Please Help! Title? Registration? Bill of Sale? - Used Boats Purchased in the U.S.

[rt_hawley]

Re: Please Help! Title? Registration? Bill of Sale? - Used Boats Purchased in the U

Just checked your website Lizard...apparently you're a catfishing enthusiast as well ! I spend the majority of my on-the-water time on the Red River here in Manitoba. Channel cats of 25lbs and up are very common. Absolutely LOVE hearing the drag sing as I buck with a huge cat. Between the weight of the fish, the extremely fast current and the added drag when it opens its mouth, my arms and back are aching after a day on the water. I managed to snap not one, but TWO Ugly Stiks last year pulling these monsters to the boat. I finally wizened up and purchased some heavy duty equipment to make life a little easier. I'm of the firm belief that when all else fails, using a hockey stick and braided cable might be the answer to finally boating some of them!

 

[River_Lizard]

Re: Please Help! Title? Registration? Bill of Sale? - Used Boats Purchased in the U

Would love to hookup on a 25 lb + Channel cat, we don't have them here but we do have 20-100 lb Blue Cats. And the Flatheads are starting to get established on the lower James so about 5 years from now I'll be pulling in 50-60 lb FH's, which is the hardest pulling cat in the US (at least in Tidal waters they are). I use 80 lb braid, wire leaders, 250 lb swivels and 12/0 circle hooks. I've had a few take at least 100 yds of line off my spool on a run.
I did the Bass fishing thing for 5 yrs. it just wasn't fun, cast cast cast cast....all day long. Catfishing, cast....lounge in my chair and wait til I hear the drag scream!! It's perfect!
I want to see some photos in the fishing section this summer from you!! I'll post some of my catches too. Good luck and tight lines!

 

[rt_hawley]

Re: Please Help! Title? Registration? Bill of Sale? - Used Boats Purchased in the U

Well, after many, MANY phone calls and running around, I FINALLY have the information directly from the horse's mouth, as it were. I have spoken with Customs Canada thru their National 1-800 number and each time I called I got a different answer. I finally figured it would be best to call the office at the border crossing where I'd be coming back in to Canada. Surprising information was forthcoming..a LOT easier than I had been led to believe.

All Canada Customs requires when coming back with the boat (so long as I take a trailer purchased in Canada to pick it up), is a bill of sale. No title(s), no copies of paperwork, no nothing. IF I get the titles, they don't even need to be transferred over to my name prior to leaving Texas. I was dumbstruck! The agent did say it would be a good idea to have a copy of the ad and a copy of the bank draft for the price paid, but other than that, nothing else was required. Transport Canada doesn't require a boat to be registered in Canada, so I really don't need the titles either if I don't plan on registering the boat here.

I got the Custom agent's name and badge number so that my ducks will be in a row at the border. Now, having said all this, I wasn't born yesterday, and since I'm a military guy, there's a chance I could be posted to the US at some time in the future. You can imagine the hassle I'd get from the US Customs guys trying to go into the States with a boat showing Texas hull numbers and no title/ownership. To stay on the safe side, I plan on having a detailed bill of sale, the titles for the boat and the motor signed over to me, a copy of the ad, a copy of the bank draft showing how much I paid, all pertinent owner information - name, address, phone number, etc, and the name and badge number of the Customs agent I spoke with.

Once I'm back home, I'll have the boat transferred over to my name with Manitoba hull numbers put on the boat, just to stay "legal" and make things that much easier in the event that I'm ever posted to the US.

I want to thank everyone that offered advice to me on this forum. Sometimes it got a bit overwhelming with so much information and some of it out-dated, but overall, it was all helpful and gave me lots to think about! I am now just waiting for the report back from the marine surveyor to tell me the boat is in good condition and we should be good to go. Thanks again folks!!

 

[BonairII]

Re: Please Help! Title? Registration? Bill of Sale? - Used Boats Purchased in the U

You must be getting one heck of deal on that boat, to travel 3000 miles to get it home.

 

[rt_hawley]

Re: Please Help! Title? Registration? Bill of Sale? - Used Boats Purchased in the U

You must be getting one heck of deal on that boat, to travel 3000 miles to get it home.

I am indeed Bonair! I'm saving around $10K Cdn by purchasing the boat in the US as opposed to buying a comparable one here at home. If you check the link (other forum thread) listed below, you'll see a few pics of the boat in question.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=534568

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: Please Help! Title? Registration? Bill of Sale? - Used Boats Purchased in the U

What part of FtWorth is it in? I live about 30 minutes from there and might be able to look at it if you need me too.

 

[rt_hawley]

Re: Please Help! Title? Registration? Bill of Sale? - Used Boats Purchased in the U

What part of FtWorth is it in? I live about 30 minutes from there and might be able to look at it if you need me too.

Friscoboater,

Private message coming your way.

Rob

 

[River_Lizard]

Re: Please Help! Title? Registration? Bill of Sale? - Used Boats Purchased in the U

The toon has either got to be at Lake Worth or Eagle Mountain. I've fished Eagle but never put my boat in Lake Worth, too many great lakes in Texas to mess with that small lake.
Rob,

That's just too much "White" in that pontoon of yours to be fishin' out of. It would definitely not work for Blue cats. Got a friend that has a Sweetwater fishing pontoon that I could never understand why he wanted to catfish out of that thing, it was too nice of a pontoon to get all that slime on it but yet he does it anyway (I don't think his wife likes it too much).
Congrats on the purchase, I hope your wife enjoys being out there with you in the pontoon. It's a really stable platform so she should be comfortable being on it.

 

[rt_hawley]

Re: Please Help! Title? Registration? Bill of Sale? - Used Boats Purchased in the U

The toon has either got to be at Lake Worth or Eagle Mountain. I've fished Eagle but never put my boat in Lake Worth, too many great lakes in Texas to mess with that small lake.
Rob,

That's just too much "White" in that pontoon of yours to be fishin' out of. It would definitely not work for Blue cats. Got a friend that has a Sweetwater fishing pontoon that I could never understand why he wanted to catfish out of that thing, it was too nice of a pontoon to get all that slime on it but yet he does it anyway (I don't think his wife likes it too much).
Congrats on the purchase, I hope your wife enjoys being out there with you in the pontoon. It's a really stable platform so she should be comfortable being on it.

Thanks Lizard! We're very much going to enjoy it! I've got a couple of ideas for replacing or covering the carpet in the boat for when I'm catfishing from it. May upgrade to vinyl flooring, or remove the carpet and have a spray on bedliner material put down on the deck, or use the interlocking rubber floor mats. Whatever I decide to do, I agree...it's a real pretty boat and will take a fair amount of elbow grease to keep the slime n' fish guts off of it...*grin*. Hell...there's a good job for the wife!! ..hehehe..sure hope she doesn't read this post or I'm in SERIOUS trouble!!