Info on registering a 14' boat in MN, without reg card.

Hello,

I am trying to make a deal on a older utility boat, which will be used for duck hunting this fall. It is currently registered in WI, here are the details…

a. it is an older 14′ Crestliner with a Holsclaw trailer. It hasn’t been registered since 2012. It has been passed through several members of the same family.

b. current owner has no registration card for the boat. He is a tribal member, so I am not sure if that changes things in WI, or if WI doesn’t register 14′ and under boats in the same way.

He actually just sent me an email with this info:

When registering your boat in Minnesota you need to know its length, manufacturer, type of hull material, type of propulsion, model, year, serial number and have the sales receipt ready. So here it is…

Length 14′
Manufacturer Crestliner
Hull material Aluminum
Propulsion type Outboard
Model # 20x
Year 1962
Serial # 60xxx

I have the info for the serial numbers on the boat/motor/trailer through emails he has sent today.
I am planning on calling the DNR tomorrow, but would like to know ahead of time if this is going to be too much of a hassle. Plenty of utility boats around, so it isn’t a big deal either way.

Can anyone assist on this ?

Appreciate it!

Now I am confused….

Taken from the DNR site:

Exemptions

Boats/Watercraft currently registered in another state that are in Minnesota for no more than 90 consecutive days.
Boats/Watercraft from another country that are in Minnesota for no more than 90 consecutive days.
U.S. government-owned vessels, except those used for recreational purposes.
Documented vessels.
Ship’s lifeboat.
Duck boats (used during duck hunting season).
Rice boats (used during the harvest season).
Seaplanes.
*************************
So If I am using this boat for Duck hunting only, does this change things?

nubbinbuck wrote:

So If I am using this boat for Duck hunting only, does this change things?

I think if it is only used during duck season and for the sole purpose of duck hunting you are fine But I may be wrong so hopefully some other members will chime in

Recently went through the process with on a boat bought in Wisconsin. We needed a Bill of Sale for each the boat and the trailer. Went to the County Auditor and picked up a standard form then both the buyer and seller fill out the appropriate areas and go back to the Auditor and complete the process. No problem for us. The trailer is where the process gets sticky. If it ever had a title you will need to find it or the seller has to apply for lost title.

Correct if you are only using it for duck hunting it does not need to be registered.

Justin Laack wrote:

Correct if you are only using it for duck hunting it does not need to be registered.

X2

I appreciate the input. I am going to run to the DMV this morning, and ask for some assistance.

If I have to get a title for the trailer, it is going to be a deal killer. It is an old Holsclaw trailer. He has no paperwork for it.
++++++++++++++++

Recently went through the process with on a boat bought in Wisconsin. We needed a Bill of Sale for each the boat and the trailer. Went to the County Auditor and picked up a standard form then both the buyer and seller fill out the appropriate areas and go back to the Auditor and complete the process. No problem for us. The trailer is where the process gets sticky. If it ever had a title you will need to find it or the seller has to apply for lost title.

I received a boat from my father that was used as a duck boat for over 10 years and was never registered. I used it for duck hunting for the last 5 years and I recently registered it to use it for bow fishing. I needed a bill of sale for the boat and that was it. The trailer was already registered with the state. I would imagine you could do one of two things. Get a bill of sale for the trailer from the owner and put a permanent reg on it from MN. Or you could possibly register it as a homemade trailer in MN…I am unsure on the laws regarding registering homemade trailers, but I would look into that also.

Get a Bill of Sale just in case you need to prove ownership one day. You don’t need to register a boat that is used for hunting purposes only.

You can just claim the trailer to be homemade and the DMV will issue you a title for it, saying that it is a homemade trailer. If you buy it go into the DMV and tell them that you made the trailer and they will get a new license for it and send you a title.

Justin Laack wrote:

Correct if you are only using it for duck hunting it does not need to be registered.

Unless you put a motor on it then it does

bullcans wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Justin Laack wrote:</div>
Correct if you are only using it for duck hunting it does not need to be registered.

Unless you put a motor on it then it does

This is what I was wondering. I was inclined to believe a license was required if motorized. Manual propulsion may be exempt for duck hunting.

bullcans wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Justin Laack wrote:</div>
Correct if you are only using it for duck hunting it does not need to be registered.

Unless you put a motor on it then it does

The waterfowl regulations say nothing about if the boat has a motor or not. It just says that a waterfowl boat does not have to be licensed.
DT

Aaron wrote:

You can just claim the trailer to be homemade and the DMV will issue you a title for it, saying that it is a homemade trailer. If you buy it go into the DMV and tell them that you made the trailer and they will get a new license for it and send you a title.

This may have been true at one time, but it seems the DMV got wise. Now you must show receipts for materials or some other evidence that the trailer was actually made by you. If it was homemade by someone else, you must have their registration documents and a bill of sale.

As others have said, duck boats in MN are only exempt if not motorized.

There are 4 pieces of documentation for boat ownership in MN. What makes this complicated is that you may or may not have to have some of them to complete the transfer.

Registration – In general, registration is the easy one. Have the boat brand, hull ID number, and a bill of sale and you’re good. Having the past registration card is always a plus.

Title – SOME boats have titles. Most small boats do not. The thing to beware of is that once a watercraft has been titled, the title MUST be transferred to assume ownership. You cannot un-title it.

Trailer Registration – Again, generally easy, but what gets hosed up is that many wrongly think just because MN has “permanente” registration, they don’t need to transfer it. Wrong. The reg must be transferred so it is in the name of the current owner.

Trailer title – See above. As strange as it sounds, even a small trailer can have a title and if it was titled in another state it MAY still show up in a search and therefore will need to be transferred. Which can be a epic pain.

Bottom line is bring all the info you have and go to a DMV and ask if a transfer of boat AND trailer can be completed with the info you have. If not, RUN.

Grouse

DT is correct, it can be powered and unregistered if only used for duck hunting.

Ok, I got this straightened out the other day at the DMV..

a. It does not have to be registered, if used as a duck boat and non-motorized. As soon as you add an outboard, it needs to be registered.

b. DMV gave me forms to register the trailer and boat. As long as you get the serial numbers, and complete seller’s information you should be fine. At least with boats under 16′ long.

nubbinbuck wrote:

Ok, I got this straightened out the other day at the DMV..

a. It does not have to be registered, if used as a duck boat and non-motorized. As soon as you add an outboard, it needs to be registered.

Although the registration is fairly minimal and may not be worth the hassle from the authorities, I still do not see anything in the boating regulations or waterfowl regulations that say anything about motorized or not in relation to this exception.

nubbinbuck wrote:

a. It does not have to be registered, if used as a duck boat and non-motorized. As soon as you add an outboard, it needs to be registered.

That seems weird to me since the hunting regs have no mention of the boat being powered or not. We have been inspected numerous times in unregistered duck boats with outboards and have never had any issue with the DNR. Either way, glad you got it taken care of and all is well. Lets hope you smack some duckies this year!

copy-paste from 2016 waterfowl regs: • A waterfowl boat does not have to be licensed during the waterfowl hunting season for waterfowl hunting only.