Boat transfer question

The father in law is selling us his old boat. The only problem is that he can’t find the title for either the boat or the trailer. What do we need to do to make this all legal and stuff?

Write up a purchase agreement or bill of sale to take with you to the DMV. If he is available then bring him with you. Shouldn’t be a problem.

Assuming this boat is in MN and MN registered.

Look at the DNR registration card, which is kind of a sticker like thing that comes with the two stickers for the sides of the boat. There is an area on the registration card that says “Has a title?” or some such and then a check box.

BTW, you will also need this registration card so the new owner can transfer the DNR registration to his name.

If there is an X in this box on the DNR reg, the watercraft is titled and the new owner will need to have the title in order to transfer ownership.

Remember, you have to provide 4 things to the new owner. Title (if titled) for boat, DNR registration, trailer registration, AND the title to the trailer (if titled). A lot of guys are confused by the “permanent” registration on trailers. That is only permanent for the current owner. Any change of ownership and it has to be transferred to the new owner or it is not legal.

Agree with the suggestion to go to the DMV with the buyer and do all the transfer stuff at once. That is the easiest way, but you still need all the docs. A bill of sale doesn’t mean anything if the boat is titled, you need a title.

Grouse

FIL can request duplicate or paperless title from DMV if the title is absolutely necessary. Where you might get off easy is that family can essentially do $1 transfers and avoid some fees and taxes. If you were just Joe Blow off the street you’d probably need all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed. But I think the family deal is much easier.

Thanks. The boat is already in storage, so I’ll have to find some time to swing by and peel the sticker off.

The father in law lives by Park Falls, WI, so having him go with may or may not work.

lhprop1 wrote:

Thanks. The boat is already in storage, so I’ll have to find some time to swing by and peel the sticker off.

The father in law lives by Park Falls, WI, so having him go with may or may not work.

If the registration is MN, it’s not really the “sticker” per se. By that I mean it’s not the sticker with the big year 15 (or whatever) that goes by the reg numbers on the side of the boat. It’s a document printed on the same material as those stickers that says something like DNR registration card.

I didn’t catch initially that you are buying the boat from him. That may (or may not) make it easier. If it’s registered in WI, the process may require an actual title if there is one.

Grouse

I’ve had possession of the boat for a few years. It’s registered in MN under his name and the license is up at the end of 2015. He recently retired and moved to WI and can’t find any of the titles or paperwork or anything. He thinks they lost it in the move.

Hopefully he can call and get a duplicate.

Form for getting duplicate title.

http://www.dmv.org/mn-minnesota/title-transfers.php#Replacing-a-Lost-Minnesota-Title

There is also a section here, “No Proof of Ownership” that looks like you could pursue.

http://www.dmv.org/mn-minnesota/title-transfers.php