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Oklahoma Legislature· SB 368Becomes law without Governor's signature 05/19/2025

An act relating to the Oklahoma Vessel and Motor 7 Registration Act, the official text

Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1                      STATE OF OKLAHOMA

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2                  1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)

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3 SENATE BILL 368                  By: Guthrie

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6                      AS INTRODUCED

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7   An Act relating to the Oklahoma Vessel and Motor

7   Registration Act; amending 63 O.S. 2021, Section

8   4002, as amended by Section 199, Chapter 282, O.S.L.

8   2022 (63 O.S. Supp. 2024, Section 4002), which

9   relates to definitions; modifying certain definition;

9   updating statutory language; and providing an

10  effective date.

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1 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

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14  SECTION 1.         AMENDATORY  63 O.S. 2021, Section 4002, as

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1 5 amended by Section 199, Chapter 282, O.S.L. 2022 (63 O.S. Supp.

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1 6 2024, Section 4002), is amended to read as follows:

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17  Section 4002. As used in the Oklahoma Vessel and Motor

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1 8 Registration Act:

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19  1. "Boat livery" means a business establishment engaged in

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2 0 renting or hiring out vessels for profit;

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21  2. "Canoe" means a light narrow vessel with both ends typically

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2 2 tapered to a sharp point which is propelled solely by its occupants,

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2 3 using a single-bladed paddle as a lever without the aid of a fulcrum

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2 4 provided by oarlocks, thole pins, crutches, or similar arrangements;

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    Req. No. 1230                                              Page 1
1   3. "Certificate of documentation" means a document issued by

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2 the United States Coast Guard which is legal proof of ownership of a

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3 vessel;

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4   4. "Certificate of registration" means a document which is

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5 legal proof of registration of a vessel or motor;

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6   5. "Certificate of title" means a document which is proof of

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7 legal ownership of a vessel and/or or motor;

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8   6. "Service Oklahoma" means:

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9          a. Service Oklahoma, or

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10         b. the equivalent vessel registration and licensing

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11                 agency of a federally recognized Indian tribe in this

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12                 state;

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13  7. "Dealer" means any person engaged in the business of

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1 4 selling, trading, renting with option to purchase, or attempting to

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1 5 negotiate or negotiating sales or exchanges of interests in new or

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1 6 used vessels or motors, or new and used vessels or motors, or any

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1 7 combination thereof;

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18  8. "Dealer agreement" means the agreement, authorization, or

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1 9 written contract between a manufacturer and distributor and a new

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2 0 vessel dealer which purports to establish the legal rights and

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2 1 obligations of the parties to the agreement, authorization, or

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2 2 written contract with regard to the purchase and sale of new vessels

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2 3 or new motors;

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    Req. No. 1230                                    Page 2
1   9. "Designated successor" means one or more persons nominated

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2 by the new vessel dealer, in a written document filed by the dealer

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3 with the manufacturer or distributor at the time the dealer

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4 agreement is executed, to succeed the dealer in the event of the

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5 dealer's death or incapacity. If a designated successor is not able

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6 to succeed the new vessel dealer because of the designated

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7 successor's death or legal incapacity, the dealer shall execute a

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8 new document nominating a designated successor within sixty (60)

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9 calendar days after the date of the death or incapacity;

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10  10. "Distributor" means a person, resident or nonresident, who

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1 1 in whole or in part offers for sale, sells, or distributes a new

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1 2 vessel or new motor to a new vessel dealer or who maintains a

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1 3 factory representative, resident or nonresident, or who controls a

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1 4 person, resident or nonresident, who in whole or in part offers for

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1 5 sale, sells, or distributes a new vessel or new motor to a new

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1 6 vessel dealer;

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17  11. "Distributor branch" means a branch office similarly

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1 8 maintained by a distributor or wholesaler for the same purposes a

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1 9 factory branch is maintained;

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20  12. "Distributor representative" means any person, firm,

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2 1 association, corporation, or trust and each officer and employee

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2 2 thereof engaged as a representative of a distributor or distributor

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2 3 branch of vessels or motors, for the purpose of making or promoting

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2 4 the sale of his or, her, its, or their vessels or motors, or for

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    Req. No. 1230                                              Page 3
1 supervising or contacting his, her, its, or their dealers or

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2 prospective dealers;

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3   13. "Documented vessel" means any vessel in this state which

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4 shall have and carry on board the original certificate of

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5 documentation in legible form as issued by the United States Coast

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6 Guard or federal agency successor thereto. All documented vessels

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7 shall be required to display a current State of Oklahoma annual

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8 registration decal;

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9   14. "Factory branch" means a branch office maintained by a

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1 0 person, firm, association, corporation, or trust who manufactures or

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1 1 assembles vessels or motors for the sale of vessels or motors to

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1 2 distributors, or for the sale of vessels or motors to dealers, or

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1 3 for directing or supervising, in whole or in part, its

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1 4 representatives;

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15  15. "Factory representative" means any person, firm,

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1 6 association, corporation, or trust and each officer and employee

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1 7 thereof engaged as a representative of a manufacturer of vessels or

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1 8 motors or by a factory branch, for the purpose of making or

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1 9 promoting the sale of his, her, its, or their vessels or motors, or

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2 0 for supervising or contacting his, her, its, or their dealers or

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2 1 prospective dealers;

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22  16. "Hull identification number" means the serial number

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2 3 affixed to the outside of the hull of a vessel on the upper

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    Req. No. 1230                                                Page 4
1 starboard side (right) corner of the transom (back wall) which is

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2 assigned by the manufacturer or Service Oklahoma;

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3   17. "Inboard motor" means an internal combustion engine mounted

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4 inside a vessel which provides the transfer of power to move a

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5 vessel through the water;

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6   18. "Inboard/outboard motor" means an internal combustion

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7 engine mounted inside a vessel and an external stern drive attached

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8 through the transom of the vessel providing the transfer of power to

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9 move the vessel through the water;

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10  19. "John boat" "Johnboat" means a narrow, flat-bottomed

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1 1 square-ended vessel propelled by a pole, paddle, or a motor of less

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1 2 than ten (10) horsepower;

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13  20. "Kayak" means a light, narrow vessel with both ends

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1 4 typically tapered to a sharp point and propelled by double-bladed

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1 5 paddles as a lever without the aid of a fulcrum provided by

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1 6 oarlocks, thole pins, crutches or similar arrangements by human

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1 7 muscular effort by one or more individuals seated inside or on top

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1 8 of the vessel and facing the direction of travel using double-bladed

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1 9 paddles, hand cranks, or pedals;

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20  21. "Kiteboard" means a vessel, similar in appearance to a

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2 1 surfboard, with or without foot straps or bindings, combined with a

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2 2 large controllable kite to propel the rider and board across the

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2 3 water;

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    Req. No. 1230                                                Page 5
1   22. "Lifeboat" means a vessel carried on another vessel in

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2 excess of sixty-five (65) feet for use if such other vessel has to

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3 be abandoned;

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4   23. "Manufacturer" means a person who manufactures or assembles

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5 new vessels or new motors, or a distributor, factory branch, or

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6 factory representative;

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7   24. "Motor" means any internal combustion engine mounted at the

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8 stern of a vessel or placed inside a vessel which provides the

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9 transfer of power to move the vessel through the water;

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10  25. "New vessel dealer" means a person who holds a dealer

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1 1 agreement granted by a manufacturer or distributor for the sale of

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1 2 the manufacturer's or distributor's vessels or motors, who is

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1 3 engaged in the business of purchasing, selling, exchanging, or

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1 4 dealing in new vessels or new motors, and who has an established

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1 5 place of business;

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16  26. "Operate" means to navigate or be in actual physical

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1 7 control of a vessel or otherwise use a vessel or motor;

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18  27. "Outboard motor" means an internal combustion engine

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1 9 capable of being externally mounted at the stern of a vessel which

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2 0 provides the transfer of power to move a vessel through the water;

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21  28. "Owner" means a person, other than a lienholder, having a

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2 2 property interest in or title to a vessel or motor. The term

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2 3 includes a person entitled to the use or possession of a vessel or

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2 4 motor subject to an interest in another person, reserved or created

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    Req. No. 1230                                            Page 6
1 by agreement and securing payment or performance of an obligation,

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2 but the term excludes a lessee under a lease not intended as

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3 security;

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4   29. "Paddleboard" means a vessel, similar in appearance to a

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5 surfboard, intended to be propelled only by its occupants using a

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6 single- or double-bladed paddle as a lever without the aid of a

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7 fulcrum provided by oarlocks, thole pins, crutches, or similar

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8 arrangements;

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9   30. "Paddleboat" means a vessel less than eight (8) feet in

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1 0 length designed to be propelled solely by human power through a

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1 1 belt, chain, or gears;

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12  31. "Permanent number" means the distinctive and unique number

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1 3 which:

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14          a. Service Oklahoma permanently assigns to a vessel,

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15                 irrespective of any change of ownership of said the

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16                 vessel. The permanent number shall begin with the

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17                 letters "OK", followed by four numerals, and then

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18                 followed by two letters, or

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19          b. any federally recognized Indian tribe in this state

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20                 assigns to a vessel;

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2 1 provided, the number is configured as prescribed in 33 C.F.R., Parts

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2 2 173 and 174;

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23  32. "Person" means a natural person, partnership, corporation,

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2 4 association, trust, estate, or other legal entity;

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    Req. No. 1230                                       Page 7
1        33. "Proposed new vessel dealer" means a person who has an

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2 application pending for a new dealer agreement with a manufacturer

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3 or distributor. Proposed new vessel dealer does not include a

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4 person whose dealer agreement is being renewed or continued;

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5        34. "Purchase date" means the purchase date on a bill of sale

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6 or the date of complete assignment of title by the current owner;

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7        35. "Sailboard" means a vessel, similar in appearance to a

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8 surfboard, equipped with a swivel-mounted mast and sail not secured

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9 to a hull by guys or stays;

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10       36. "State" means the State of Oklahoma;

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11       37. "State of principal use" means the state where the vessel

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1 2 or motor is used, is to be used, or remains for any period in excess

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1 3 of sixty (60) calendar days;

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14       38. "Vessel" means every device, other than a seaplane on the

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1 5 water, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on

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1 6 water;

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17       39. "Waters of this state" means and includes all waters within

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1 8 the territorial limits of this state; provided, such phrase shall

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1 9 not mean or include waters which are entirely owned by a private

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2 0 person or persons, and to which the public is not permitted access;

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2 1 and

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22       40. "Water-thrust device" means a device tethered to the water

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2 3 jet mechanism of a vessel in a manner so that the water jet of the

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    Req. No. 1230                                  Page 8
1 powering vessel provides propulsion for the attached device. Such

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2 devices shall be considered a component of the powering vessel.

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3   SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.

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    Req. No. 1230                              Page 9
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