: Deep Thoughts, by Shawn Baker

And wild guesses by PGJ

: If my brother and I 'catted' our Chesapeake 17's together for sail, would
: they each need an HIN, both need the same HIN, or only one need a HIN?

If you register each as a unique boat, then you probably need two HINs. One for each boat.

: Do Hobie Cat owners have to have separate HIN's for each hull?

I think you register the boat. In the case of a boat with a twin or triple (or more!) floats making up the hull, (pontoon houseboats, rafts made from 55 gallon drums, hobie cats and trimarans) then it might be a good idea to record the HIN on each pontoon or float, but I suspect you would just need it in the usual two places. With a catamaran, if you take away one pontoon you can't exactly maneuver the thing in the usual fashion. With two kayaks, you can split them and each can be navigated.

: Do golf carts need offroad vehicle licenses like motorcycles and quads?

Probably. I guess it depends on the state. Illinois does not have offroad licenses for motorcycles or quads. Nor does it require licenses on racing motorcycles. The problem is finding a place to operate such vehicles as you can't legally operate them on the street in this state. Actually, that is not quite correct. Several people have gone through the legislative hoops to get license plates for golf carts so they could use them to travel short distances. In some cases these were handicapped people, so special provisions were made.

I was seriously interested in buying a modified electric golf cart in 1974. It was made by the Electi City Car ccompany of Seabring, Florida, and sold for around $7000 as I recall, and marketed as an electric car. Basically they added a speedometer, lights, higher bumpers, and a hardtop. The golfbag storage area was still there, but they called it a trunk and said it was so you could haul groceries from the store. (Yeah, right) The city of Naperville bought several of these and their police department used them for a while. I talked with a few of the metermaids from that town and got the impression that they had an awful ride as the things had no shock absorbers.

Golf courses are privvate property, so golfcarts used there are not actually on the public streets, thus they do not need to be licensed. When crossing the streets, or going along them for a short distance, they are treated the same as unlicensed agricultural implements: Tractors, combines, garden tractors. Such devices are not legal on interstate highways.

: Do campers in the WalMart parking lot need recreational vehicle
: registrations?

In Illinois, even with RV plates there are a lot of places where you can't spend the night. Wal-Mart security will probab;y chase you out.

: Do you need a fishing license to 'catch' a fish in the Pike Place market?

Hmm. As they used to say in the (burlesque) theater: "the hook, get the hook". I think you are allowed to catch "flying fish" with your hands.

: Is innertube registration required in Ohio? Is a child's RC sailboat a
: 'watercraft'?

Can't tell you about Ohio, but my two Sevylor inflatable boats both came with paperwork for establishing legal titles, and for registering them. Each boat had a legal HIN. And both met Federal standards. And both were not too much bigger than a tractor innertube. Registration numbers for inflatables are pernmitted to be on a removable plaque. (They certainly don't expect me to secure the numbers with nails!) Possibly an option for those who wish to avoid marring the good looks of their wooden boats.

I know that they make special "innertubes" for float fishing. This is a cross between hipwaders glued to an innertube, with a webbed strap for a seat. The fisherman climbes in and floats merily downstream, steering and propelling themself with feet, or a short paddle. I'm not sure if htese things are registered or not. They apparently are dangerous if water gets into them.

Interestingly, while the feds say my inflatable boats are seaworthy, and legal, the local forest preserve won't let me use a properly registered inflatable boat on any of their waters.

If the child's sailboat is a toy model, then no, it is not a watercraft. If the child's sailboat is as big as a bathtub (rub a dub dub, three men in a tub?) and the kid can sail it, then it is a watercraft. I think the definition here is whether it can haul anything. If you are interested, I have plans for a 6 foot long sailboat for kids, which they can tote to the water in their wagon. I thought of building it when I was a kid, but it would be a bit small for me now, though.

It should float, but I suspect tracking could be a bit spotty at that length.

A few years ago Chicago found a sunken, wooden tubular tank while dredging in Lake Michigan. They first thought it was part of a wooden pipeline, with endcaps. Turns out it was a submersible tanker developed about the time of WWII, and it wasn't practical, so the inventor capsized it in the lake and left it there. That would have been a watercraft. It apparently did not have a HIN on it, though, and it took a few days of publicity before the son of the inventor identified the thing and brought out a few old press clippings of the thing.

There is no such thing as a dumb question, but there are questions that takes me a longer time to answer.

Hope this helps.

PGJ