VT don't title or register boats?

[reelfishin]

I recently looked at a hull that I'd like to restore, its sitting in a garage in NJ.
It came from Vermont over 30 years ago and I was told that it was never registered there. The guy that has it inherited it from someone that had it passed down to them, he brought it here 5 years ago and has stored it since. He wants it gone but will do no legwork to help get a title. Its a near mint hull that I'd love to restore, but all he is willing to do to help is to push it out the door.
NJ is no help, they won't do a thing without a signed, notarized bill of sale from the last owner, who died 30 years ago. I was told that VT didn't used to require any registration or title to run a boat? Maybe it was on a private lake, I can't say for sure. I don't get the idea that anything is fishy, its actually in a pretty high end neighborhood, lots of money there, big house, fancy garage and several high end luxury cars in the garage and drive.

Has anyone here any Vermont boat registration experience? Has anyone dealt with a boat like this with no history? I had a buddy in law enforcement run the hull ID numbers and nothing comes back, no history, not stolen or anything.

NJ has just gone through a lot of changes at the DMV, they downsized and it's really overloaded the people there making them very unwilling to help. I was told to go to VT and get a notarized bill of sale from the last owner or they can't issue a title. That's no possible, I have no idea who the last owner was and doubt there's any history on this. It's an early 70's model Starcraft Super Sport hull. I could probably just find another boat and use that title but there's got to be another way?

I've seen the buy a title sites but they want $350 for a title, and I have no idea what they actually provide for that price? Is there a state that issues titles without all the hassle that I could then transfer to NJ?

 

[Floatsum]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

Could you call it "home made"?

 

[reelfishin]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

Could you call it "home made"?

That would mean taking it for a state police inspection, and it would have to meet all current standards, being that it's a late 60's/early 70's boat, that might create problems. Besides, it would hinder its value as well.
Also, being a Starcraft aluminum hull, it would be hard to hide that fact.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

I recently looked at a hull that I'd like to restore, its sitting in a garage in NJ.
It came from Vermont over 30 years ago and I was told that it was never registered there. The guy that has it inherited it from someone that had it passed down to them, he brought it here 5 years ago and has stored it since. He wants it gone but will do no legwork to help get a title. Its a near mint hull that I'd love to restore, but all he is willing to do to help is to push it out the door.
NJ is no help, they won't do a thing without a signed, notarized bill of sale from the last owner, who died 30 years ago. I was told that VT didn't used to require any registration or title to run a boat? Maybe it was on a private lake, I can't say for sure. I don't get the idea that anything is fishy, its actually in a pretty high end neighborhood, lots of money there, big house, fancy garage and several high end luxury cars in the garage and drive.

Has anyone here any Vermont boat registration experience? Has anyone dealt with a boat like this with no history? I had a buddy in law enforcement run the hull ID numbers and nothing comes back, no history, not stolen or anything.

NJ has just gone through a lot of changes at the DMV, they downsized and it's really overloaded the people there making them very unwilling to help. I was told to go to VT and get a notarized bill of sale from the last owner or they can't issue a title. That's no possible, I have no idea who the last owner was and doubt there's any history on this. It's an early 70's model Starcraft Super Sport hull. I could probably just find another boat and use that title but there's got to be another way?

I've seen the buy a title sites but they want $350 for a title, and I have no idea what they actually provide for that price? Is there a state that issues titles without all the hassle that I could then transfer to NJ?

We do register and require registration but way back then there were no titles required.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

My brother gave a me a jon boat thats at least forty years old, i hauled it up from texas.

I had no paper work none. I went to the Freehold dmv where my very, very, good friend works.

He gave me a paper and i took that paper to the state police, barracks marine division in sea bright.

They looked it over no numbers on the boat none.

They gave me a paper and i went back to dmv and recieved a number and a title and a reg.

You want to drive down here ill take you to my buddy and see what he says.

If there is a way he will find it. But you will need a bill of sale something, he will tell us.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

My brother gave a me a jon boat thats at least forty years old, i hauled it up from texas.

I had no paper work none. I went to the Freehold dmv where my very, very, good friend works.

He gave me a paper and i took that paper to the state police, barracks marine division in sea bright.

They looked it over no numbers on the boat none.

They gave me a paper and i went back to dmv and recieved a number and a title and a reg.

You want to drive down here ill take you to my buddy and see what he says.

If there is a way he will find it. But you will need a bill of sale something, he will tell us.

I went through that here a few years ago with a found boat, no title or numbers. I took it to Bivalve Marine Police, the inspected it and gave me a paper to take to the DMV where they issued me a new HIN and title.

I did that on another one, the Marine police issued the same paper clearing the boat, but DMV refused to issue the title or number saying that they need a signed, notarized bill of sale from the last owner, who as the police report read, could not be determined or found. I finally sold the boat as it was.
The problem isn't with the police, they are more than helpful its the DMV that will not cooperate.

I drove up today and got the owner to at least sign an MV016 Bill of Sale form, but I'll have to get someone to notarize it. There was no way he'd do it, he has no interest in doing anything to assist in getting the title. I think he feels that if I get a title, he got ripped off somehow by giving it away.
He may have not bothered with it since there was no title and not wanted to or knew how to go about it.

There needs to be a better method to retitle abandoned boats, if its not stolen and hasn't been on the books in 10 or more years, it shouldn't be such a hassle.

I am on the other end of the state, down in south Jersey towing the boat as it sits that far would be a hassle on its current trailer. I'd have to get it on a better trailer first. I may try the marine police and DMV again, there's got to be a way to get the two to work together. I have the form from the DMV, but it requires a notarized bill of sale. I may try to find a notary to stamp the signed bill of sale, or I may have to pay one to go with me to the guys house.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

We do register and require registration but way back then there were no titles required.

I was told by the former owner that VT required nothing, the boat has no sign of any old numbers and in the piles of parts and manuals are several pics of the boat in the water, which I'd guess to be late 70's, in which the boat has no registration numbers on the bow. One shows it sitting on a lift in a boat house.
Maybe it was on a private lake?
When did they start requiring titles?
I went to the VT motor vehicles site, they mention only registration but nothing about titles for boats. This boat may have been in storage here for years, there's no telling when it last saw or was used in VT.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

.....There needs to be a better method to retitle abandoned boats, if its not stolen and hasn't been on the books in 10 or more years, it shouldn't be such a hassle.............I may have to pay one to go with me to the guys house.

Vermont titles new vehicles including boats...

However, even if you drove here, bought a 30 year old boat, and brought it back to NJ, you still won't get a title- Vermont doesn't title old boats.

NJ has a way around this for sure- the paper work that you mentioned sounds similar to what you would get here in Vermont. I bought a car in South Carolina a few years ago- sight unseen. Flew down one way to pick it up and drove it back. Before I left I went to VT DMV and explained, and asked very carefully and politely what paperwork I needed, and they gave it to me. Later, I called in to the info line at the DMV, and re-explained what I was doing, asking how to get that done. I got mostly the same answers but with a couple of twists. I got that paperwork too, mailed it all down, got it back and registered and applied for a title and got plates before I left.

No problems.

The point here is that you can probably get this done in NJ too but you have to jump through all the hoops, especially on a legacy item like the unregistered, untitled boat. If all you need to do is pay a notary, I would do that asap. Whether that state hoop-jumping makes sense or not is unfortunately irrelevant

 

[reelfishin]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

Part of the problem is that I am dealing with a former owner that really don't care and can't see why I'd want to save the boat since it's so old.
I'm sure he's already regretting that he ever saw me.
I now have the boat in my possession, so the chances of him scrapping it or cutting it up for spite are no more. He won't do anything to help, so unless I find a notary to either stamp the bill of sale after the fact on my word or one that will travel to where he's at, the signed, notarized bill of sale won't happen.
There's no way the last owner will go out of his way to get it notarized properly.
He's not cooperative at all that way. It was pretty much a case of "Here's the boat, what more do you want" when I had him sign the receipt.

The boat has no HIN history, anywhere, a friend did a police search turns up no history, so it's not stolen or anything like that. I don't suppose the last owner even knew where the HIN was located on the boat. The problem is that rules have changed drastically since 9/11, it didn't used to be that bad to get a title but lately they've made it difficult. Its not like it's a mint clean boat, it's just a bare hull. It would be easier if it had no numbers but I'd rather have it titled as it should be not as with assigned numbers. My goal would be to restore this to new condition.

 

[JohnnyRuuDe]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

I live in VT...heres the deal. Boats made prior to 1972 have no H.I.N. Boats made prior to 1974 don't neccesarily require a title( see info below to determine if you are required to title your particular vessel). 1)The DMV instructed me to fabricate a note stating that the vessel was a gift from whomever. 2)If you are required to title the boat...do so-($15). 3) Fill out a "new HIN" form and the DMV will assign your vessel a brand new HIN-($?). 3)Next, register the boat-($45) 4) Now that you're street legal in VT...proceed directly to New Jersey. Hope this helps...Good Luck! -Lewis

Motorboat Titles In Vermont

Effective July 1, 2007 Vermont titles vessels that are 15 years old or newer, based on calendar year, with a length of 16 feet or longer (including shuttlecraft).

Example:
From January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008 Vermont will title all vessels (16 feet or longer) with a model year of 1994 or newer.


Exceptions:

Any vessel which is a canoe, kayak, or similar watercraft designed to be manually propelled or such a vessel equipped with a motor of 10 horsepower or less.

Any vessel owned by the United States Government, unless it is registered in this state.

Any vessel owned by a manufacturer or dealer and held for sale.

Any vessel owned by a non-resident of this state and not required by law to be registered in this state.

Any vessel regularly engaged in the interstate transportation of persons or property for which a currently effective certificate of title has been issued in another state.

NOTE: A registration may be required even if a vessel is exempt from titling. For further information call 802-828-2000.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

That all is if I intend to go back to VT, but I'm not traveling all the way to VT with a boat in tow to get a title there, and from what it looks like, even that will be a hassle?
I have no other proof of ownership than the signed bill of sale from the guy that had it. I can say right now, he will not do any more than he's done already to assist me from here on out. He complained when I filled in the bill of sale for him to sign. To him its just junk.
If I go to VT, I have no more proof of ownership than I do here, and ten times the gas and travel time invested. It would be cheaper to just pay one of those online title services to get me a title.
I'm not even sure if they are really legal?
I do notice that all seam to be in Main or Alabama for some reason and all have the same exemptions for certain states. Including NJ, which all list as being more money for some reason but don't say how much.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

Reelfishin you have a PM. I think I can help out

You know there are many houses for sale up here and I can see an end to these problems..... Move to VT

 

[JohnnyRuuDe]

Re: VT don't title or register boats?

I agree!