The boat registration dataset has been updated through June 30, 1999. This database, the U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Safety Information System, contains information on commercial and recreational vessels.
It can be used mainly to find out information about a specific boat or ship, such as finding the owner. Reporters have used this dataset when a shipping accident occurs or to find out information about U.S. Coast Guard boats.
There is documentation for 265,584 vessels registered with the Coast Guard, including the company name and address. A second table includes information on boats with expired registration, foreign vessels and recreational boats.
The dataset is available for the entire United States at a cost of $60 for small news organizations, $80 for those between 50,000 and 100,000 circulation (or 25-50 market) and $100 for large news organizations.
More information is available on the NICAR Web site, www.nicar.org/data, or by calling the data library at (573) 884-7711.