Dona Jenkins Maritime Document Service

What Dona Jenkins Maritime Document Service does

Dona Jenkins Maritime Document Service, Inc. is a privately held, San Diego-based professional services firm founded in 1983 that specializes in vessel documentation and registration for recreational and commercial boat owners. The company acts as an intermediary between vessel owners and federal (USCG) and state (California DMV) regulatory authorities, handling initial documentation, renewals, reinstatements, deletions, change of ownership filings, abstract of title searches, and preferred ship mortgage recordings. Supporting offerings include notary services and escrow services delivered through a partnership with the Law Offices of Paul S. Trusso.

The firm operates with no proprietary technology platform; service intake occurs via phone, email, a website-hosted online request form, and PDF downloadable forms. The underlying "platform" is human expertise in federal maritime documentation rules, state DMV processes, lien priority analysis, and title chain establishment — capabilities refined over more than 40 years of continuous operation. Industry credibility is supported through memberships in the National Marine Lenders Association and California Yacht Brokers Association.

Revenue is generated on a transactional, quote-based fee model: each filing, search, or service request is billed individually with no disclosed subscription, retainer, or tiered pricing. The customer base is segmented horizontally across individual vessel owners, boat brokers, and marine lenders, all served directly from the company's single San Diego office. Geographic scope is restricted to California with no evidence of multi-state or national expansion.

Name

Dona Jenkins Maritime Document Service

Legal name

Dona Jenkins Maritime Document Service, Inc.

Website

https://donajenkins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dona Jenkins Maritime Document Service is a San Diego-based vessel documentation firm, founded in 1983, that handles USCG federal documentation, California state registration, title searches, and mortgage filings for recreational and commercial boat owners, brokers, and lenders on a transaction-fee basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Vessel Documentation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Service Provider Coordination (Diving, Inspection, Class/Survey Support) (TLAHAJAI)

Keywords

• Vessel documentation services
• Maritime document filing
• Boat registration services
• USCG documentation
• Ship mortgage filing

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Vessel Documentation Services: Fees for USCG documentation services including initial documentation, renewals, reinstatements, deletions, and change of ownership. Services provided to recreational and commercial vessel owners.
2. State Registration Services: Fees for state registration services including boat and trailer registrations, in-house registrations/tags/trailer plates, and VIN verifications for trailers.
3. Title Search and Abstract Services: Fees for abstract of title searches, state title searches, and DMV searches to establish chain of title and identify liens.
4. Mortgage and Lien Services: Fees for preferred ship mortgage filings, notice of claim of lien, satisfaction/release of mortgages or liens, and amendments/assumptions/assignments of ship's mortgage.
5. Escrow Services: Escrow services provided in partnership with Law Offices of Paul S. Trusso for vessel transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dona Jenkins Maritime Document Service provides USCG federal vessel documentation, California state boat and trailer registration, title search and abstract services, preferred ship mortgage filing, and escrow services for recreational and commercial vessel owners. The firm acts as an intermediary that prepares and files paperwork with the U.S. Coast Guard's National Vessel Documentation Center and state DMVs on behalf of vessel owners, brokers, and marine lenders.

Product overview

Dona Jenkins Maritime Document Service is a vessel documentation service company established in 1983, providing a unified service portfolio centered on recreational and commercial vessel documentation. The core offering is vessel documentation services encompassing USCG documentation and state registration. Supporting modules include escrow services, abstract of title searches, initial documentation, preferred ship mortgage filing, state title searches, renewals/reinstatements, and notary services. The company also provides online and PDF request forms for service requests. All services are delivered directly by the company with escrow services subcontracted to Law Offices of Paul S. Trusso.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vessel Documentation Services Federal USCG vessel documentation services for recreational and commercial vessel owners, including initial documentation, renewals, reinstatements, change of ownership, and deletions.
• State Registration Services California state registration services for boats and trailers, including in-house registrations, tags, trailer plates, and VIN verifications.
• Title Search and Abstract Services Abstract of title searches via USCG records and state DMV searches to establish chain of title and identify liens or encumbrances on vessels.
• Mortgage and Lien Services Filing and recording of preferred ship mortgages, notice of claim of lien, satisfaction/release of mortgages or liens, and amendments/assumptions/assignments of ship's mortgage against federally documented vessels.
• Escrow Services Escrow services for vessel purchase and sale transactions, provided in partnership with the Law Offices of Paul S. Trusso.
• Notary Services Notary services for vessel documentation and transaction paperwork supporting USCG and DMV filings.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AVADA (American Vessel)minorOthersAVADA/American Vessel is listed as a partner/affiliate on the Dona Jenkins website, indicating an industry relationship within the maritime documentation sector.
• National Marine Lenders AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMembership organization for marine lenders. Dona Jenkins is listed as a member, indicating a strategic relationship with the financial institution segment that requires vessel documentation services for loan processing.
• California Yacht Brokers AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMembership organization for yacht brokers in California. Dona Jenkins is listed as a member, indicating a referral and marketing relationship with brokers who require documentation services for client transactions.
• The Log - California's Boating & Fishing NewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarine industry publication listed on the website, potentially indicating advertising or media presence in the California boating community.
• Law Offices of Paul S. TrussocoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEscrow services for vessel transactions are provided in partnership with the Law Offices of Paul S. Trusso. This is a critical service partnership for completing vessel purchase/sale documentation with proper escrow handling.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)minorOthersNOAA is listed on the website as a related government agency. The company processes documentation through NOAA's Coast Guard division for vessel documentation services.
• U.S. Maritime Administration (Marad)minorOthersMaritime Administration is listed as a related agency. The Small Vessel Waiver Program falls under Marad's jurisdiction, which may be relevant to some vessel documentation services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Others

• YachtWorld: Leading global online yacht brokerage marketplace. Not a documentation services provider, but a transactional ecosystem participant whose listings funnel boat buyers and brokers toward documentation, title, and registration workflows — the demand engine for Dona Jenkins' services.
• The Log (California's Boating & Fishing News): Long-running California recreational boating publication listed as a media partner on Dona Jenkins' website. Adjacent ecosystem participant providing marketing exposure and brand reinforcement to the same Southern California vessel owner customer base.
• Boat Trader: Major online recreational boat marketplace serving U.S. buyers and sellers. Adjacent to the documentation workflow because completed transactions require the USCG/state registration services that Dona Jenkins provides, making Boat Trader a top-of-funnel demand source for the same customer.
• California Yacht Brokers Association: California yacht broker industry association of which Dona Jenkins is a member. Not a competitor, but a direct referral source for broker-driven documentation transactions, making it an ecosystem participant that materially influences Dona Jenkins' customer acquisition flow.
• National Marine Lenders Association: Industry trade association for marine finance companies. Not a direct competitor, but a critical referral channel — Dona Jenkins is listed as a member — and a structural adjacent player because member lenders are the demand source for preferred ship mortgage filings and documentation-driven loan closings.

Direct peers

• American Vessel Documentation (AVADA): A private vessel documentation service that handles USCG documentation, renewals, and related filings for vessel owners; explicitly listed as an industry affiliate/partner on Dona Jenkins' own website, confirming direct overlap in the same product category and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS): Largest U.S. recreational boating membership organization; offers vessel documentation and state registration assistance as part of its broader member services portfolio alongside towing, insurance, and routes. Competes with Dona Jenkins on documentation services but from a much wider value proposition aimed at the same recreational vessel owner.
• U.S. Coast Guard National Vessel Documentation Center: The federal government entity that ultimately issues Certificates of Documentation. Not a private competitor, but a structural incumbent that sets fees, processing timelines, and online self-service capabilities — directly determining the headroom available to private documentation intermediaries like Dona Jenkins.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dona-jenkins-maritime-document-service-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dona Jenkins Maritime Document Service