Boaters wishing to be reimbursed for removing and reapplying their CF numbers must file a grievance with the DMV.


SACRAMENTO - As a former Washington Post reporter, Samuel "Sandy" Golden has seen his share of bureaucratic bungling.

That still didn't prepare the now-retired journalist and Del Rey Yacht Club member for a recent missive from the California Department of Motor Vehicles telling him the CF number issued for his Mercury motorized dinghy was in error, thus requiring him to reapply for a new number while removing the previously approved one.

And there are a lot of others in the same boat.

According to DMV spokesman Mike N. Miller, approximately 7,000 California boaters received notice in late November that they'd been erroneously assigned a CF number containing the letter "I," that along with "O" and "Q," are prohibited by the Code of Federal Regulations for Navigation and Navigable Waters as they can be mistaken for numbers.

"The invalid CF number series that ended with 'RI' and 'UI' were ordered by DMV without realizing that they violated federal regulations," Miller said. "The problem was identified and immediate steps were taken to correct it and to bring the program in line with federal law."

And though there's no charge for the new number and the application can be mailed, there's still the time and money involved in removing the old CF number and replacing it with the re-issued one.

Golden thought those costs should be picked up by the state, as it was their mistake. And though there was nothing in his letter regarding reimbursement, a few calls by the former investigative reporter found reimbursement had just been addressed and approved; however actually getting it wasn't a simple matter.

"We realize this error may cause be an inconvenience to those provided with invalid vessel registration numbers and since this program was the DMV's responsibility, we created a reimbursement system to compensate owners as they agree to correct our inadvertent mistake," said Miller, admitting the compensation idea was raised after complaints were received.

Sounds good, thought Golden. However, he and other boaters seeking compensation for the expense of applying or paying someone to apply the number, and now remove and reapply the new CF number, must pay a $25 fee to file a grievance with the Board of Control Claims through the California Victim Compensation.

Golden voiced concern his reimbursement would come at the expense of valid crime victims. Miller said it would not.

"They are one and the same entity and in addition to victim compensation claims, they also process claims with regard to grievances against the state," Miller said. "Grievance forms are referred to the appropriate department for review and approval. If approved, the $25 filing cost and the claim would be reimbursed by the DMV from the Motor Vehicle Account."

Miller directed boaters seeking reimbursement to visit www.boc.ca.gov and go to the "Government Claims" section, which will direct the user to the proper form.

For Golden, the entire snafu is grating.

"Anyone can make a mistake, but I think they were rather ingenuous about it," Golden said. "The letter I got made no mention of compensation for correcting the mistake; I had to find that out after making a few calls. They are not telling boaters unless they ask."

Golden also took umbrage that the DMV form requires boaters to sign "under penalty of perjury" that they will remove the invalid CF number upon receipt of the new one.

Miller predicted the CF number problem will not reoccur.

"A programming request has been requested to omit any CF number configuration containing "I," "O," or "Q" at the end of any vessel registration number during the indexing process," he said. "Programming should completely eliminate incorrect characters from being placed at the end of a designation."

Affected boaters can also call (800) 955-0045 for more information.