Question about selling a boat

[AXEL]

I will be selling a 1977 C30. I have a transferable registration. I believe all I need to do is sign over this registration to the new owner and have a Bill of Sale, correct?
Also do I need to remove the registration numbers off the boat or leave them on?
.
In the event the boat is involved in an accident (or crime), once I hand over the registration how do I have proof I am no longer the owner?

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

The best source of reliable info is your state registry department.
Having said that, generally titles are transferable to the extent it states on the document. A bill of sale documenting ownership usually transfers for liability purposes.

 

[agprice22]

Your registration will usually indicate whether it is transferrable. If it is, it will have a transfer signature line on the back. Once signed, make a copy of it and the bill of sale with the note: "Delivered 8/2/2016" and have the buyer sign it. You keep a copy, and he gets the original.
This is your proof.
The states I have purchased boats in want a bill of sale with the seller's signature in order to register it to the new owner.
If the buyer is keeping the boat in the same state you registered it in, the registration numbers will stay the same, so do not remove them. Unless you want to for some reason!
I have purchased and sold many boats in several states. This information worked the same in each case.
I am also in NY, and this is how it works in NY.

 

[DAVA390]

Wouldnt be in a hurty to remove the numbers. When I boat boat out of Va. and registered in Md. the numbers assigndd to me were the same Md. numbers that appeared on the boat in the photo on Craigslist that the previous owner used to advertise the boat. He had bought it out of Annapolis years before and it looked a lot better then than after his poor stewardship so he used an old photo for the listing.A pparently ,Md. DNR tries to keep same numbers on boat through multiple owners, don't know about other states.

 

[AXEL]

Thanks for you replies. The registration is transferable. I will make copies of the signed reg and bill of sale.

 

[kito]

You may want to have the bill of sale signed in front of a notary. I went through this in NC. It would have made my life a little easier if I did.

 

[AXEL]

I was thinking of that. At a minimum I will have a witness sign it

 

[DougM]

I don't know about other states, but Michigan boats have a title. The state would not accept a registration as a transfer of title. The title also indicates if there is an outstanding lien. A waiver of lien is then required as well.

 

[agprice22]

New York DMV will accept an unnotarized, unwitnessed, bill of sale signed by the seller. I have the buyer sign it too under the note that the boat was delivered, as is, on a particular date.
Titled vehicles or vessels will NOT have a transferrable registration.


Here is the exerpt from NYS DMV:
Model year 1986 or older or any NYS-registered boat that is less than 14 ft. long

The acceptable proof of ownership is either

• the NYS Transferable Registration - must be the original or a certified copy, not a photocopy
• acceptable proof of ownership from another state 10

To transfer ownership

• the owner can use the transferable registration and a bill of sale
• make sure the registration document is marked "transferable" on the front
• the seller whose name appears on the transferable registration must sign the back

An acceptable bill of sale includes all of this information

• year and make of the vehicle, boat or ATV
• vehicle identification number (VIN) or the hull identification number (HIN)
• date of the sale
• purchase price
• names and signatures of the buyer and the seller

The buyer and seller can make photocopies of the bill of sale to keep in their records. The new owner must give the original bill of sale to the DMV with the other required proofs of ownership. A bill of sale is not an acceptable proof of ownership without other proofs.

 

[agprice22]

By the way... All the forms you need for NYS registration are available online; however, that is work for the buyer, not the seller.
The above exerpt indicates 1987 and newer boats are titled above 14 ft.

 

[MitchM]

check your state's registration laws. some require that the bill of sale and title transfer documents be notarized. your buyer may have the devil's own time trying to get this boat into his/her name without a notarized bill of sale and title transfer document from you as seller. a copy of those documents, plus your proof of cancellation of your insurance on the vessel, will absolve you of liability for post-sale crimes etc. involving the boat.

 

[Benny17441]

The State registration numbers stay with the boat. To cover liability purposes have the Bill of Sale notarized(irrespective of state requirement or not and you keep a copy . A proper bill of sale will evidence that a transaction was agreed by the parties and the notary will identify the parties that entered into it. In case of a future problem the notary would be compelled to provide testimony as to the authenticity of the signatures on the document.

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

I also always write the time of day, of the ownership transfer, on any bill of sale.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

there are many responses but to be blunt, I always as a dealer no matter where the boat went to or sold to, the bill of sale was notarized. As the seller, it would also to be prudent to notify the state and local jurisdiction as to the sale providing them a copy of the notoraized bill of sale so the boat is taken off as you the owner and also off the tax roles. It was good standard practice which most of us dealers and brokers and also a lot of less headaches over the years no matter where the boat was sold to. As for the numbers, leave it up to the new owner to remove. One good reason is during transport and with the numbers on and no Coast guard registration or Hailing Port name on boat, then sometimes the police might suspect something fowl.