Honest informational sites for boats...

[Luposian]

I'm trying to track down the prevous owner of a 1981 Citation Marquis boat I just bought on Craigslist, so I can legally own this boat and get it registered, etc.. I'm pretty resigned to having to go through AZ Game & Fish ($100 fee) to do so, but decided to give Boat Info World a shot ($19.95 via PayPal; at least they can't charge me again on an auto-renew). Big flub that was... I typed in my HIN and they came up with NOTHING! Nada! Zilch! Not even information I've gotten from FREE HIN search sites!

Which got me to wondering... what sites are scams/useless and which ones are actually useful helpful? Anyone here have any input? Is there ANY way I can save myself $100 to try and track this guy down (claimed to be dead by the seller) or is AZ Game & Fish the ONLY route possible?

Anyone here gotten scammed by one of these "helpful, for a price" sites? If we can work together to connect the dots to all the bad sites, we can help each other find the good ones.

If you're looking for free useful HIN search info, go to: https://www.hindecoder.com

It at least gave me some useful information about the boat I bought. Wish I could find a site that could tell me something about the owner, via the trailer license plate... but the couple sites I visited came up empty. No data whatsoever. :-(

 

[Scott Danforth]

basically..... No. unless you go thru the guy you bought it thru, get a name of the prior owners and track that down via some of the sites such as spokeo (which now charge you money anyway), your going to be spending the $100

 

[Silvertip]

Yet another lesson on don't buy a boat, trailer, car, truck, airplane or other licensed/titled product unless the appropriate paperwork is provided. Not doing so as you are learning can be a real pain. And when it comes time to sell a similar item, insist on the new owner coming with you to accomplish the transfer immediately or else make sure you have a bill of sale signed by the new owner acknowledging that he/she received all appropriate paperwork.

 

[Luposian]

I contacted Boat Info World about my problem and they explained that they only show info on US Coast Guard registered vessels. They offered to refund me my money and it just cleared. So, while they were not helpful in my quest, they are honorable in that they refunded my mistaken “investment”. I suggested they make that aspect a little clearer on the site, as I would not have paid to subscribe, if I knew it was a pointless venture. So, my experience can spare someone else the same mistake. :-D

 

[JimS123]

I tried to do a similar thing before. Just wanted to look up my old boats from 50 years ago just to see if they were still around. In NY the info is confidential and there is no way to access it.

 

[Luposian]

Would it be legal to actually create a registry of boat information that boat owners voluntarily sign up for and submit, so that such information is available to other boat owners/buyers, in case the proper paper trail is skipped or lost or forgotten? Or is it simply illegal (privacy laws trump all), regardless?

Once my boat is registered in my name, I wouldn't mind doing something like that. Not that I plan to ever sell my boat, in my lifetime, but if my son sold the boat and couldn't find the necessary information for the next buyer, I'd want them to be able to get the necessary information to be able to register the boat as theirs, without a bunch of red tape and months of waiting... like I'm having to do. I understand the whole privacy concern, but if it's not a matter of privacy invasion, but needed information, I wouldn't want someone having to go through what I'm having to now, if at all possible.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the norm is not to loose the paper trail.

the exception is what you have, and normally the boat is abandoned or stolen, with very few of the owner died and no-one is in charge of the estate.

the amount of effort, cost, and liability to maintain such a database would mean that you would have to charge large amounts of cash to make it viable. with all that information located in one location, you have to keep that information safe and accurate. you cannot do that for free. no one would ever pay for it because most people keep the paper trail, and it has no benefit

which is why most boats without paperwork are simply used as yard planters. the hassle is not worth the effort. they make up less than 1/1000 of one% of all boating transactions. so for those so few transactions you want to create a database?

much simpler, cheaper and easier to get a boat with a paper trail.

 

[Luposian]

Well, if all goes well, it's only going to cost me $100 to get the boat cleared for registering in my name, weeks/months from now. So, total investment at that point will have been $375. Still need to get the trailer cleared as well, but I'll worry about that after.

 

[Helpmetomcruise]

Well, if all goes well, it's only going to cost me $100 to get the boat cleared for registering in my name, weeks/months from now. So, total investment at that point will have been $375. Still need to get the trailer cleared as well, but I'll worry about that after.

If you have access to a good welder or a friend with one who's good with it replace the tongue and the axle on the trailer and then retitle it as a home build all you have to do is have it inspected by the state patrol in your local area and then you can apply for a license at dmv

 

[skuhleman]

In

If you have access to a good welder or a friend with one who's good with it replace the tongue and the axle on the trailer and then retitle it as a home build all you have to do is have it inspected by the state patrol in your local area and then you can apply for a license at dmv

In Texas you don't even have to do that, just go tell them it's homemade and viola your done. They don't look at it or anything.

Texas parks and wildlife has a website, you can type in the boat registration numbers and it will tell you who it was last registered to and their address. That will be the last title holder as you can't register a boat here without a title

 

[jbcurt00]

Old topic fellas

And not all states are the same, so what works in Texas may not work in AZ.

AZ may or may not permit registration as a homemade trailer, particularly w few to no modifications.

Closed