Kochy
Well-known member
Looking at a 16 foot barebones V-hull, cheap, I'm in PA, guy doesn't have title to the thing. What I'm wondering, how hard is it to obtain a new title? And then also get it registered?
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If a title was lost to a boat, how hard is it to obtain one?
- Thread starter Kochy
- Start date
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if you are the official owner on record, no problem at all.
if you are referring to buying a boat off of craigslist,
it could be your Nightmare on Elm Street
In Florida, the official owner on DMV records is the ONLY
person that can request a duplicate title.
you won't know until you stand in front of the person at
your DMV and ask all these questions and get it straight
from the horses mouth..... (or phone call).
good luck
if you are referring to buying a boat off of craigslist,
it could be your Nightmare on Elm Street
In Florida, the official owner on DMV records is the ONLY
person that can request a duplicate title.
you won't know until you stand in front of the person at
your DMV and ask all these questions and get it straight
from the horses mouth..... (or phone call).
good luck
Kochy
Well-known member
Oh great.
Each state has their own rules for boats and automobiles.
What may be a nightmare (like Florida and Texas) may be
a cake walk in other states.
Just check with your local office FIRST - prior to putting down
a deposit on that "deal of a lifetime".
Also - if there IS a title, check to see if the hull serial number
matches the paperwork. Same with a car: you always check
to ensure the VIN matches the title. (right??)
Florida says - the "Bill of Sale" does not constitute the right
to ownership to sell a vessel.
Just because a person gives you a Bill of Sale, does not mean
it was "legally" his to sell. Even tho he bought it with only a Bill of Sale.
Just check your local laws THOROUGHLY prior to purchasing any kind of watercraft.
What may be a nightmare (like Florida and Texas) may be
a cake walk in other states.
Just check with your local office FIRST - prior to putting down
a deposit on that "deal of a lifetime".
Also - if there IS a title, check to see if the hull serial number
matches the paperwork. Same with a car: you always check
to ensure the VIN matches the title. (right??)
Florida says - the "Bill of Sale" does not constitute the right
to ownership to sell a vessel.
Just because a person gives you a Bill of Sale, does not mean
it was "legally" his to sell. Even tho he bought it with only a Bill of Sale.
Just check your local laws THOROUGHLY prior to purchasing any kind of watercraft.
overboard
Well-known member
Kochy said:
As others are saying, may vary state to state.
I see you live in Sunbury, just go to a local boat dealer and ASK, they usually are a notary and they will know exactly what it all involves.
Better yet, contact the PFBC and get it right from the horses mouth!
Rockport Paddler
Member
I'm in TX and had no problems getting mine titled and registered. They guy that gave me the boat didn't have the title. It had never been titled or registered in any state. I had to fill out 1 form and write about a paragraphs worth of info on how i acquired a free boat with no title. It wasn't much trouble at all. I am in a smaller town where the TPWD office isn't busy though. There's rarely a line so they aren't as cut and dry as the busier offices are in the larger counties.
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What Johnny says, call your DMV and ask....
If the person wants to sell it bad enough, he can get the title, if it is indeed a legally gotten boat. Plenty of boats out there for sale that have everything. Don't buy into someone elses nightmare....
If the person wants to sell it bad enough, he can get the title, if it is indeed a legally gotten boat. Plenty of boats out there for sale that have everything. Don't buy into someone elses nightmare....overboard
Well-known member
You're getting some good advice on here!
All may be OK, but read what Johnny has posted, aside from it may not be his to sell, there could also be a lien against the boat.
Just make sure you dot the I's and cross the T's before purchasing it.
Again, if I wanted that boat and it were a good deal, I would first check with both a notary and the PFBC and go from there once I had all the information on acquiring a boat without a title.
If he had it registered, that could possibly make it a lot easier. I bought an out of state trailer without a title, but it was registered and with a bill of sale it wasn't that hard to get a title for it in PA.
Don't let these posts scare you if you really want that boat, it may be a pretty simple process once you get the info. as to exactly how to go about it.
BTW: If it is fairly easy to title that boat, don't tell him that, the price may go up! :lol:
All may be OK, but read what Johnny has posted, aside from it may not be his to sell, there could also be a lien against the boat.
Just make sure you dot the I's and cross the T's before purchasing it.
Again, if I wanted that boat and it were a good deal, I would first check with both a notary and the PFBC and go from there once I had all the information on acquiring a boat without a title.
If he had it registered, that could possibly make it a lot easier. I bought an out of state trailer without a title, but it was registered and with a bill of sale it wasn't that hard to get a title for it in PA.
Don't let these posts scare you if you really want that boat, it may be a pretty simple process once you get the info. as to exactly how to go about it.
BTW: If it is fairly easy to title that boat, don't tell him that, the price may go up! :lol:
overboard
Well-known member
Was just on the PFBC site, looks like all the info. you need is on there.
Search PFBC>PFBC home page>boat registration>(right side) application for Pa. boat registration/title (rev.336), scroll down to forms and check out----I AM THE ____________.
Looks like it may not be that hard ?????
Good luck!
Search PFBC>PFBC home page>boat registration>(right side) application for Pa. boat registration/title (rev.336), scroll down to forms and check out----I AM THE ____________.
Looks like it may not be that hard ?????
Good luck!
Kochy
Well-known member
I'm getting the thing for $150. I'm going to go ahead and pull the trigger with it and if not I can scrap the boat if I can't get it titled. Thanks for all the info. I will be calling a local marine dealership tomorrow, and if they do not know then I will be calling the fish and boat commission.
Kochy
Well-known member
Thanks overboard it turns out it isn't that hard! I got on the fish and boat website and checked it out. I gotta pay either 26 bucks or 39 bucks and I can have it titled! Thanks for your help!
overboard
Well-known member
Kochy said:
Hope all goes well, at least you are now headed in the right direction as for getting the information needed as to how to go about purchasing an untitled boat.
Good luck and enjoy!
Kochy
Well-known member
Thanks again!
lovedr79
Well-known member
in virginia you have to have the original owner sign/have notarized document from fish and game stating it was lost. oh and bill of sale. apparently i still own a boat i sold a buddy of mine, he only used it for pond fishing and never got the title switched. but fish and game have the bill of sale and claim i still own it.......
driz
Well-known member
Since you are on the infamous East Coast you better square this away before handing over any cash. I don't know about PA but NY is as always a huge PITA in all things DMV and as expected just keep getting worse as time goes on. I would waltz into DMV in person and talk to somebody face to face. I have always found the phone thing to be more inclined along generic answers and being blown off. Besides in this day and age every toad has his lawyer in toe wanting to cash in on the lottery by suing the state because some helpful guy was kind enough to give info that violated somebody's sacred privacy. I would waltz in with copies of the documents in hand and a written statement from the owner giving you permission to figure this all out. Believe me it's all out there in registration land and they can access that last registration if there ever was one.
The things to consider are was it stolen or purchased and never paid or fully paid for. That includes the guy the last owner bought it from. More often than not that is the scenario as DMV won't process anything with a lien on the title. Those leins are often put on by the boat yard or prior owner who got screwed by Joe Blow who bought it x years before. Some states have lax registration rules so someone else can get it registered then eventually sells it to somebody else from a stricter state and the problem transfers to the new owner. That's why I would make the owner do the running or you will end up the monkey trying to sort out the problem.
Those liens are a pain in other ways too. Here in Neuyorkistan when you buy a car with a loan the lien goes on the title and after it is paid off the state just leaves it there, not their problem. Then you go to sell the car /boat and the other guy gets the title and their is a lien on it so he can't register it because of that lein even though it was paid off years ago. Thus you or he gets a problem that doesn't even exist and remember DMV just says, not their problem right. Enter the company blessed with super powers. For the sum of $38 they will somehow remove that lein that really isn't there in the first place after massaging your wallet.
Think of it as the middle man or just another crook but I have personally been there done that myself. I also did the boat purchase from the deadbeat thing decades ago too. I even did the "got it registered but not titled in NY thing a while back and it was a major PITA to get it registered but they made it torturous as possible even though the boat had been registered here for 15 years(no Liens either). Know this also and file it under FWIW. With my last boat that just got registered somehow without the title it had been registered in Vermont. Of course they were useless except for one thing, they kill titles which haven't been reregistered for 12 years. Of course no one told me anything about any of this even in NY. What did the trick was when I pointed out to NYDMV that Vermont had purged it and that was printed on the bottom of the Vermont form, she said "oh, well in that case we can just title it". That was it but it was no thanks to anybody but me in the end so like I said, MAKE THE OWNER SQUARE HIS PROBLEM AWAY OR WALK AWAY. [-X
The things to consider are was it stolen or purchased and never paid or fully paid for. That includes the guy the last owner bought it from. More often than not that is the scenario as DMV won't process anything with a lien on the title. Those leins are often put on by the boat yard or prior owner who got screwed by Joe Blow who bought it x years before. Some states have lax registration rules so someone else can get it registered then eventually sells it to somebody else from a stricter state and the problem transfers to the new owner. That's why I would make the owner do the running or you will end up the monkey trying to sort out the problem.
Those liens are a pain in other ways too. Here in Neuyorkistan when you buy a car with a loan the lien goes on the title and after it is paid off the state just leaves it there, not their problem. Then you go to sell the car /boat and the other guy gets the title and their is a lien on it so he can't register it because of that lein even though it was paid off years ago. Thus you or he gets a problem that doesn't even exist and remember DMV just says, not their problem right. Enter the company blessed with super powers. For the sum of $38 they will somehow remove that lein that really isn't there in the first place after massaging your wallet.
Think of it as the middle man or just another crook but I have personally been there done that myself. I also did the boat purchase from the deadbeat thing decades ago too. I even did the "got it registered but not titled in NY thing a while back and it was a major PITA to get it registered but they made it torturous as possible even though the boat had been registered here for 15 years(no Liens either). Know this also and file it under FWIW. With my last boat that just got registered somehow without the title it had been registered in Vermont. Of course they were useless except for one thing, they kill titles which haven't been reregistered for 12 years. Of course no one told me anything about any of this even in NY. What did the trick was when I pointed out to NYDMV that Vermont had purged it and that was printed on the bottom of the Vermont form, she said "oh, well in that case we can just title it". That was it but it was no thanks to anybody but me in the end so like I said, MAKE THE OWNER SQUARE HIS PROBLEM AWAY OR WALK AWAY. [-X
srreynolds2003
Member
Rockport
What form did you use in Texas? I found a craigslist deal but no title and he has no clue who it belonged too before.
Who would I call to question? Texas Parks and wildlife Or Dmv?
What form did you use in Texas? I found a craigslist deal but no title and he has no clue who it belonged too before.
Who would I call to question? Texas Parks and wildlife Or Dmv?
Rockport Paddler said:
PBRMINER
Well-known member
you mean you're wanting to register your grandfathers 1960s boat he never titled, kept at the cabin and doesn't have an HIN Right? (out of the mouth of the DMV agent here) they assigned the boat my drivers license number as the HIN and I went on my way.... of course this was in MI so YMMV.... plus I was fully aware of the hoops when I paid next to nothing for the thing to begin with. If any significant money I would have insisted the seller get a title or walked. in my scenario I would have not been able to obtain a title the "right" way if the seller refused to help me after the deal. seriously the guy sells you a boat for $100, is he going to go to the DMV and do the paperwork for you after the fact?
50/50 chance to get the correct department on the first phone call.
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