pontoon advice

[PawPaDawg]

Hello everyone. I am a newbie to this so please bare with me. Wife and I have decided to get us a pontoon to play on the lake with. Here is where I need the advice. Have opportunity to purchase a1993 20 foot pontoon. Has full deck.trailer all rails helm but no seats ( perfect as I was looking to build a "camper" on the deck) boat was purchased at local auction so current seller has no title. Had Merc 1500 engine says compression test shows all cylinders above 100psi. Also no title. Can get boat, trailer and motor for $2,000.00. Is it a bad investment meaning I won't be able to title boat? I live in Texas. Also the pontoons are 20 footers was wondering if there is a way you could "extend" the pontoons as I would really like a 25 - 30 foot boat as when project is complete will have a pontoon houseboat. Is The Merc 1500 a 150HP? Is it much motor as well as weight? How could I run it on current boat with damaging or sinking it? Thank you. As this shall be a family project and 1st time at it. I am a mechanic/fabricator by trade. ..49 years old.

 

[jetboater]

Not sure the Texas regs on boat titles --maybe call your local registration place and ask them if no title is a problem. (Here in Ohio, we have to have a title for the boat and the motor) A 20 foot pontoon is a decent size but will not handle waves or wakes as well as a longer (24-25 ft) will. Depending on what size lake or river you'll primarily be boating on, you may want to consider a longer one. As far as no furniture, lots of folks use plastic adirondack chairs --- they stack for storage and are a little lower than a "normal" lawn chair which makes them more stable. On your camper question, you would need to be careful on the amount of weight you add on top of the deck--- it could become top heavy very quickly. And a 20 footer wouldn't handle as much weight as a longer one. There is a great thread on here from a month or so ago that had a good discussion on adding a camper enclosure to a pontoon. If you do a search, you should be able to find it. Good luck!

 

[ahicks]

With today's standards, the 150 would be OK. Back in 93 though, I doubt seriously regarding the boat's ability to handle the weight or the power.

No titles, no test drive, too many unanswered questions. I'd keep looking....

 

[redneck joe]

if the auction house can sell without title, I'm assuming Texas is pretty easy on getting a new title. You can extend toons if you are good with metal, but if me I'd get this one, learn boating, put a tent on it for a couple years keeping an eye out for the one you really want.

 

[redneck joe]

if this is accurate, this could be an issue

 

[redneck joe]

[h=1]Can I register/get TX #'s for a boat in Texas without a title?[/h]



A boat was given to me without a title. It was previously titled and had TX numbers back in 2002 in a different county from where I am now. Can I file for a lost title like a car? ...show more







Best Answer
https://answers.yahoo.com/activity?show=2VLAUSCK27RNAVNCFTUZOVZXFM&t=g

• Havoc Squad answered 6 years ago

No, regarding the similiar question you asked, you cannot obtain a boat trailer's title or a boat's registration without going through the DMV to give an abandon property notice to the current owner of the property. This is the law and must be done to legally acquire any abandoned property with a title or registration.

They should be able to guide you through the procedure on how to give the proper notice and time the owner has to claim it. I'm not sure of that is a sale lien or some other legal notice.

Once the proper paperwork has been filed, I believe either the state DMV or state police will try to inform the owner listed on the title for the boat trailer and/or the registration on the boat. Either written or by phone, probably written. Then the person will have probably 30 days to pay you the storage fees and have a bill of sale proving it to claim the boat.

After that period passes and the owner is a no-show, the state's DMV system should automatically release you to be able to claim the boat trailer's title and registration for the boat.

A boat motor does not contain a title, only the boat trailer has a title. If the boat is an outboard, the serial number of the motor is required on the boat registration.

I recommend that you make a trip to your local state DMV office at your earliest convienence and inquire about this.

The info you will need for this trip to the DMV is:

The trailer's VIN (ID number shown on the trailer)

The boat's HIN (Hull ID Number)

If it has an outboard, the serial number on the boat motor.

The license plate state of origin (TX) and license plate number on the boat trailer.

 

[Silver Eagle]

We live in Delaware,here we don't title our boats just the trailer. We get a bill of sale ..We take the bill of sale to a place to register the boat,they give us a plastic card with the information of the boat on it. We have to carry it with us when in the water.Did you ever think about getting a small pop up trailer for it.

 

[PawPaDawg]

Thanks for video redneck. Did some checking.....CAN get title however could take up to 18mos. So I walked away. My pontoon I seek is out there. ....i shall find her