Hull measurement is an important part of the boat registration process that is sometimes done incorrectly.
When a boat is registered in WA, a HIN certificate (pink slip) must be submitted with a new boat registration application....
The HIN certificate contains details about the boat, including the length. Now, boats are tricky when it comes to measured length, as there is thousands of different configurations, styles and shapes to deal with. The department of transport have specific ways to measure the main types of boat that require a HIN for registration purposes. Generally, the way a boat is measured is ACTUAL HULL LENGTH....meaning things like swim platforms, marlin boards, bow rollers, bow sprits, engines, engine pods, outdrives, rudders and rails arent included in the measured length. The basic hard and fast rule is if any item attached to the hull can be unbolted or cut off without changing the hull, its excluded from the measure length.
Why is this important? The main reason for accurately measuring the length at time of registration is because in WA, the length determines the amount of annual registration you pay for your boat. The current registration fees as of June 2026 are:
- up to 4.99m: $162.55
- 5m to 9.99m: $345.15
- 10m to 19.99m: $692.35
- 20m and up: $1012.55
This length based system can cause issues if a boat is incorrectly measured. Just say you have a Quintrex 515 and its registered length listed on the registration certificate is 5.15m. If the dealer didnt measure the boat at the time of sale and used the sticker length, then you may be paying an extra $182.60 a year for your registration, as the actual hull length of that boat could be under 5m. Manufacturers in Australia typically used the overall length for the model designations.....why wouldnt they, 5.15m sounds bigger that 4.99m, right? But once you exclude the bow roller and maybe a handle or step on the back, the actual hull length, as measured is usually less. A perfect example of this is the older Barcrusher 575 models. They actually have a measured hull length of 5.40m.
So if you have a boat that is close to the 5m, 10m or 20m mark, you may be able to save some money on your registration costs if you get a HIN provider, such as Boat Check WA to do a re-measure of your boat. If you suspect your boat has been measured using overall or sticker length, get a tape and measure the hull, as per the department of transport guidelines. If you think the registered length is wrong, call us and we can do a re-measure.
We will measure the actual hull length and re-issue a HIN certificate, which you can the lodge with the department of transport. They will update your boat registration details and the next renewal notice will reflect the change. If your boat is measured at less than your old measured length and drops below the cutoff length, you pay less. The cost for the re-measure is almost always less than the extra registration you may be paying, especially for the bigger boats.
Have a look at your registration certificate. If your boat is listed at just over 5m, 10m or 20m, its probably worth running a tape measure over the actual hull length and booking a HIN verification/re-measure if you feel its been registered with overall length.
You can book online with Boat Check WA here: Book a HIN verification here
