So a dude I work with was asking how far can he be from his boat in his dingy as it has no tab because it is classified as a tender. he says he can pull crab pots but not fish with it due to its designation.

anyone heard of this, cause I never have.
rattle

I'm not aware of any restrictions for fishing from a tender/dinghy any distance from the mother ship. If he puts a motor on it, it has to be registered.

the boat needs tabs if it serves any purpose other than taxiing people to and from shore. we got pulled over in our dinghy because the officer said we were "sightseeing" without tabs.

Not certain, but I think if he's in navigable waters and there is a motor on it, it has to be registered no matter how long it is. I got that ticket last fall while perch fishing on Lake Washington in a 12' pram with a 5hp motor on it.....$257.....YIKES!!! Also, a dinghy can only be used to and from shore, thus the name "tender". I don't think that covers "tending" your crab pots...