Buying a boat in NH

aquabones · 07-25-2013, 03:59 AM

I'm buying a used boat. since there is no title in NH, how do I know the boat is owned by the people that say they own it. And if they do own it, how do I know if there are any leans on the boat. Thanks

Just Sold · 07-25-2013, 05:44 AM

Ask to see the current/previous registrations.

codeman671 · 07-25-2013, 07:49 AM

In order to validate liens you would have to check with the state to see if there is a ucc filing on the boat.i have not done it before, not sure of the process involved.

LIforrelaxin · 07-25-2013, 08:02 AM

Not knowing much about this boat you are buying, it hard to say how to get the proof you are looking for..

But, I would ask to see if the owners have the Certificate of Origin. If they bought the boat new, the bank is likely to have taken this, in lieu of the Tittle, which doesn't exist in NH. If they have payed the boat off, then they likely have this back...

Of course if they bought the boat used, chance of them ever having seen the Certificate of Origin is highly unlikely...

The bottom line is the proof you are looking for sometime is hard to come buy... I know I save all my proof of ownership paper work, but some people do not.

The current/previous registrations, will help you understand that they do have rights to the boat, and where legally able to register it.

jrc · 07-25-2013, 08:46 AM

How many people save previous registrations? I have this years and maybe last years but it would be just luck if I found anything older. I wonder if you can get some kind of proof from the state about historical registrations.

I does seem a little strange that something a costly as a boat has no state documents about ownership. My boat cost more than any car I've owned. I guess most larger costly boats can get Coast Guard documentation. I know a lot of banks require it before they will issue loans.

You may want to see if the boat is documented. The USCG does have a lower size limit, most runabouts don't qualify.

Woodsy · 07-25-2013, 09:34 AM

I think you guys are overthinking this....

Here in NH the registration is PROOF of OWNERSHIP. There is no title or certificate of origin issued.

This is why...

When someone registers a used boat for the FIRST time in NH (this is key) they have to provide the previous owners registration and an appropriate Bill Of Sale that lists hull numbers, $$ exchanged etc. If the boat is new, then they have to provide all the dealership paperwork including Bill of Sale and Certificate of Origin. At this point in time the State of NH issues a registration number to the boat, NH XXXX XX that is the boats PERMANENT registration number regardless of transfer of ownership. This results in a paper trail of ownership.

So lets assume you are buying a used boat, and you will be the boats 4th owner.... for as long as that boat was registered in NH, the state has the history of that hull.... who owned it first, second, etc... from what dates etc etc...

In short, you have no worries. If you are concerned at all about the transaction, contact the local PD and see if they will run the HID number and reg numbers through the system to see if it pings as stolen..

Woodsy

GusMan · 07-25-2013, 11:16 AM

Woodsy is correct... I recently purchased a NH registered boat and brought it to Massachusetts. All I needed to get the boat registered in MA was a valid registration and the bill of sale. Once I registered the boat in MA, Massachusetts, a new title was issued to me (or the lien holder)... for a "nominal" fee of course!

One thing to consider, if you're bringing the boat to Massachusetts and the deal includes a trailer, make sure you treat the boat/trailer as two separate transactions. The registrations for each of them are handled by different agencies and both will want to collect the sales tax for the transaction. So, two registrations and two bills of sale listing the price for each component.

Good Luck!

Gusman

HellRaZoR004 · 07-25-2013, 11:28 AM

I bought a used boat last year also.

All I needed was a bill-of-sale and a previous registration to register it in NH. GusMan is correct about the trailer. Just make sure the person selling you the boat is the person on the registration.

dave603 · 07-25-2013, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GusMan

Woodsy is correct...
One thing to consider, if you're bringing the boat to Massachusetts and the deal includes a trailer, make sure you treat the boat/trailer as two separate transactions. The registrations for each of them are handled by different agencies and both will want to collect the sales tax for the transaction. So, two registrations and two bills of sale listing the price for each component.

Good Luck!

Gusman

Funny part is, if the trailer was registered in NH, it will have a title.

LIforrelaxin · 07-25-2013, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woodsy

I think you guys are overthinking this....

Here in NH the registration is PROOF of OWNERSHIP. There is no title or certificate of origin issued.

This is why...

When someone registers a used boat for the FIRST time in NH (this is key) they have to provide the previous owners registration and an appropriate Bill Of Sale that lists hull numbers, $$ exchanged etc. If the boat is new, then they have to provide all the dealership paperwork including Bill of Sale and Certificate of Origin. At this point in time the State of NH issues a registration number to the boat, NH XXXX XX that is the boats PERMANENT registration number regardless of transfer of ownership. This results in a paper trail of ownership.

So lets assume you are buying a used boat, and you will be the boats 4th owner.... for as long as that boat was registered in NH, the state has the history of that hull.... who owned it first, second, etc... from what dates etc etc...

In short, you have no worries. If you are concerned at all about the transaction, contact the local PD and see if they will run the HID number and reg numbers through the system to see if it pings as stolen..

Woodsy

Woodsy, while you are correct, this still doesn't show if there is any lien on the boat, such as a loan etc... Which I believe is the real concern here... This issue there is that you can't easily determine that. Which is also why most state now issue a tittle for a boat..... I think the poster's concern here is that if the buy the boat, and a current or past owner is unscrupulous and doesn't pay off a loan on it, then what happens when the bank comes looking for the property. Which haha because of the chain of ownership in NH they will be able to find....

I know that there are laws that protect the consumer from these types of things, however with the cost of boats these days it is a real concern..

Hence my reasoning for bring up the Certificate of Origin, most banks will hold on to this in lieu of Tittle, and give it back when the loan is payed in full.......

I learned a lot about this when I bought my boat a few years back.... And had issue with banks in my then home state of VT, when trying to get a loan... as they wanted a tittle to hold..... However I was able to work through the issue, with the banks, and resolved the problem...

But the bottom line is this, if you buy a boat in NH work with local lendors, as they understand the NH laws better, out of state lenders really want a tittle as most states now tittle boats... what you will find is that you get better terms when the bank has a tittle to hold on too....

upthesaukee · 07-25-2013, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave603

Funny part is, if the trailer was registered in NH, it will have a title.

No title required on a trailer that is over 15 years old.

dave603 · 07-25-2013, 07:19 PM

Your right , forgot that part.
But I just replaced a 2001 trailer that never saw salt, so not sure if a 15 year old one is worth it anyway. Oh well, good luck to the buyer.

JasonG · 07-25-2013, 09:34 PM

Buy the boat from a dealer. This may or may not help hold any water?

Quote:

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Woodsy, while you are correct, this still doesn't show if there is any lien on the boat, such as a loan etc... Which I believe is the real concern here... This issue there is that you can't easily determine that. Which is also why most state now issue a tittle for a boat..... I think the poster's concern here is that if the buy the boat, and a current or past owner is unscrupulous and doesn't pay off a loan on it, then what happens when the bank comes looking for the property. Which haha because of the chain of ownership in NH they will be able to find....

I know that there are laws that protect the consumer from these types of things, however with the cost of boats these days it is a real concern..

Hence my reasoning for bring up the Certificate of Origin, most banks will hold on to this in lieu of Tittle, and give it back when the loan is payed in full.......

I learned a lot about this when I bought my boat a few years back.... And had issue with banks in my then home state of VT, when trying to get a loan... as they wanted a tittle to hold..... However I was able to work through the issue, with the banks, and resolved the problem...

But the bottom line is this, if you buy a boat in NH work with local lendors, as they understand the NH laws better, out of state lenders really want a tittle as most states now tittle boats... what you will find is that you get better terms when the bank has a tittle to hold on too....

Kamper · 07-26-2013, 06:57 AM

Titles are not required for trailers. New or old, if you don't have a previous registration the serial number will need to be verified by a cop unless you have purchased it through a licensed dealer, who will verify the number. I've gone through this several times already including kit trailers for which I had the Certificate of Origin.

It's not a big deal. Just call the police station and they will send someone over. This is not a priority call so be patient. The officer will sign off right away but I expect they 'run' the number later to be safe. If I was a LEO that would be my SOP in case there was something that needed resolving.

I believe this is the procedure for cars and trucks now as well, that are too old for titles. It's been a long time since I bought anything that old though.

SIKSUKR · 07-26-2013, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

No title required on a trailer that is over 15 years old.

Same goes for cars in NH.I bought an old plow truck a while ago and just had a bill of sale hand written on a piece of paper.I did need to go to the police department to have the vin # cleared to register it.

codeman671 · 07-26-2013, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamper

Titles are not required for trailers. New or old, if you don't have a previous registration the serial number will need to be verified by a cop unless you have purchased it through a licensed dealer, who will verify the number. I've gone through this several times already including kit trailers for which I had the Certificate of Origin.

It's not a big deal. Just call the police station and they will send someone over. This is not a priority call so be patient. The officer will sign off right away but I expect they 'run' the number later to be safe. If I was a LEO that would be my SOP in case there was something that needed resolving.

I believe this is the procedure for cars and trucks now as well, that are too old for titles. It's been a long time since I bought anything that old though.

Not completely true. If a trailer is over 3001 lbs gvw it requires a title if less than 15 years old. Not sure on older ones. I have 2 boat trailers that are titled.

Jersey Joe · 07-26-2013, 11:33 PM

I am selling my boat. I have the title and a stack of registrations from every year. I live in NJ, but vacation up at the lake. If your interested check out my posting on Craig's list. Just search 1992 Four Winns 190 Horizon.

salty dog · 07-29-2013, 09:02 PM

My wife and I are from Beverly but in the past couple of years have started doing all our boating and most vacationing at Winnipesaukee. We're keeping the boat at Andrew's at Minge Cove. We were up for a week earlier in July and decided it was time to purchase a much newer (read more reliable) model retiring the old Wellcraft. As my wife would remind me, it was never "well" from the day I bought it. At any rate, we made purchase at Irwins, turning the Wellcraft in for consignment. It really was easier working with a dealer with all the paper work and reg forms. The former owner had hardly used the boat and was not re-purchasing so we got to keep the bow numbers. The trailer was rated 3000 lbs so no title was needed. Irwin processed all the paper work and we just paid them the reg fee for 2013. The former owner had a lien which will be settled with their bank sending the certificate to our bank. We'll receive it when our loan is paid. Since the boat will never leave NH, there is no paper work or fees to be paid to MA. However the trailer has to be registered in my home town of Beverly as a storage address with sales tax paid. Irwin gave me a temp plate, even though I didn't need it except to get back to Alton. The state doesn't care if there's a boat on it because the boat doesn't operate on the highway, only the trailer does. Then I just pay the yearly plate/sticker fee. Bottom line, we were very happy to have the dealer to walk us through the whole transaction.

codeman671 · 07-30-2013, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salty dog

The former owner had hardly used the boat and was not re-purchasing so we got to keep the bow numbers.

In nh the bow numbers stay assigned to the boat forever. If it is sold out of state and comes back at some point it will get the same numbers back.

salty dog · 07-30-2013, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by codeman671

In nh the bow numbers stay assigned to the boat forever. If it is sold out of state and comes back at some point it will get the same numbers back.

Thanks for pointing that out. I must have missed that detail during the sale transactions.

RLW · 07-30-2013, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aquabones

I'm buying a used boat. since there is no title in NH, how do I know the boat is owned by the people that say they own it. And if they do own it, how do I know if there are any leans on the boat. Thanks

aquabones, I just noticed that you are fairly new to posting on the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends.

Mr. Prop-B-Gone · 08-01-2013, 09:34 AM

We bought our 2001 Bayliner 195LX a couple of years ago from a person who was in the military and had been transferred to New Hampshire from Delaware, so the boat was registered in Delaware. He had a loan out on the boat, which we paid off, so we knew it was clear. Since his bank was out of state, we had him give us a conditional bill of sale, subject to us paying off the loan and giving him the balance due, with a final bill of sale when we picked up the boat. Both he and his bank in Delaware were very easy to work with, and the transaction took less than a week. We had the seller provide us with a copy of the paperwork showing that the loan had been paid off and the liens released.

We simply took the previous owner's registration to Trexler's, registered it in New Hampshire, and they assigned a new number right there at Trexler's. Bought the new numbers on eBay for a couple of dollars, put them on the boat along with the registration sticker and we were done.

The trailer was titled because of the weight it was designed to carry, but the boat had no title. The trailer had to be re-titled and registered at the Town Clerk's office.

The toughest part was taking the old numbers off the hull, but a little Goo-Gone did the trick.

I have to agree that is is surprising that such a potentially expensive vehicle is not titled. I'm surprised that so many states have not jumped at the chance to charge more fees!

aquabones · 08-02-2013, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Prop-B-Gone

We bought our 2001 Bayliner 195LX a couple of years ago from a person who was in the military and had been transferred to New Hampshire from Delaware, so the boat was registered in Delaware. He had a loan out on the boat, which we paid off, so we knew it was clear. Since his bank was out of state, we had him give us a conditional bill of sale, subject to us paying off the loan and giving him the balance due, with a final bill of sale when we picked up the boat. Both he and his bank in Delaware were very easy to work with, and the transaction took less than a week. We had the seller provide us with a copy of the paperwork showing that the loan had been paid off and the liens released.

We simply took the previous owner's registration to Trexler's, registered it in New Hampshire, and they assigned a new number right there at Trexler's. Bought the new numbers on eBay for a couple of dollars, put them on the boat along with the registration sticker and we were done.

The trailer was titled because of the weight it was designed to carry, but the boat had no title. The trailer had to be re-titled and registered at the Town Clerk's office.

The toughest part was taking the old numbers off the hull, but a little Goo-Gone did the trick.

I have to agree that is is surprising that such a potentially expensive vehicle is not titled. I'm surprised that so many states have not jumped at the chance to charge more fees!

Great point that the state could be making money having everyone register their boats.

07-25-2013, 03:59 AM	#1
aquabones Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 70 Thanks: 43 Thanked 16 Times in 5 Posts	Buying a boat in NH I'm buying a used boat. since there is no title in NH, how do I know the boat is owned by the people that say they own it. And if they do own it, how do I know if there are any leans on the boat. Thanks

07-25-2013, 05:44 AM	#2
Just Sold Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Suncook, NH, but at The Lake at Heart Posts: 2,612 Thanks: 1,082 Thanked 433 Times in 209 Posts	Ask to see the current/previous registrations. __________________ Just Sold At the lake the stress of daily life just melts away. Pro Re Nata

07-25-2013, 08:02 AM	#4
LIforrelaxin Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Long Island, not that one, the one on Winnipesaukee Posts: 2,825 Thanks: 1,016 Thanked 880 Times in 514 Posts	Not knowing much about this boat you are buying, it hard to say how to get the proof you are looking for.. But, I would ask to see if the owners have the Certificate of Origin. If they bought the boat new, the bank is likely to have taken this, in lieu of the Tittle, which doesn't exist in NH. If they have payed the boat off, then they likely have this back... Of course if they bought the boat used, chance of them ever having seen the Certificate of Origin is highly unlikely... The bottom line is the proof you are looking for sometime is hard to come buy... I know I save all my proof of ownership paper work, but some people do not. The current/previous registrations, will help you understand that they do have rights to the boat, and where legally able to register it. __________________ Life is about how much time you can spend relaxing... I do it on an island that isn't really an island.....

07-25-2013, 09:34 AM	#6
Woodsy Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Weirs Beach Posts: 1,949 Thanks: 80 Thanked 969 Times in 432 Posts	I think you guys are overthinking this.... Here in NH the registration is PROOF of OWNERSHIP. There is no title or certificate of origin issued. This is why... When someone registers a used boat for the FIRST time in NH (this is key) they have to provide the previous owners registration and an appropriate Bill Of Sale that lists hull numbers, $$ exchanged etc. If the boat is new, then they have to provide all the dealership paperwork including Bill of Sale and Certificate of Origin. At this point in time the State of NH issues a registration number to the boat, NH XXXX XX that is the boats PERMANENT registration number regardless of transfer of ownership. This results in a paper trail of ownership. So lets assume you are buying a used boat, and you will be the boats 4th owner.... for as long as that boat was registered in NH, the state has the history of that hull.... who owned it first, second, etc... from what dates etc etc... In short, you have no worries. If you are concerned at all about the transaction, contact the local PD and see if they will run the HID number and reg numbers through the system to see if it pings as stolen.. Woodsy __________________ The only way to eliminate ignorant behavior is through education. You can't fix stupid.

07-25-2013, 11:16 AM	#7
GusMan Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 122 Thanks: 0 Thanked 42 Times in 24 Posts	Buying a boat in NH Woodsy is correct... I recently purchased a NH registered boat and brought it to Massachusetts. All I needed to get the boat registered in MA was a valid registration and the bill of sale. Once I registered the boat in MA, Massachusetts, a new title was issued to me (or the lien holder)... for a "nominal" fee of course! One thing to consider, if you're bringing the boat to Massachusetts and the deal includes a trailer, make sure you treat the boat/trailer as two separate transactions. The registrations for each of them are handled by different agencies and both will want to collect the sales tax for the transaction. So, two registrations and two bills of sale listing the price for each component. Good Luck! Gusman

07-25-2013, 07:49 AM	#3
codeman671 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 3,360 Thanks: 210 Thanked 764 Times in 448 Posts	In order to validate liens you would have to check with the state to see if there is a ucc filing on the boat.i have not done it before, not sure of the process involved.

07-25-2013, 08:46 AM	#5
jrc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,689 Thanks: 33 Thanked 439 Times in 249 Posts	How many people save previous registrations? I have this years and maybe last years but it would be just luck if I found anything older. I wonder if you can get some kind of proof from the state about historical registrations. I does seem a little strange that something a costly as a boat has no state documents about ownership. My boat cost more than any car I've owned. I guess most larger costly boats can get Coast Guard documentation. I know a lot of banks require it before they will issue loans. You may want to see if the boat is documented. The USCG does have a lower size limit, most runabouts don't qualify.

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07-25-2013, 11:28 AM	#8
HellRaZoR004 Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Litchfield/Gilford Posts: 828 Thanks: 233 Thanked 224 Times in 131 Posts	Buying in NH and Registering in NH I bought a used boat last year also. All I needed was a bill-of-sale and a previous registration to register it in NH. GusMan is correct about the trailer. Just make sure the person selling you the boat is the person on the registration.

07-25-2013, 07:19 PM	#12
dave603 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Nashua/Winnisquam Posts: 282 Thanks: 106 Thanked 96 Times in 49 Posts	@ upthesaukee Your right , forgot that part. But I just replaced a 2001 trailer that never saw salt, so not sure if a 15 year old one is worth it anyway. Oh well, good luck to the buyer.

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07-26-2013, 06:57 AM	#14
Kamper Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Thornton's Ferry Posts: 1,296 Thanks: 67 Thanked 166 Times in 126 Posts	Titles are not required for trailers. New or old, if you don't have a previous registration the serial number will need to be verified by a cop unless you have purchased it through a licensed dealer, who will verify the number. I've gone through this several times already including kit trailers for which I had the Certificate of Origin. It's not a big deal. Just call the police station and they will send someone over. This is not a priority call so be patient. The officer will sign off right away but I expect they 'run' the number later to be safe. If I was a LEO that would be my SOP in case there was something that needed resolving. I believe this is the procedure for cars and trucks now as well, that are too old for titles. It's been a long time since I bought anything that old though.

07-26-2013, 11:33 PM	#17
Jersey Joe Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 28 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I am selling my boat. I have the title and a stack of registrations from every year. I live in NJ, but vacation up at the lake. If your interested check out my posting on Craig's list. Just search 1992 Four Winns 190 Horizon.

07-29-2013, 09:02 PM	#18
salty dog Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Beverly Cove, Ma Posts: 356 Thanks: 287 Thanked 147 Times in 81 Posts	Buying from out of state My wife and I are from Beverly but in the past couple of years have started doing all our boating and most vacationing at Winnipesaukee. We're keeping the boat at Andrew's at Minge Cove. We were up for a week earlier in July and decided it was time to purchase a much newer (read more reliable) model retiring the old Wellcraft. As my wife would remind me, it was never "well" from the day I bought it. At any rate, we made purchase at Irwins, turning the Wellcraft in for consignment. It really was easier working with a dealer with all the paper work and reg forms. The former owner had hardly used the boat and was not re-purchasing so we got to keep the bow numbers. The trailer was rated 3000 lbs so no title was needed. Irwin processed all the paper work and we just paid them the reg fee for 2013. The former owner had a lien which will be settled with their bank sending the certificate to our bank. We'll receive it when our loan is paid. Since the boat will never leave NH, there is no paper work or fees to be paid to MA. However the trailer has to be registered in my home town of Beverly as a storage address with sales tax paid. Irwin gave me a temp plate, even though I didn't need it except to get back to Alton. The state doesn't care if there's a boat on it because the boat doesn't operate on the highway, only the trailer does. Then I just pay the yearly plate/sticker fee. Bottom line, we were very happy to have the dealer to walk us through the whole transaction. __________________ I'd rather be relax'n at Winnipesaukee

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08-01-2013, 09:34 AM	#22
Mr. Prop-B-Gone Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 106 Thanks: 4 Thanked 30 Times in 17 Posts	We bought our 2001 Bayliner 195LX a couple of years ago from a person who was in the military and had been transferred to New Hampshire from Delaware, so the boat was registered in Delaware. He had a loan out on the boat, which we paid off, so we knew it was clear. Since his bank was out of state, we had him give us a conditional bill of sale, subject to us paying off the loan and giving him the balance due, with a final bill of sale when we picked up the boat. Both he and his bank in Delaware were very easy to work with, and the transaction took less than a week. We had the seller provide us with a copy of the paperwork showing that the loan had been paid off and the liens released. We simply took the previous owner's registration to Trexler's, registered it in New Hampshire, and they assigned a new number right there at Trexler's. Bought the new numbers on eBay for a couple of dollars, put them on the boat along with the registration sticker and we were done. The trailer was titled because of the weight it was designed to carry, but the boat had no title. The trailer had to be re-titled and registered at the Town Clerk's office. The toughest part was taking the old numbers off the hull, but a little Goo-Gone did the trick. I have to agree that is is surprising that such a potentially expensive vehicle is not titled. I'm surprised that so many states have not jumped at the chance to charge more fees!