NEED ADVICE/HELP WITH BOAT/TRAILER TITLE & REGISTRATION !!

HELP, I need some legal advice. I bought a boat last early Sept. from a Marina in NW Iowa. I traded in my 20 ft Sea Ray for a 17 ft Sylvan with a Suzuki 90 HP 4 stroke (absolutely love the new boat) and the marina is repeatable or so I thought. They took the boat in on consignment and had the boat title but not the trailer title/registration. Paid for it with a check and took the boat and they said they would mail me the titles when the got them from the owner in MN. Its been over 4 months now and I’ve called them at least a dozen times requesting the titles.

HELP, what am to do/ what is my legal recourse, I have the boat/trailer in my possession, they have the boat title but not the trailer title and won’t return my calls. Any Advice Please ??

Wahly

wahly wrote:

HELP, I need some legal advice.

HELP, what am to do/ what is my legal recourse, Any Advice Please ??

Wahly

(1) When purchasing something that has a deed, title, certificate, etc. You NEED that little piece of paper. That little piece of paper is proof of ownership.
(2) When asking legal advice, you NEED to see a lawyer. Free legal advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

(the above is NOT my legal advice, it is just my opinion)

Have you tried contacting to previous owner?

With the numbers on the license sticker on the tongue it should be easy to track down by checking with the MN DMV.

(the above is NOT my legal advice, it is just my opinion);)

i dont know about the boat. but for the trailer in MN you can tell them it is home made and get a new title for it. You might be able to try that in Iowa.

Sorry guys that I used the word legal, I’m seeking advice or ideas how to resolve this matter. Dave I know I need that little piece of paper and trusted the marina would get it to me. Brian/Rob thanks both good ideas that I will try. I’m willing to seek a lawyers help if need be.

Wahly

Wahly,

I wasn’t trying to be a smarty pants about it but just wanted to re-enforce (mostly for others out there) just how important that piece of paper really is. It is almost like you are NOT buying a boat, you are buying said title to the boat,, Title first and foremost, then boat possession.

I hope it works out for you.

Contact the attorney generals office. They will contact the marina which will get their attention. Next contact a lawyer have them track down the previous owner and get their perspective.

What often happens with consignments is the consigning dealer spends your money (or in the case of a trade in) doesn’t have enough cash to pay the guy who consigned the boat. The consignor naturally isn’t signing off on a title transfer until he is paid. So you have a standoff here which is where you need the attorney general to apply the pressure.

Sorry for your situation but you will need to spend some money to get a clean title.

When you transferred the boat title to your name, I assume you had the address of the previous owner, correct? I would try first to contact them directly to resolve the matter.

Finally, I would say send a registered letter to the marina giving them a deadline. I either get all registration paperwork that enables me to transfer ownership of the trailer by January 31 or I initiate legal action. This is your final notice.

You have several issues here. You need to find know about two things:

1. Titled. Some trailers in MN have a title, some do not. You need to find out if it has one or not. If it does, you need to get it.

2. Registration. This is the “license” on the trailer.

Rob92761 wrote:

i dont know about the boat. but for the trailer in MN you can tell them it is home made and get a new title for it. You might be able to try that in Iowa.

Extremely risky. First, some DMVs in MN have cracked down on this little gambit by asking for reciepts for the parts for the trailer. Secondly, when you go to sell, the new buyer may not like the fact that your Shorelander trailer is titled as “homemade”. This can set of danger signs and you could be setting up issues down the road.

Grouse

Call the Iowa Dealers Unit and communicate your concern.
That will get their attention.

Thanks guys for some good info that I will follow. I like Dutchboys and the FamousGrouses approach before I seek an attorney. Unfortunately since I bought the boat at a marina they did not supply the previous owners name and there are no tags or #s on the trailer or boat to identify. I have no one to blame but myself and even though I have dealt with this marina before for repairs I now have lost faith in them.

Wahly