Titling old trailer in WV?

[ninhalo5]

Hi, I've been surfing the web trying to find answers on how to title a trailer in WV and have came up with nothing. Found a good bit of info on other states though. Does anyone have any insight on this?

I just recently bought a 87 procraft and it came with the original trailer, but like a lot of people I got the title for the boat but not the trailer, and the manufacturer sticker is no longer readable. Looks like the best route would be to clean up the trailer give it a fresh coat of spray paint, new carpet along the wood and try to register it as a homemade trailer.

My concerns with doing that is:
1. It's apparent to me that the trailer was manufactured especially with that heavy duty hitch with a load swivel and braking cables (though it seems in most states the police don't really care)
2. A trailer with a big boat on it would look suspicious to me that it was definitely not home built, and if I was a cop I would ask how'd ya get the boat up on there son without driving it illegally?
3.What do I do if the officer that is inspecting it asks me some questions that I can't answer?
4. Maybe I'm just worrying too much, I'm an overly honest person and this seems a little off the beaten path for me.


I've been doing some PI work yesterday and it appears to me that the original owner of the boat and trailer passed away back in 2010. The title to the boat was reissued in 2010 I guess to his son with the same name but not the trailer being it has permanent PA tags on it , which I'm guessing is not legal for me to use.

I bought this setup from someone who bought the setup from the owner and never did any title/registration work to it.

Thanks

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

The best way of course it to call the local DMV and see what they say a lot of things may of changed since the last time I went through this 3 years ago.

Their two ways you can go. The first is a out of state trailer, I have bought a few from KY and OH. You must have a notarized bill of sale, The PO should be able to give you one with the VIN on it. Once you have that its simple, You pick up a application of tittle at the DMV and have a police officer ( state, county or town ) come out and certify the VIN and sign off on it.

If you go the home made route the last time I did that you had to make a list of the materials you bought including receipts and how many feet of each was used and have a certified welder sign the form and take a side, end and front picture and the state will send you a VIN tag. Then have a office come out and sign off on it.

Now its been several years since I have had a home made done so it may of changed. The police could care less and it can take awhile before one will come out. Both ways a police offices has to sign off on it. It is a PIA both ways and their is only one guy in the whole state that deals with odd trailers.

I have found simply telling them the truth all ways is simpler. After all you bought it like that and don't know a lot about its history and they have to deal with out of state trailers all of the time. I can tell you from experience they really don't care.

If the existing VIN cant be read in the past I have bought a set of number and letter stamps from harbor freight and made up a 8 digit number and stamped it on the tong, the state dosnt really care as long as it has a number.

Use some thing like VIN 00000000

 

[ninhalo5]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

You must have a bill of sale, The PO should be able to give you one.

That might become a problem for me as well, being the PO never had any of it in his name, so he would not legally be able to give me a BoS. Between the original owner and myself (as far as I can tell) I'm the 3rd person that has had this setup and everything is still in the OO's name and it appears that he is deceased. I did find his son on Facebook, I might send him a message to see if he's willing to help and to make sure that he is who I think he is, Though according to the PO he was dealing with the son and the son ended up brushing him off and didn't want to help.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

mmmm you will also need a bill of sale for the boat to, and to my knowledge on a trailer it dosnt matter whose name its in as long as you have one to show who you bought it from with a VIN, people buy trailers separate all of the time. And as I am sure you know all the state cares about is getting the fees.

 

[ninhalo5]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

Yeah, I have the signed title to the boat so there's no problem there. I was just looking over the trailer about an hour ago and it still has the original procraft stickers on the rails even though they've been painted over. No vin any longer as far as I can tell unless its stamped somewhere I haven't found yet. I did send a message to the original owner through Facebook but haven't heard back from him, hopefully I will soon.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

I have no idea, most of the ones I have dealt with have a metal tag or its stamped in. But I wish you a lot of luck. It took me 8 weeks to get mine back once the DMV took the paper work.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

Just wondering how its going.

 

[ninhalo5]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

I'm working on rebuilding it right now. Putting on a new actuator, jack, winch and converting the drum brakes to disc. I'll probably cut off the light bezels and build new ones and go with LEDs. I might possibly put on new rollers too being they are fairly cheap. Also thinking about spraying under coating over the wheel wells, thought that would help with a slippery surface and took totally redneckified

I'm figuring that I'll probably begin trying to title it this time next month when I can afford the fees.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

FWIW, in most states the same form used to apply for home made trailer ALSO is used to apply for a VIN for a trailer that is profesionally manufactured but the VIN is missing or unreadable.

I am going through that process now on a century boat trailer on which the only vin was printed on a label and it has faded over the years.
I had it inspected as having no vin by the police, then form goes in to DMV. I get a VIN number to stamp into the frame and then get inspected again. Last I apply for title which will show correct manufacturer and year of manufacture (I guessed) in my name.

 

[ninhalo5]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

I spoke with WV DMV they gave me 3 forms to fill out one is a builders affidavit, one is for a law officer to fill out for the VIN and the other is an application of title (which asks questions about a car not a trailer). It looks like it shouldn't be too bad, the VIN form only verifys that there is no VIN and for them to provide one if needed (form says any law enforcement officer, wonder if I can get an out of state buddy cop to fill it out ). Guess it really don't matter if it's homemade or not. Then I need 2 pics of the trailer, so I'll have to figure out how to get the boat off of it to take the pictures, that's the tricky part.

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

strap the boat to a tree and pull the trailer out from under or put it in the water. if you go with the tree be sure to put some padding(old tires, roll of old carpet or such) under the hull as you remove the trailer

 

[ninhalo5]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

That in itself is an issue too, Coolbri70. I too live in Martinsburg but downtown off of queen st. where trees and water is scarce. Well I do have a lot next to my house with a phone pole in the center of it

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

I would leave the boat on the trailer and see. I think that would be fine. The worst is you have to take it off but I really dont think it will matter.

I have been lucky both time I have had to have a cop look at mine, years ago I knew a few of the local ones, and the last one was the easiest. I live by a barber shop that all of the cops come to. So I asked the guys who own the barber shop to get one to. It took less than a day.

And glad its coming along for you.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

Will have to be a WV cop... don't worry about the boat... If he asks (he won't) tell him the truth (he won't care) heck if's acting like a real jerk (again he won't) tell him you "fashioned a rope from your own hair and lashed it to the backs of a couple of sea turtles" and be sure to address him as "mate".

He is gonna look at as fast as he can and fill out the form and leave... he will be about as excited as you are when you are at work being asked to do some small additional bit of work that you don't usually have to do.

The last one I had done didn't get out of his car or even look in the direction of the trailer... He said "I sign here right?", handed me the form, and left.

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

That in itself is an issue too, Coolbri70. I too live in Martinsburg but downtown off of queen st. where trees and water is scarce. Well I do have a lot next to my house with a phone pole in the center of it

you can block up the stern with the tongue down, then jack up the tongue, this will get back of the boat off the trailer, then block up under the bow and let the trailer tongue down a little and the boat will be over but not on the trailer. this will work for swapping out the rollers but you wont be able to pull the trailer out as the blocks holding the bow will be in the way. i would just take the pics with the boat on, i dont think they will care

 

[ninhalo5]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

Well, looks like I'm S.O.L.
Found out the way WV and PA laws are my boat title isn't even valid. So, I'm at a total loss now. Guess I'm going to have to hit the courts and hope something good comes out of it, but I highly doubt it. I did find out I can get a new title for the boat though a storage lien, but that would mean the police has to pick it up and in 30 or so days I can buy it back at an auction. Ugh.
I'm so used to buying things like this in Maryland where all I need is a signed title, no notary involved. This really sucks.

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

contact the seller and try to get them to go with you to the notary, offer to pay for their time if you must. or find a notary that will sign it for you.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

About the only other thing I can think of it to tittle it in Maryland then swap it over or tittle it in Maine then change it. But WV is a PIA even if you have all of the paper work.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

so title the boat in PA....

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Titling old trailer in WV?

you just need a notary, ask around, visit them, give them your story, some will say no, cant do that, some will say, I shouldn't, but I will do it this time, now next time you know better. worth a try, works sometimes.