According to their website (which I linked earlier):
All motorboats 16 feet and over in length, registered in Wisconsin after 1988 will have a Certificate of Title.
Moot point since it's only 15'.
Correct, ALMOST.
The word
"registered", should be replaced with
"originally registered or ownership transferred".
Having bought a dozen or so boats in the last 15 years, and registering all of them here in WI, I can tell you it is really an easy
process, as the DNR is the agency that made the rules, and realizes that many older boats never were titled.
I love the way our DNR uses common sense in these issues.
Example 1: bought a 1972 Starcraft that the seller bought from his father 1980.
The boat was never titled by his father, as WI did not issue titles back then.
The son used it for 25 years, always registered but never titled.
He sold it to me with just the signed registration card and a bill of sale.
In 2005, I walked in the DNR service station and handed them the papers.
They handed back new registration card and a title with my name on them. Took 15 minutes.
Example 2 : bought a 1995 model boat from a small dealer. Somehow either the original owner or the dealer, misplaced the title.
I knew I needed a title to transfer ownership to my name.
The dealer made a few calls, and was able to apply for a lost title, which he signed over to me.
Again, titling and registration in my name, took only a few minutes.
Examples 3 and 4 : I bought 2 boats from out of state.
One a 1981 model, and one a 199x model. Neither had titles, and to tell you the truth, one of them had been passed around like
a drunken who - I mean like a pint of Keslers at a Packer game. Hadn't been registered in years either.
In both cases, I walked in with what I had for paperwork, and walked out with titles.
I also registered and titled several boats that were under 16', with just a signed registration card in hand.
