There's a lot of confusion over whether - and when - a Coast Guard Documented vessel needs to be registered with the state. The short answer is that UCSG Documented boats never need to be titled with the state, but may need to be registered with the state depending on how long the boat is on the state's waters. First, as to the titling of the vessel, a vessel may either be state titled or federally documented, but not both. Think of USCG documentation like your title - that

Not just anyone can own a U.S. Documented Vessel.  There are very specific citizenship requirements for owners of U.S. flagged vessels, and