{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-4002","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 63, § 63-4002","heading":"Definitions","body":"As used in the Oklahoma Vessel and Motor Registration Act:\n\n1. “Boat livery” means a business establishment engaged in\n\nrenting or hiring out vessels for profit;\n\n2. “Canoe” means a light narrow vessel with both ends typically\n\ntapered to a sharp point which is propelled solely by its occupants,\n\nusing a single-bladed paddle as a lever without the aid of a fulcrum\n\nprovided by oarlocks, thole pins, crutches, or similar arrangements;\n\n3. “Certificate of documentation” means a document issued by\n\nthe United States Coast Guard which is legal proof of ownership of a\n\nvessel;\n\n4. “Certificate of registration” means a document which is\n\nlegal proof of registration of a vessel or motor;\n\n5. “Certificate of title” means a document which is proof of\n\nlegal ownership of a vessel or motor;\n\n6. “Service Oklahoma” means:\n\na. Service Oklahoma, or\n\nb. the equivalent vessel registration and licensing\n\nagency of a federally recognized Indian tribe in this\n\nstate;\n\n7. “Dealer” means any person engaged in the business of\n\nselling, trading, renting with option to purchase, or attempting to\n\nnegotiate or negotiating sales or exchanges of interests in new or\n\nused vessels or motors, or new and used vessels or motors, or any\n\ncombination thereof;\n\n8. “Dealer agreement” means the agreement, authorization, or\n\nwritten contract between a manufacturer and distributor and a new\n\nvessel dealer which purports to establish the legal rights and\n\nobligations of the parties to the agreement, authorization, or\n\nwritten contract with regard to the purchase and sale of new vessels\n\nor new motors;\n\n9. “Designated successor” means one or more persons nominated\n\nby the new vessel dealer, in a written document filed by the dealer\n\nwith the manufacturer or distributor at the time the dealer\n\nagreement is executed, to succeed the dealer in the event of the\n\ndealer’s death or incapacity. If a designated successor is not able\n\nto succeed the new vessel dealer because of the designated\n\nsuccessor’s death or legal incapacity, the dealer shall execute a\n\nnew document nominating a designated successor within sixty (60)\n\ncalendar days after the date of the death or incapacity;\n\n10. “Distributor” means a person, resident or nonresident, who\n\nin whole or in part offers for sale, sells, or distributes a new\n\nvessel or new motor to a new vessel dealer or who maintains a\n\nfactory representative, resident or nonresident, or who controls a\n\nperson, resident or nonresident, who in whole or in part offers for\n\nsale, sells, or distributes a new vessel or new motor to a new\n\nvessel dealer;\n\n11. “Distributor branch” means a branch office similarly\n\nmaintained by a distributor or wholesaler for the same purposes a\n\nfactory branch is maintained;\n\n12. “Distributor representative” means any person, firm,\n\nassociation, corporation, or trust and each officer and employee\n\nthereof engaged as a representative of a distributor or distributor\n\nbranch of vessels or motors, for the purpose of making or promoting\n\nthe sale of his, her, its, or their vessels or motors, or for\n\nsupervising or contacting his, her, its, or their dealers or\n\nprospective dealers;\n\n13. “Documented vessel” means any vessel in this state which\n\nshall have and carry on board the original certificate of\n\ndocumentation in legible form as issued by the United States Coast\n\nGuard or federal agency successor thereto. All documented vessels\n\nshall be required to display a current State of Oklahoma annual\n\nregistration decal;\n\n14. “Factory branch” means a branch office maintained by a\n\nperson, firm, association, corporation, or trust who manufactures or\n\nassembles vessels or motors for the sale of vessels or motors to\n\ndistributors, or for the sale of vessels or motors to dealers, or\n\nfor directing or supervising, in whole or in part, its\n\nrepresentatives;\n\n15. “Factory representative” means any person, firm,\non decal;\n\n14. “Factory branch” means a branch office maintained by a\n\nperson, firm, association, corporation, or trust who manufactures or\n\nassembles vessels or motors for the sale of vessels or motors to\n\ndistributors, or for the sale of vessels or motors to dealers, or\n\nfor directing or supervising, in whole or in part, its\n\nrepresentatives;\n\n15. “Factory representative” means any person, firm,\n\nassociation, corporation, or trust and each officer and employee\n\nthereof engaged as a representative of a manufacturer of vessels or\n\nmotors or by a factory branch, for the purpose of making or\n\npromoting the sale of his, her, its, or their vessels or motors, or\n\nfor supervising or contacting his, her, its, or their dealers or\n\nprospective dealers;\n\n16. “Hull identification number” means the serial number\n\naffixed to the outside of the hull of a vessel on the upper\n\nstarboard side (right) corner of the transom (back wall) which is\n\nassigned by the manufacturer or Service Oklahoma;\n\n17. “Inboard motor” means an internal combustion engine mounted\n\ninside a vessel which provides the transfer of power to move a\n\nvessel through the water;\n\n18. “Inboard/outboard motor” means an internal combustion\n\nengine mounted inside a vessel and an external stern drive attached\n\nthrough the transom of the vessel providing the transfer of power to\n\nmove the vessel through the water;\n\n19. “Johnboat” means a narrow, flat-bottomed square-ended\n\nvessel propelled by a pole, paddle, or a motor of less than ten (10)\n\nhorsepower;\n\n20. “Kayak” means a light, narrow vessel with both ends\n\ntypically tapered to a sharp point and propelled by human muscular\n\neffort by one or more individuals seated inside or on top of the\n\nvessel using double-bladed paddles, hand cranks, or pedals;\n\n21. “Kiteboard” means a vessel, similar in appearance to a\n\nsurfboard, with or without foot straps or bindings, combined with a\n\nlarge controllable kite to propel the rider and board across the\n\nwater;\n\n22. “Lifeboat” means a vessel carried on another vessel in\n\nexcess of sixty-five (65) feet for use if such other vessel has to\n\nbe abandoned;\n\n23. “Manufacturer” means a person who manufactures or assembles\n\nnew vessels or new motors, or a distributor, factory branch, or\n\nfactory representative;\n\n24. “Motor” means any internal combustion engine mounted at the\n\nstern of a vessel or placed inside a vessel which provides the\n\ntransfer of power to move the vessel through the water;\n\n25. “New vessel dealer” means a person who holds a dealer\n\nagreement granted by a manufacturer or distributor for the sale of\n\nthe manufacturer’s or distributor’s vessels or motors, who is\n\nengaged in the business of purchasing, selling, exchanging, or\n\ndealing in new vessels or new motors, and who has an established\n\nplace of business;\n\n26. “Operate” means to navigate or be in actual physical\n\ncontrol of a vessel or otherwise use a vessel or motor;\n\n27. “Outboard motor” means an internal combustion engine\n\ncapable of being externally mounted at the stern of a vessel which\n\nprovides the transfer of power to move a vessel through the water;\n\n28. “Owner” means a person, other than a lienholder, having a\n\nproperty interest in or title to a vessel or motor. The term\n\nincludes a person entitled to the use or possession of a vessel or\n\nmotor subject to an interest in another person, reserved or created\n\nby agreement and securing payment or performance of an obligation,\n\nbut the term excludes a lessee under a lease not intended as\n\nsecurity;\n\n29. “Paddleboard” means a vessel, similar in appearance to a\n\nsurfboard, intended to be propelled only by its occupants using a\n\nsingle- or double-bladed paddle as a lever without the aid of a\n\nfulcrum provided by oarlocks, thole pins, crutches, or similar\n\narrangements;\n\n30. “Paddleboat” means a vessel less than eight (8) feet in\n29. “Paddleboard” means a vessel, similar in appearance to a\n\nsurfboard, intended to be propelled only by its occupants using a\n\nsingle- or double-bladed paddle as a lever without the aid of a\n\nfulcrum provided by oarlocks, thole pins, crutches, or similar\n\narrangements;\n\n30. “Paddleboat” means a vessel less than eight (8) feet in\n\nlength designed to be propelled solely by human power through a\n\nbelt, chain, or gears;\n\n31. “Permanent number” means the distinctive and unique number\n\nwhich:\n\na. Service Oklahoma permanently assigns to a vessel,\n\nirrespective of any change of ownership of the vessel.\n\nThe permanent number shall begin with the letters\n\n“OK”, followed by four numerals, and then followed by\n\ntwo letters, or\n\nb. any federally recognized Indian tribe in this state\n\nassigns to a vessel;\n\nprovided, the number is configured as prescribed in 33 C.F.R., Parts\n\n173 and 174;\n\n32. “Person” means a natural person, partnership, corporation,\n\nassociation, trust, estate, or other legal entity;\n\n33. “Proposed new vessel dealer” means a person who has an\n\napplication pending for a new dealer agreement with a manufacturer\n\nor distributor. Proposed new vessel dealer does not include a\n\nperson whose dealer agreement is being renewed or continued;\n\n34. “Purchase date” means the purchase date on a bill of sale\n\nor the date of complete assignment of title by the current owner;\n\n35. “Sailboard” means a vessel, similar in appearance to a\n\nsurfboard, equipped with a swivel-mounted mast and sail not secured\n\nto a hull by guys or stays;\n\n36. “State” means the State of Oklahoma;\n\n37. “State of principal use” means the state where the vessel\n\nor motor is used, is to be used, or remains for any period in excess\n\nof sixty (60) calendar days;\n\n38. “Vessel” means every device, other than a seaplane on the\n\nwater, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on\n\nwater;\n\n39. “Waters of this state” means and includes all waters within\n\nthe territorial limits of this state; provided, such phrase shall\n\nnot mean or include waters which are entirely owned by a private\n\nperson or persons, and to which the public is not permitted access;\n\nand\n\n40. “Water-thrust device” means a device tethered to the water\n\njet mechanism of a vessel in a manner so that the water jet of the\n\npowering vessel provides propulsion for the attached device. Such\n\ndevices shall be considered a component of the powering vessel.","path":["OK Code","Title 63"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os63.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"1f561b47fddc1ef2eb7cb88b530b03cf3623f2eecf6f61aa71c3933e802bb2f5","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-4001","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-4003"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}