Boat Title Question

[DuckHunterJon]

You know the old saying - if it's too good to be true... My wife and I have been looking for a little while, very specific in what we want. We found the right boat (Procraft 200 Combo, 200 opti, loaded with options), for the right price, in the right location (with in 6 hour drive). Seller was great to deal with, happy to answer questions, take pictures, etc. Once a price was negotiated, he faxed me copies of the titles to get the bank paperwork going. Here's where the problem is.

The seller bought the boat last year (3/09) in Texas, and never registered it (he now lives in PA). He has Texas titles (one each for the boat, motor, and trailer) that the original owner turned over and both signed them. But since the seller never applied for new titles, he can't transfer them to me - so I'm being told by the NY DMV. I'm told either he can apply for new titles (will take a couple of months and he will most likely have to pay sales tax on his purchase) or he can go back to the original owner and request that he file for a duplicate set of titles - that would then be transfered directly to me.

Just looking for any advice on whether there is an Option C. I absolutely want to do it with in the letter of the law, but obviously would rather not wait 2+ months before I can use it. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Boat Title Question

Option C is go to a different DMV office.

I did that very same thing 3 years ago. The original ownership came from OH and was transferred to a guy in NY. He never registered it, then sold it to me a year later. I registered it in NY with a simple bill of sale from him, along with the transfer he got from OH to him.

NY gave me a Nontransferrable reg., then upgraded it after the provenance was checked thru a dept. in Albany. It did take 9 months to gewt resolved, but I still had a legal reg. the whole time.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat Title Question

If your seller's name is already written on the title, I don't see an option C unless hwe can countersign them (the way dealers can do on cars in Virginia.) Point out to him that no matter who buys it, he is going to have to do this--and pay the taxes he evaded.
Sad part is, it may slow you r whole process down. INquire of Texas about an expedited process.
Also one clerk at the titling agency will say one thing; another clerk, something different.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: Boat Title Question

If he is in PA, he can go to a better notary that is "online" and pay a fee to get it done instantly, yes he will pay PA sales tax. Do not go to a small mom and pop notary unless they are online and can do it instantly. It is unlawful to skip titles, nor would you want to deal with the person in texas.

Once he receives the stuff, you will then be able to follow your NY guidlines. But for him it can be done instantly. I have done so with many of my cars. PA notaries can also do boats and trailers.

There is no option (c).

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: Boat Title Question

Beware....this could be something that you look back upon and realize that it was a sign. The guy either was forgetful (doubtful) or cut corners to save money (more likely). From your post, the guy seemed delightful and great to deal with. Just make sure that there aren't any other signs that he may be showing. Someone who doesn't have all of their stuff in line, usually doesn't stop at one thing being out of place. Maybe he placed the same amount of due diligence on engine and boat maintenance....just thoughts to consider.

I'd be sweet as honey if I was trying to get people to not notice the bad stuff!

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Boat Title Question

Texas Parks and Wildife Dept. is strict about titles. Call their Austin, Texas, number and ask one of the friendly ladies in the title division. I'll bet they require the PO, the guy you bought it from, to update the titles just so they can get the sales tax involved in his transaction. Sad but true...got the T-shirt.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: Boat Title Question

Thanks to all the replies so far. I'm still very interested in the boat, and I really think the seller is on the up and up. He has been upfront with the condition of the boat, when I asked for a couple of pictures he sent me 36 including closeups of the few blemishes there were. I think I'm going to look into a couple of the options above and see what happens. We'll see how it works out. If anyone else wants to weigh in on this, feel free. Thanks.