About
I Didn't Exactly Choose Vessel Documentation. I Grew Up In It.
Most 12-year-olds weren’t reading Abstracts of Title, figuring out who had authority to sign for an LLC, or preparing Coast Guard forms on a typewriter.
I was.
It started with former U.S. Coast Guard Documentation Officer Gloria Rector, continued through my mom, Jane Beale, and somehow landed with me riding the school bus to their office after school.
Apparently my family’s idea of childcare involved government forms.
And honestly? It worked.
Coralie Robins Bennefield
President · Coralie Robins Vessel Documentation, Inc.
Who you’re hiring
20+ Years of Real Vessels, Real Files, Real People
U.S. Coast Guard documentation nationwide, Florida title and registration as my deepest state specialty, vessel closings, and the occasional file that decides to be interesting.
I’m not an attorney, a CPA or a government employee. I’m a documentation agent who grew up in this industry and still finds it genuinely satisfying when the paperwork finally agrees with reality.
The family
Apparently Boat Paperwork Runs in the Family.
Former U.S. Coast Guard Documentation Officer
Gloria Rector
Gloria brought actual Coast Guard documentation experience into the private sector and founded Gloria Rector Vessel Documentation, recognized by AVDA as a Founding Member from 1995.
My Mom
Jane Beale
Jane learned directly from Gloria and later purchased Gloria Rector Vessel Documentation. She taught me USCG documentation, ownership, Abstracts of Title, mortgages, closings and the federal side of this industry.
My Dad — "The Boat Guy"
John Beale
Dad developed the Florida side of our family’s business: vessel titles, registrations, registration of federally documented vessels and boat trailers.
He researched Florida’s requirements back when these transactions were far less understood, and became so well known at our local Polk County DMV that employees simply called him “The Boat Guy.”
He isn’t here anymore, but his reputation still is.
I still occasionally encounter DMV employees who remember or reference “The Boat Guy.” And I get to say:
“That’s my Dad.”
My very unusual education
My After-School Program Was… Different.
At about 12, I started riding the school bus to the documentation office.
I learned the filing system. Then CG-1258s on a typewriter. Then came trusts, LLCs, Bills of Sale, Abstracts of Title, Preferred Ship Mortgages and Satisfactions.
More importantly, I listened.
I listened to Gloria and Mom work through real transactions with customers, brokers, lenders and the Coast Guard. I wasn’t just learning where information went on a form. I was learning why.
Which is still how I work
The career
The Short Version
Age 12
Started learning vessel documentation
1999
Jane Beale purchased Gloria Rector Vessel Documentation
10 Years
Insurance claims
Liability · Coverage · Bodily injury · Investigation · Negotiation
2017
Returned to the marine industry full time
2020
Established Coralie Robins Vessel Documentation, Inc.
Today
20+ years of hands-on vessel documentation experience
USCG Documentation · State Registration · Vessel Closings · Problem Solving
I spent approximately ten years in insurance handling liability, coverage and bodily injury claims before returning to the marine industry full time in 2017.
It turns out that years of investigation, negotiation and learning to find the one fact that doesn’t quite fit transfers beautifully to vessel closings and documentation.
Especially when somebody starts the conversation with:
The detour
Plot Twist: I Left Boats for Insurance. It Actually Made Me Better at Boats.
Ten years of liability, first-party coverage, third-party coverage and bodily injury claims. The most valuable part came when my company sent me to Virginia Beach for an intensive training program.
And I mean away — no everyday distractions, just a focused environment built to teach investigation and negotiation from start to finish: review the evidence, analyze the whole file, listen for inconsistencies and possible deception, ask better questions, and negotiate effectively.
The standard wasn’t “good enough.” I couldn’t finish the program and go back to Florida until I passed the required testing at 100%.
Then they handed me a desk, a list of expectations and some of the hardest counties in Florida, and essentially said:
And I did.
What I still do with it
I’m not investigating claims or negotiating with attorneys anymore, but the training never left. When I review a vessel transaction, I look at the whole picture:
- What does the evidence actually show?
- Does the ownership chain make sense?
- Do the documents agree with each other?
- Does the person signing actually have authority?
- Is there something in the Abstract that needs another look?
- Does what I'm being told match what the paperwork says?
And if something doesn’t make sense: why?
Which matters in an industry where
“I grew up learning how to read vessel paperwork. Insurance taught me how to read the entire file.”
And occasionally, the person explaining the file.
The legacy & my own name
Some Know the Family. Some Just Know Coralie.
To some, I’m “The Boat Guy’s Daughter.” To others, I’m “Jane Beale’s Daughter.” I’m incredibly proud of both.
But then there’s the customer base I’ve worked for and earned myself.
They didn’t know my Dad. They didn’t know my Mom first. They called me. I handled their boat. Then their next one. And sometimes the one after that.
To them? I’m just Coralie. Their Doc Agent. And I’m pretty proud of that too.
The Boat Guy’s Daughter.
Jane Beale’s Daughter.
Coralie. Their Doc Agent.
I’m proud of all three.
What it means for you
So What Does All That History Mean for Your Boat?
It means I’m not learning this industry from your file.
More than 20 years working with real vessels, real transactions, real lenders, real brokers, real government agencies and real customers.
But here’s something equally important:
Not every transaction is complicated.
Sometimes you send me everything I need. Everything matches. Everybody signs. Nothing strange appears. And the file is easy like Sunday morning.
We love those. Seriously.
Clean paperwork is beautiful.
And if something does come up
How I work
Easy When It Can Be. Experienced When It Can’t Be.
I don’t create complications where they don’t exist. If your transaction is straightforward, let’s keep it straightforward. If it needs more work, I’ll work it. If it needs another professional, I’ll tell you.
And if something truly requires magic… well. I haven’t figured that part out yet.
Give me time.
Your vessel doesn’t need to have a problem for you to need an experienced documentation agent. But if one shows up, you’ll be glad you have one.
Repeat customers
There’s a Reason So Many Customers Come Back.
I love new customers. Every loyal customer started as one.
But I’m especially proud of the customers, brokers and marine professionals who come back again and again. They’ve learned to trust me, and they’ve learned to trust the process.
If I’ve handled more than one boat for you, you already know:
One may be easy like Sunday morning. The next may make me earn my fee. Different boat. Different history. Different file.
Same Doc Agent.
- If I tell you everything looks good… great.
- If I tell you I need something… there’s a reason.
- If I tell you something needs time… let me work.
The team
Meet the Other Half of the Office
Coralie may be the Doc Agent, but she isn’t doing all of this alone.
Membership
American Vessel Documentation Association
Coralie Robins Vessel Documentation, Inc. is a member of the American Vessel Documentation Association, a private professional association of vessel documentation companies. AVDA is not a government agency, and membership is not a U.S. Coast Guard certification or endorsement.
Your turn
Enough About Me. What Did You Buy?
Brand new? New to you? Yacht? Center console? Performance boat? Something with enough horsepower to make reasonable people ask questions?
Tell me about it. Let’s figure out what the paperwork needs and get you back to the fun part.
Next step