Registering a classic boat

Did you think that boat registration was reserved for modern vessels, motorboats, or sailboats? That is not the case! Classic sailboats are also subject to it.

The good news is that the administrative procedures for these vessels are another one of our team's specialties. Let us explain…

Registering a classic yacht: a requirement

For classic sailboats, as for all boats, the rule is simple: the vessel registration procedure concerns all craft measuring more than 2.5 meters in length or equipped with an engine with a power output of 4.5 kW or more.

Classic sailboats, most of the time falling into this category, must therefore be registered. The administrative procedures for their registration are essential if they are to sail in compliance with regulations!

Often complex registration procedures

Classic sailboats may require more complex administrative procedures than usual. In most cases, these are unique sailboats with their own specific characteristics that cannot always meet the criteria required by the administration.

The techniques and construction methods used, for example, sometimes do not allow them to comply with the standards that boats must meet to be registered. At other times, the advanced age and long history of the sailboat make it impossible to provide all the documents requested…

However, at the Bateau-immatriculation.com team, we are convinced that classic sailboats have great historical and heritage value. As such, we have developed the skills to handle all administrative procedures for classic sailboats, allowing you to set sail without delay. So, will you let us help you?

French registration of the sailboats Moonbeam, Mariquita, and Moonbeam IV

If you own a classic sailboat, you are probably familiar with these vessels designed by William Fife, a particularly renowned Scottish naval architect: Moonbeam, Mariquita, and Moonbeam IV, built in 1903, 1911, and 1914 respectively, are three magnificent century-old sailboats that regularly participate in classic regattas.

But did you know that the current owner of these three legendary sailboats trusted our team to carry out all the registration procedures?

When we began assisting the owner with their procedures in 2020, the three vessels were all in different administrative situations:

• Moonbeam, formerly known as Moonbeam of Fife, was under commercial flag in the French International Register (RIF),
• Mariquita was flying a British navigation flag,
• Moonbeam IV was sailing under the Maltese flag.

After the three boats had been present in the Mediterranean for several years, the current owner wanted to sail them in Brittany, for pleasure and under the French flag. For him, the administrative procedures to be carried out proved to be particularly tedious and complex.

Today, the three magnificent classic sailboats are moored at the Port du Château, in Brest. They continue to liven up numerous classic regattas in the English Channel and the Atlantic.

At the end of August 2024, the vessels stood out at the Brest Douarnenez Classic Finistère—a race held for the second consecutive year in Brittany, in which a total of 110 crew members participated on 9 of the most beautiful classic sailboats.

After 6 days of racing in Finistère waters, the vessel Mariquita was declared the winner, with Moonbeam IV coming in second and the sailboat Moonbeam finishing fourth. Mariquita had already won the first edition of the race in the summer of 2023!

Avatar, another classic sailboat registered thanks to our team

Moonbeam, Mariquita, and Moonbeam IV are not the only classic sailboats registered thanks to the work of our team. Recently, we also assisted the new owner of the sailboat Avatar in registering their vessel and obtaining the French flag.

Better known as Pursuit—a name that is not the sailboat’s original one but which it carried for many years—Avatar was designed by the famous American naval architect William Starling Burgess. Built in Germany, the M-Class racing sailboat was launched for the first time in 1929.

Exported to the United States and under the American flag, it delighted multiple owners for many years. Then, more recently, it was abandoned in a shipyard in the United States. It was under these conditions that the new French owner acquired it!

Since then, Avatar has been brought by cargo ship to France. For our part, we carried out the procedures to register the vessel in France and obtain the French flag for it.

As of the time of writing, the classic sailboat is currently being refitted at a shipyard in Brittany…

Are you the owner of a classic sailboat and do you also need help from our team to complete your administrative procedures? Get in touch with us, and let us handle all your paperwork!