Do boat manufacturers register new boats?

[vetplus40]

I ran across a used (one owner) boat that had both Alabama and Minnesota registration. When I asked the dealer, he said the boat was built in Minnesota and was registered there. That doesn't explain why the previous owners didn't remove the MN. registration when they registered the boat in Alabama, but I wanted to see if anyone had heard of this. Thanks.

 

[5150abf]

Probably just didn't want to deal with pulling the sticker off.

Would be like putting new plates over the old ones on a car.

 

[tpenfield]

Sounds like BS. Boats are shipped from the factory to the dealer with a certificate of origin so that the first owner can register/title it.

What brand/model boat is it . . . we'll see if it passes the lie detector test.

 

[vetplus40]

Gekko wakeboard boat that was produced in Mn. for a short time as a limited partnership with Larson Boats. Gekko has a very unusual production history.

 

[roffey]

Sounds like BS. Boats are shipped from the factory to the dealer with a certificate of origin so that the first owner can register/title it.

What brand/model boat is it . . . we'll see if it passes the lie detector test.

agreed, when I purchased my boat I was the first registered owner....

 

[oldjeep]

If the original owner did not register in mn, it is possible it was a promo or photoshoot boat. The owner of gekko lived on my inlaws lake and always seemed to have a couple demo/promo boats around.

 

[vetplus40]

If the original owner did not register in mn, it is possible it was a promo or photoshoot boat. The owner of gekko lived on my inlaws lake and always seemed to have a couple demo/promo boats around.

Thanks for the info. I had never heard of Gekko before I ran across this boat. Seems as though the owner / originator has come and gone a few times in this boats history.

 

[ahicks]

I hope that serves as a lesson learned regarding info shared by a boat dealer. If the info is of ANY consequence, it is to be verified!

 

[vetplus40]

I hope that serves as a lesson learned regarding info shared by a boat dealer. If the info is of ANY consequence, it is to be verified!

Agreed. This is why forums like this are so valuable.

 

[shrew]

It's not unusual to have a boat registered in multiple states. Each state has requirements for how long a boat can reside in the state before it needs to be registered there. These requirements vary from state to state. If someone were snowbirding and taking the boat back and forth, this is commonly what would need to be done.

Boats under these conditions should get documented with the USCG so they don't need to run any bow numbers, then just post the registration stickers for each state. PO could have left the first states bow numbers and simply posted the reg sticker for the other states, though that is not how it is supposed to be done. The color for the state reg is usually different for documented vessels, but again this varies from state to state.

 

[vetplus40]

Based on input from a previous post, my guess is that it was a demo boat.

 

[wahlejim]

Agree with Vet, demo boat from a dealer in Minnesota, no registered owner until transported accross state lines. Since there was a number on it already (probably from the dealer), it was never taken off.

 

[tpenfield]

Yes, I would say if they had to run it in the lakes, then they would have registered it.