explain how these are now broken out and why.

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[JPC]

I sent my registration in to the Concord office, Boat Desk, last week. I received the decals today. I did not expect such a quick response.

[FlyingScot]

$3? $6? Both ridiculous numbers that probably do not even cover the transaction costs, zero would make more sense. The Coast guard stuff is also BS.

They should charge a reasonable fee--$50 or $100 would be a small fraction of gas and other boat expenditures--and put the money into stuff boaters need--stopping invasive species or promoting fishing or MP/safety, whatever

[Descant]

From Flying Scot: "They should charge a reasonable fee--$50 or $100 would be a small fraction of gas and other boat expenditures--and put the money into stuff boaters need--stopping invasive species or promoting fishing or MP/safety, whatever|

Both of these are already supported in your registration fee. In addition, when you fill out the form for gas tax refund, these both have check off blocks so you can designate your refund to either of these (or bth) funds. Donations to the state in this manner are tax deductible.

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by Descant

From Flying Scot: "They should charge a reasonable fee--$50 or $100 would be a small fraction of gas and other boat expenditures--and put the money into stuff boaters need--stopping invasive species or promoting fishing or MP/safety, whatever|

Both of these are already supported in your registration fee. In addition, when you fill out the form for gas tax refund, these both have check off blocks so you can designate your refund to either of these (or bth) funds. Donations to the state in this manner are tax deductible.

You're right, I should read more closely. But still, quibbling about these amounts is kind of funny in the context of other boat expenses, and I don't think the state or any of us are doing enough to address the issues I mentioned, so I'd be happy for all of us to pay a few bucks more for milfoil, fish, erosion, etc...

[John Mercier]

It think the fishing habitat funding got an increase on the license.
Same for hunting.

I believe the increase starts January 1st.

[Descant]

Register locally and let your town get the money instead of the state?

When you register directly through the state, the state gets all the money. When you register locally (town hall, marina, etc., NOT at Marine Patrol in Glendale)) the town gets the boat fee and the registration and decal fees go to the state. Places with lots of boats like Gilford, Laconia and Meredith may get hundreds of thousands in boat fees. Each $100k can reduce the property tax by a few cents. Yes, there is a $5 fee, but that balances against a reduced property tax, or at least, the money is local and you have a better say at Town Meeting as to how it is spent than may be the case when it goes to Concord. After all, our "representatives" in Concord sucked up to the Coast Guard on that ridiculous decal fee.

I just got a letter from the state to register for 2027. I know some of you send it in right away, but I like to keep my money as long as possible. Ice out is plenty of time to register.

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by Descant

Register locally and let your town get the money instead of the state?
I just got a letter from the state to register for 2027. I know some of you send it in right away, but I like to keep my money as long as possible. Ice out is plenty of time to register.

Unless............You use your New Hampshire registered boat in places that don't freeze up! Some people want to be sure their boat is registered on January 1.

[Little Bear]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

Unless............You use your New Hampshire registered boat in places that don't freeze up! Some people want to be sure their boat is registered on January 1.

100%! And do yourself a favor and make sure the Hull Identification Number on your registration is correct (especially if your boat is in a place that doesn’t freeze). It’s a nightmare to resolve if it’s incorrect….