Doesn't NJ have a "discounted" sales tax rate for registering/titling a boat? My son indicated that, but don't remember what it was. Something like 4% vs 7-8%?
Here in NY we only have to re-register ever three years, to NJ every year. At least both are online now and easy to do.
When we sold my son's 1448 Tracker, the trailer didn't have registration, title, or COO. He did go thru and get a Maine plate for the trailer, but it was not transferable. The buyer was able to navigate the NY DMV and get it documented. We had to fill out a form and send it in for him. I think it took a month or two to get it cleared up.
The only discounts I'm aware of are for seniors over 65, disabled and those on assistance of some form but it doesn't apply to boats.
Home made trailers are easy, they can't force you to produce any receipts but to get one registered you have to be the 'builder' on record. You can never have bought a homemade trailer because then they tell you the person who built it has to register it then sign it over to you and that negates the whole reason for doing it.
My home made trailer registration says 'HMD Trailer" "Color: Metal". Furthermore I've never been asked for a trailer registration when pulled over. At best they ask if its your trailer or not. If its not registered they usually just tell to get it registered as long as its got a tag on it.
I drove all the way from NJ to MO and back once and never realized my trailer tag was laying on the back seat under a bag. 1,700 miles round trip and not once did I get pulled over. (A buddy borrowed it a week later and the tag was still in my truck and he got pulled over three times and told he best get a tag on that trailer.
If you miss a year they will try to collect the back years but they can't legally force you to pay up for a trailer not being used. Covid is what screwed it all up because they revamped how the DMV works after that. Before, every DMV office was first come first serve and they did everything. Now every office has a specialty, some do registrations, some do titles, some do only foreign licenses, meaning they deal only with the free licenses for illegals. The local DMV here can issue a title and do the initial registration but can't do renewals. That now means going to a regional or doing it online. ALL registration renewals are now done online but if you miss a year it means you don't have a PIN code for the renewal and you have to go to a regional office to renew by appointment. For me that means driving an hour and killing the better part of a day at the DMV in hopes they get to you before they close despite having an appointment,
The really screwed up part is that the only way to renew is online or get an appointment online and not everyone has internet or a cell phone. A good many people my own age that I know have never owned a computer and wouldn't know what to do with one if they did.
