Salvage boat title and registration

[gextyr1]

This may not be the best place to ask this question, but I figure someone here might have had the same types of issues. <br /><br />I'm trying to figure out how to handle the title/registration for this boat, and I just wanted to know if anyone has had a similar experience. Here it goes... This boat doesn't have a title, and obviously hasn't been registered in years. I bought it through a charity group in Georgia, and they gave me a bill of sales (all that is required for a transfer of ownership in that state.) I have spoken with the previous owner, who lives in PA, and they (obviously) never had it registered. I also spoke with the man whom the previous owner bought it from, and he said it was given to him as "junk". Basically he was disposing of it (good thing I found it!) Anyway, to make a long story short, the WV Dept. of Motor Vehicles makes you jump through all kinds of hoops to get _anything_ done. When I spoke with someone at the DMV, they said if it has EVER been titled, it should still have a title somewhere, and I have to acquire it in order to register the boat. Of course, to get the boat registered, it has to have a title. This is a problem, of course, since the boat was "thrown away". I was (and still am) hoping they'll let me get a new salvage title or something. The other option is if I can title it as a "new construction" or something like that.<br /><br />I'm sure this situation isn't all that uncommon in the boat restoration world. <br /><br />Has anyone else encountered this? How did you resolve it?<br /><br />Note 1: This also applies to the trailer.<br /><br />Note 2: this relates to my previous topic: http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=26&t=003682

 

[dakk1]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

Just curious. How does someone obtain a registration when they move to WV from a state such as AL that doesn't require a boat to be titled?<br /><br />Dave..

 

[imported_Curmudgeon]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

How does someone obtain a registration when they move to WV from a state such as AL that doesn't require a boat to be titled?<br /><br />A title isn't required in AL but I'll bet it is available on request, same with a trailer title. They won't understand why you want it, but they should give it to ya.

 

[waterone1@aol.com]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

Unless I am mistaken, this should qualify as interstate commerce. Get off of the phone and go to your local title/registrers office. The boat was not titled in your state, so all you should need would be the bill of sale. You are titling it for the first time in your state. As an added bonus, the state it came from does not issue titles...this should be easy.

 

[Regal-89]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

You can also go to most local insurance agency's to get a "bonded" title. In GA those cost about $100.00, this is done when lost titles have happened.

 

[jmccall001]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

check with the local street rod club. i understand there is a way to get a legal title to almost anything in GA and your state will have to accept it.

 

[gextyr1]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

waterone1 - if it were only that easy. believe me, I tried to convince the DMV that this is the case, but they firmly disagreed. \<br /><br />John @ Drum Point - still looking into that. According to GA's motor vehicle registration webpage, they won't title vehicles before 1961... We still aren't sure yet, but I think this boat is a 1960 model.<br /><br />I also just found this topic: http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=26;t=000603#000000 <br /><br />Lots of good ideas here. I'll try some of these, see what I can do.

 

[pine island fred]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

What type of boat is it? Have a few old titles laying around, maby one of them will work. regards fred. p.s. , you anywhere around BLUEFIELD?

 

[gextyr1]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

I'm not sure yet. Plans to pick the boat up have been pushed back since my company keeps sending me out of town. I _think_ it is an early 1960s MFG. (Possibly a 1960 Oxford)<br /><br />Nowhere near Bluefield unfortunately (in Morgantown.)

 

[pine island fred]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

I am sure that it would be a simple process if you hit the right person at DMV. Unfortunatly most of the people behind the desk dont know or care,the one who knew threw in the towel and quit or retired. Know for a fact that into the middle 70s in N.J. there was no title when you sold a boat (34 ft. TROJAN ) Sometime in the 70s the mfgs. started putting numbers somewhere on the boats. Believe GA. was a non title state for autos for quite awhile. <br /> At any rate, give me an e-mail at stinkin_badges@yahoo.com when you have a discription on the boat and i will come up with something for you. To bad that people you deal with dont know or care that once upon a time titles were not required, phones had dials, TVs had antennas and we steared by compasses and a watch. By the way, wife comes from the coal fields around BLUEFIELD, get up there at times. Would like a ride sometime on CHEAT lake, SIL has a place on CLATOR lake out side of ROANOAK. WOW , fresh water, wish i could treat my motors to them occasionally. regards FRED

 

[bayman]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

Do you know the year of the boat? I know in some states you don't have to have a title if it is old. Also, I think some states don't require a title if the value of the boat is really low. Other states too don't require a title if you don't have an engine on it....I'm guessing it does have an engine though.

 

[p12]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

Thanks the info, I am in a similar situation. <br /><br />I recently got an old 12' jon boat from Indiana. For the past few years it was used on a pond and never registered. I don't know if it was ever titled. It does not have a HIN. Guess I should call my county clerk. Hope I don't run into too much trouble.<br /><br />Mike

 

[gextyr1]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

pine island fred - Morgantown is about 4.5 hours from Bluefield. I go through bluefield often in my travels, but I've never stayed long. You're more than welcome to visit us up on cheat lake sometime. Assuming I can get this title nonsense taken care of and my boat put back together, I'll take you out myself.<br /><br />bayman - wish it were that easy here. If there is no hull ID on the boat, i'm just gonna get a new title for it. I can't imagine there is a way for the DMV to track old titles since it is such an old boat. for all I know, it was never titled anyway.<br /><br />p12 - my dad has a jon boat w/o a HIN, and he just has it registered, no title, since it's only 12 feet, and has a 3hp engine. unfortunately, my boat is bigger, and has a bigger engine.

 

[pine island fred]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

Oldest son wasted a lot of our money at WVU. Did not realize it was that far from you to BLF. Must have been the enjoyable ride between, spotting all those boating opertunities on the NEW RIVER. regards fred

 

[gextyr1]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

yep, wvu has loads of my money too. if you are in for whitewater, the new river and the cheat river are excellent. not really a lot of places in wv for boating, except manmade lakes and a few of the rivers tho.

 

[BillP]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

Laws are different from state to state but I've titled several like yours in Florida. One time I actually had to tell the DMV clerk the "process" because she didn't know about it.<br /><br />Basically a bill of sale is needed for boats that have never been titled. If you don't have a bill of sale (one of my boats was like this) a special form is filled out and you "swear" the boat is legal...same as titling a homebuilt. If the boat has VIN numbers they check the database first for any background. If nothing comes up (and in Florida the database on old boats not registered in many yrs usually don't show) they issue a title. Again, you fill the form out saying you "swear" the boat is legal.<br /><br />My thoughts on your boat...it is pre-VIN and from a no title state. You have a bill of sale proving legal ownership. Don't go in telling them all about other possibilites of it being titled or about old owners. You bought the boat from a legal charity organization and anything else is speculation that works against you.

 

[jmlloar]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

Just went through this one--- You need 3 things- mine came from AL and I live in WV<br /><br />you need #1 either the registration card or a letter from last state it was registered in (for name of last owner) Has to be on official state letterhead, #2 A notorized bill of sale with the last registered owners signature, and #3 a law enforcement officer to sign a paper( you get that from WV DMV) stateing that the HIN on the boat matches the one on the paperwork that he just signed.<br /><br />There is a section on that paper that has to do with getting a new number and plate if it doesnt have one, But this didnt apply to me so I'm not sure how you do that one.<br /><br />All I did was go to the WV DMV web site and cliked on the contact link. <br /><br />Theres always an answer You just got to ask the right person--- I skipped the middle and went straight to the capitol<br /><br />this is the lady that told me how.<br /><br />Penny Walton<br />E-mail Address:<br /> pwalton@dot.state.wv.us

 

[jmlloar]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

 

[jmlloar]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

gextyr1 <br /><br />This is my first boat, was planing on cheat lake, I'm on wv side but at cumberland <br />got an email maybe you could give me some tips on the area

 

[gextyr1]

Re: Salvage boat title and registration

John Loar - Thanks for the info. I have tracked back through the last 3 owners of the boat, and none of them had it registered, so that might be a problem. It was registered in PA at one point, so I might be able to get that info from their DMV. <br /><br />Also, if you wanna contact me, my email address is gmorris@literati.com. Make sure you put something about boating in your subject, because most of the mail I get in that account is spam, so it goes straight to the trash if nothing catches my eye.