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Boat registration question

4K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  gentleben 
#1 ·
I found a boat I want to purchase but seller doesn't have the registration card ..can I use the hull# to get it registered?
 
#2 ·
no, because the registration card must be signed on the back by the seller. If that number is registered to the seller, he can apply for a duplicate. if he never transferred it then you'd have to track down who ever it was last registered to. Could get real messy. The registration card MUST be onboard when the boat is being used
 
#3 ·
Registration cannot be used at all. You have to have the title for the boat and if it has a trailer you need that one also. It can be a long and painful process it took me 6 months to finally get both of mine registered. the other pain is you have to title and register the boat with PA Fish and boat so you need an invoice for just the boat on it. You register and title the trailer with the PA DMV so you need a separate invoice with only the trailer price on it.

As for taxes make individual deals for equipment so you don't pay taxes on it. I had 3 invoices when I bought my boat for taxes. Dmv will collect tax on trailer price. Pa fish and boat will collect on the boat and only the boat. As for equipment you pay no taxes on if out of state or if buying from an individual.. Equipment are things that are not permanently attached to the boat.
 
#4 ·
What size boat is it? And does the boat have a state registration number?
Prior to 1990 Pa did not issue titles for boats.
Have the seller either get you the certificate of origin or title as a condition of sale.
Just having a bill of sale or receipt will be more hassle then it's worth.
Good luck.
 
#5 ·
What Birch said is correct. No titles prior to 1990. BUT there was always a registration card ( owners card). That card must be present and signed on the back in front of a boat notary to do a legal transfer. On the older boats, during a transfer, the new owner will be given the option of having a title made for it, but it is not mandatory.
Like Birch said in his last sentence, if the registration card is not in hand, it can get real messy to get it transferred. Since the number on the boat stays with the boat, if you do some kind of deal without proper transfer, the person holding the registration card can claim the boat to be stolen, and then you're in trouble for receiving stolen goods. Bottom line is : No registration card, stay away from the deal.
 
#12 ·
Some notaries will require the seller to be there, because he will sign on the back of the registration card, and some want to see him sign in person. unlike motor vehicles, the registration number stays with the boat. AND, not all notaries do boat registrations. They have to do (I think) 28 per year to get their license to do them from the PF&BC
 
#14 ·
If the boat was ever titled in any state you also need the title in order to register it.

Just went through this with a private seller. We did the transfer at one of the notary offices listed by the PAFBC.
Seller claimed the boat was never titled, but it showed up in PAFBC records.
I received a letter from PAFBC stating that they would not register the boat until the original title is produced by the seller or he requests a replacement title so it can be legally transferred it to me.
You may want to get the hull# checked by Harrisburg before agreeing to buy the boat otherwise you may own a boat you can't use.
 
#15 ·
If you have a motor on a boat, you better have the registration card onboard too. Every registered boat has at least a registration card, and when the boat is sold, the seller has to sign on the back of the registration card. A title is only required if the boat had one issued either here or in another state. pappybear is spot on with his post. I have three local notarys who are certified to do boat registrations, and none of them will do a transfer without the registration card and/or the title.
 
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