Selling an unregistered boat?

jdra20

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I bought a boat out of state, brought it into Florida, but it was not running, so I didn't not register it as the FL DMV states "all vessels used on public waterways ... must be titled and registered." I ran out of money and time to fix it up, so my question is, can I sell a boat if it is not registered? Since I bought it out of state, I did not pay sales tax at the time of purchase, but intended to at the time of registration (which never happened because the motor never ran and the boat never touched water). I have all the forms needed (Title, bill of sale, etc.) but no registration.
 

bonz_d

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I think the answer would be to contact your DMV for instructions. You may have to title it and then transfer it again.
 

jbcurt00

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I guess if you can find someone willing to buy it, you could be able to sell it.

Lots (most? all?) of buyers want proof you have legal right to sell them the boat, and if they buy it that they will legally own it. W/out title/registration it's tough to prove you own it.

Not sure about Florida, but some states won't let you transfer ownership and register the boat w/out a title. Texas and Ohio come to mind. Ohio even requires outboards to be titled.
 

smokeonthewater

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Sure you can sell it... You will be selling it as junk for a fraction of what it would be worth without a clear title IN YOUR NAME.

No you don't need to register it unless you plan to use it but you DO have to pay all taxes and title it if you want to sell it for anything other than parts.
 

MTboatguy

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In every state I have lived in over the last 40 years, if you have a signed and notarized title in your hands you own the item and can dispose of as you see fit, including sell it, as far as I know, if the title is legal, signed off and notarized, you own it. The title, as long as it meets the specific states laws, is a legal ownership document and once it is signed and notarized it becomes a bearer document.
 

roscoe

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Just go title it in your name and the buyer will be put at ease, and you will avoid future hassles.

In states that issue titles, the title indicates ownership.

Registration is merely your permit to use it on the water.
 

MTboatguy

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Just go title it in your name and the buyer will be put at ease, and you will avoid future hassles.

In states that issue titles, the title indicates ownership.

Registration is merely your permit to use it on the water.

When you register it, then you have shown you paid the taxes to use in the state of registration, if it has not been used, then no taxes are due. To sell all you need is the correct documentation to show you own it, either by title in your name or a title that has been signed off by the previous owner in hand, once it is signed, it has become a bearer document and whom ever possesses the document owns the item described on the title. Registration and Title are two separate situations, when you buy a car the owner of the contract is shown on the title as the lien holder, in other words they have an ownership interest in joint with you, but they are not shown on the registration, the registration shows you are an owner and you as the owner have paid the use taxes on the vehicle. When you paid the vehicle off, then the joint owner, issues a lien release and you own the vehicle. When an owner signs a title they have released all interest in the vehicle and anyone holding that title is the owner of the the vehicle and has right to dispose of as he/she sees fit.

When the registration has been paid, then you are able to use in the state the item is registered in, what is really complicated, is when another state decides they won't honor the registration, we had this happen a few years ago, between the state of Montana and Idaho, the state of Idaho, would not honor our Montana registrations for a period of 9 days, due to a dispute between our Governors, we called it a little boys pissing match! but people were getting stopped in both states and given $1.00 tickets because the vehicles were not registered in the state they were operating in!
 
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jbcurt00

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Hmm, somehow I got the impression there was no title OR registration.... perhaps a too many of these questions are about not having either. If you have title, then yep, you own it.

If you dont have title, the earlier responses anout difficult to sell apply..
 

MTboatguy

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Jbcurt00

He stated this in his message

"I have all the forms needed (Title, bill of sale, etc.) but no registration."

If that is not true, then all bets are off.
 

jdra20

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I really appreciate all the help guys! I should've been more specific - I do have the title in my name and in hand - just wasn't sure if i'd get in any mess because of not paying the sales tax. So basically, from what I'm understanding, as long as I have the title in my name I should be good to go and sell the boat. Thanks everyone.
 

MTboatguy

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If you have a title in hand, in your name, then you have no problems at all, you will need to sign and have it notarized to release the interest to the new buyer, check with the agency in your state that deals with boat ownership transfers.
 

UncleWillie

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... I do have the title in my name and in hand - just wasn't sure if i'd get in any mess because of not paying the sales tax. ...


If you have the Title in your name, you PAID the Sales Tax.
What you haven't paid is the Registration fees.

The registration is the auto equivalent of a License plate with a current registration sticker.
The Hull Numbers are the equivalent of the License plate. You just don't have a current REGISTRATION Sticker.
This is not of any consequence if you do/did not use it on public waters.
Just like a car, you can park the boat boat in your back yard until the end of time without a registration as long as you do not actually use it.
 
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MTboatguy

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UW is correct, if you have a title, you paid the sales tax. Registration and Titling are two separate situations, at least in all of the many states I have lived in. Lucky here where I live now, the boat hull numbers are a 1 time thing and you are issued a permanent registration, they assign your numbers and give you a sticker to affix to the hull that says permanent on it, then every 3 years we have to get a use sticker, which here is free as well and is issued by our Game Dept. Fortunately we don't have a sales tax in our state, but we pay a 1 time excise tax when you get your registration.
 
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