Admiralty/Maritime
Jun. 11, 2026
When is a truck a boat?
A Cybertruck owner drove into Grapevine Lake in "wade mode" and was cited for lacking boat registration, raising the question under Stewart and Lozeman whether a Cybertruck--or any unconventional craft--can qualify as a "vessel" under federal maritime law's practical-use test.
Charles D. Naylor
Founder
Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor
11 Golden Shore Ste 350
Long Beach , CA 90802
Phone: (310) 514-1200
Fax: (310) 514-1837
Email: naylor@naylorlaw.com
Santa Clara University SOL; Santa Clara CA
NBC recently reported the story of a Tesla Cybertruck owner who drove his Cybertruck into Grapevine Lake intentionally, to see how it would operate in "wade mode." After the local authorities towed the partially submerged and stranded Cybertruck from the lake the owner was cited for among other things, failing to have a valid boat registration. That got me to thinking. Is a truck always a truck? Or can a truck sometimes be a boat?
One note of caut...
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