buy boat with no titles?

[deezdrama]

Found a good local deal on a 14ft jon boat.
Has 2012 mercury 9.9 4 stroke that alone is probably worth $1700
Had new bowmount minn koata and came with trailer,fish finder and was all really nice for $1700.

Went to bank and got the cash out and planed to go get it.

Called him to let him know i wanted it and he explained how he just bought it and changed his mind and that he wanted a 16ft.and that was why he is selling it.

He said the guy he got it from didnt have a title for the trailer, he said him and the guy went to secretary of state and applied for lost title. Said he is just waiting for previous owner to get it and give it to him.

He said he sent the boat title in to be registered and transfered to his name, so he didnt have the boat title on hand either but assured me the boat paperwork was clean,clear,and good to go. What paperwork would he of had? just a copy of the registration fee form?

I changed my mind because he didnt physically have either title in hand.

Was my concerns justified?
Im really bummed because the motor itself was worth the asking price. Now im second guessing myself if I should of just got it and had a detailed bill of sale wrote out.


Any opinions?
thanks

 

[T_Herrod]

Not sure how things work in your state but when i bought my first boat i got the title changed into my name with one visit to the court house.

 

[GA_Boater]

Not sure how things work in your state but when i bought my first boat i got the title changed into my name with one visit to the court house.

You had a title in hand for the seller, didn't you, T? When you are twice removed from the owner, it can be difficult. All you have is his word that titles are in process. Not even copies of the signed titles? I don't know where you live, but if it's a picky title state, you did the right thing. Tell him to call when he gets the paper work,deez.

 

[tpenfield]

Title in hand and handed over. You did the right thing by not buying . . .

 

[redneck joe]

what state?

 

[deezdrama]

Im in illinois. sucks cause i know im being safe and precoucious but such a deal... the outboard alone is probably worth price of the whole shabang

 

[deezdrama]

I thought about printing a detailed bill of sale form with all the facts and making sure he printed his name and signed it.... but again.... id rather have an old fixer upper than a nice rig i cant put on the water. saying that.... i still cant shake the feeling of letting a good deal slip through my hands

 

[GA_Boater]

Deez - Does this sound like a deal too good to be true? A BOS in a title state is not proof of ownership. Only a signed off title transfers ownership when it's processed by the state. We have had tales in the forum about how slow IL is processing title transfers, but I thought the transferee had state papers to back it up. I really don't know anything about IL.

 

[jbcurt00]

Perhaps no titles is WHY it was a great motor for a great deal w/ boat & trailer....

I buy boats & trailers w/ & w/out titles, but MOST haven't been titled, but I KNOW from 1st contact w/ a seller whether they have them or not, not the day I take money out of the bank.

Talk to LOTS of sellers, you'll get a sense for who's likely to have ownership but not title, for whatever reason, and who's shifty and when you should walk away. When I ask in my initial contact if they have title to the boat & trailer, I often don't hear back from sellers. I take that to mean they aren't on the up & up. WV has requirements to reg & title boats & trailers, and as long as I follow the rules, I've not had any trouble getting title for any of them and haven't had a sketchy DMV report come back on any of them when they run the VIN/HIN.

Find out EXACTLY what Illinois requires of owners & what they require of buyers when they come to transfer the boat & trailer into their name. In some states, it can be difficult, in others it isn't even a blip on the radar. WV is somewhere in between. But trailers are more difficult..

 

[roscoe]

You did the right thing by walking away.
And that goes double, being that you are in IL, which is one of the worst states for title issues.
It will likely take months for him to get both titles, and both registrations put in his name.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I'm in IL, too. You did the right thing. Without the right paper, you have a big planter for your lawn. That goes double for trailers in IL. Not worth the headache. Personally, I don't trust all these stories of second-hand owners trying to sell without a title. Too much chance you're buying a problem...

 

[deezdrama]

UGGGGG, ran into same exact thing again today.
Found a 12ft jon and trailer posted this morning on craigslist. I wasnt looking for a 12 footer but it was a 48" wide and he only wanted $400.

He didnt have titles either, and only numbers on the boat are on back of transom and its just 5 crooked hammer stamped numbers lol.

He was a super nice guy in a well to do neighborhood and was trustworthy but im just not taking the chances, i passed up 2 nice boats but like was said.... id rather have a decent boat in the water than a great one thats a flowerbox in front yard

 

[tpenfield]

Be sure to check the title regulations in your state. . . . For example, in my home state, boats under 14 feet do not require a title.

 

[Brian 26]

Every state is different so check into yours. But you do not want to be in that situation where you're waiting on a guy who's waiting on a guy to get the title. It really is shocking how many people try to sell boats and trailers without clear titles.

I've had people tell me "yes it's in my hand" and I get there and guess what they can't find.....uhg

 

[NYBo]

Good advice here. You could spend the entire boating season straightening out the paperwork mess, or maybe never get it straightened out.

I would check in with the "owner" of the first boat periodically if he hasn't sold it and you don't find something else. Maybe the paperwork will actually come through and you can do the deal. Stranger things have happened.

 

[dlngr]

UGGGGG, ran into same exact thing again today.
Found a 12ft jon and trailer posted this morning on craigslist. I wasnt looking for a 12 footer but it was a 48" wide and he only wanted $400.

He didnt have titles either, and only numbers on the boat are on back of transom and its just 5 crooked hammer stamped numbers lol.

He was a super nice guy in a well to do neighborhood and was trustworthy but im just not taking the chances, i passed up 2 nice boats but like was said.... id rather have a decent boat in the water than a great one thats a flowerbox in front yard

I know you've been warned,but in Illinois,no title,no buy! As for size of boat,I had a 10' john for a while[lots of fun in ponds!] it had an Illinois title.

 

[nitsuj]

Check with who ever does boat titling in your state. In PA, if a boat was made before 97, it doesn't have to be titled at all. If a boat doesn't have a title, all you need to do is apply for a new registration in your name. Trailers however are regulated by DOT, and always need titled. While we're on the subject, what is it with boats and trailers? I've been looking for a new to me used boat lately, and it seems like used boats and trailers almost never have titles. If the boat does, the trailer never does. Who are these people buying and selling boats without transferring ownership. I'm not talking $1200 project boats. I'm talking about $20,000 used cruisers. It's always a long story about how "My business partners daughters boyfriend has the title and he's in prison". My friend just bought a used "project boat", boat didn't have a title (pre 96) so my friend was able to get it registered in his name. But the seller of the boat wasn't even the registered owner. He bought it from another guy who was still the registered owner, and just kept renewing it every year and the seller was using it under the other guys name.

 

[dlngr]

DNR titles boats in Illinois. Doesn't matter how old,or how big-needs a title to register and "own" the boat.[No 'ifs,' 'ands' or 'buts'] !

 

[skipper123]

One thing I have learned about boats for sale. A good half or more I dont have the title or registration card in a non title state or dont have it in their name or dont have the registration card in their name. I went to one house that had a title and it was the next house over that was on vacation for a week. Also each state titles different things some the boat some the motor some the trailer. You better know which ones are titled or registered or have just a registraton card before you hand over the funds. The second thing I learned humans lie. Dont trust them.