getting a boat legal?

[ihatemyford]

i was wondering how to go about making a boat legal this guy said take it out of my yard and its yours now what?

[jpollman]

Well we'll need a little more information.....

Is it a powered boat or a "row boat" ?

Was it registered before ? (does it have an MC# on the bow ?) If so, there should have been a registration that he would have had to sign over to you. At that point you'd just have to go to the Secretary of State and transfer the registration to your name.

If there is no MC# on it, the boat has apparently never been registered and if it's a "row boat" with no motor and less than 16' long and you don't plan on putting a motor on it you should be all set.

That's a start anyway.

Oh yeah by the way....

Welcome to the site !

John

[Rupestris]

Welcome aboard!

If you are trailering the boat out of the yard, you'll need to make sure the trailer has valid plates on it and that the lights are working.

If the boat has MC numbers on it and an expired tag, I think you can legally trailer it without getting up-to-date tags. You just can't put it in the water. The trailer is your main concern right now. Someone will be around to correct me if this is incorrect.

A little more info would help. Is there a registration for the boat or trailer? are there plates on the trailer?

[tubejig]

I do believe that if a sales receipt is provided there is 24 hour window that the trailer can be transported without a plate. After that she's fair game.

[DangerDan]

First I would worry about getting the boat to your house. Jack it up and check the bearings, turn the tire, give it a good hard shake and see if it's safe to tow. If all looks good then grease up the bearings and transport it using your "Bill of Sale" for temp reg. of the trailer. If the bearings are bad and theres slop when rotating, shaking the tire, you'll need bearings before towing it. I'd get that done prior to dating the Bill of Sale. After that, It's all about how much money your going to spend on you new boat.

[alex-v]

What trailer??:) :) :)

If there are numbers on it and the guy does not have the old papers on the boat you will have to check with the Sec. of State to find out the status of the boat. Actually, not that hard of a process.

For all you know the boat might have been abandoned and it will be easy to get the registration turned over in to your name. That is, if there were numbers on it before.

[brianroy6]

All you need for the trailer is a bill of sale from the current owner. And than a weight slip from a weight master. This will get your trailer registered no problem. The boat may be a little more tricky. If he has the title, he can just sign it over, but if not, he'll have to write you a bill of sale, and apply for a lost title, or go with you to sec. of state. If it is a 16' alum or smaller with an outboard for power, all you need is a bill of sale, and you can have it registered no problem.

good luck

brian

[alex-v]

What trailer???:) :) :) No mention of a trailer in the original posting; just a boat.

Co-incidence, but we were just talking about a similar situation this evening. The guy has a boat and a trailer that were given to him in consideration of work done. However, the original owner of the boat is believed to be dead and the owner of the trailer is unknown.

[jackbob42]

When my dad passed away , I got a boat that had't been registered since before my grandfather had died ( about 25 years ). I went to the Sec. of State and they fixed me right up. No problem.

[alex-v]

When my dad passed away , I got a boat that had't been registered since before my grandfather had died ( about 25 years ). I went to the Sec. of State and they fixed me right up. No problem.
My brother went thru the same thing with my dads boat. Just took the MC numbers to the SoS office and started the ball rolling.

[Jason Adam]

Actually, what you need to find out is if the boat has a Hull Identfication Number Tag. The tag is about 1/2" tall by 2" wide and should be on the backside of the transom, starboard side. May be gelcoated in(if its a glass boat). The Hull ID is basically the boats VIN. This is on all boat registrations.

Beyond that, if you know nothing about boats, I would take some pictures and list any detail with pics here. If the boats been on the ground in a yard for years, you may be WAY better off leaving it where it is...

[ihatemyford]

ok the boat is on a trailer but i'm not worried about that its atleast 16' it has mc # not title or registeration he says it runs and floats but who knows

[Raf]

I, blah blah, sold a 16 foot alumacraft boat, mc # blah blah, with the trailer to blah blah for the amount of blah blah on the date blah blah
signed by blah blah

thats all i needed to register my boat and trailer. good luck

[sdanville]

just sold a 15 foot boat today.
I didnt have any registration - never got one, just gave the buyer a bill of sale.
And who needs a title in Michigan ? I bought a 16.5' smokercraft this year and was given a title cause that how they do it in IL
but I only registered it with the Sec of state here in Michigan... I could have got a title but no reason to.