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i bought my whaler from its origional owner with a bill of sale. i need a title for the vessel. it hasn't been registered since 1989, and that was in maryland. any ideas on how i can go about getting a title for my little whaler? the title the origional owner had was destroyed/lost because it was onboard his motoryacht when it sank.

this little boat is legit, i know the history of it, i know the previous owner well, but i still need a title to get insurance and stickers. i can't even put it on private water (lake of the woods in locust grove VA) because they need a title (as proof of ownership) along with proof of insurance. without a title, i don't have those items, so the boat is just sitting in the garage at the summerhouse, maybe 50 feet from the shoreline.

any tips on certain people to talk to or what steps i should take to obtain a title would be greatly appreciated!

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Best solution is if your seller is available and cooperative. Make it easy for him by getting VA's "lost title" form. Just follow the directions and fill it out. Have the seller sign it (notarized, if necessary, or in person at DMV) and you'll have the cleanest title you'd ever want.

Interesting website about titles for boats and trailers:

http://search.dmv.org/dmv/trailer%20t...er%20title

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You can take your Bill of Sale to DMV in Virginia. They will give you a title. Make sure your BOS has any numbers including stencil number clearly written and matching to the boat. You might also want the seller to indicate that there is no existing MD title or the MD title has been lost.
If he is nice, he should also be able to get a replacement MD title that you can take to VA.

Be prepared to spend a lot of time at DMV.

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The owner should have just requested a new title, which I believe is only 15 bucks or so and takes a couple of weeks. He should be able to still do this for you, since the title was never signed over to you. I would recontact the seller and see if he can help you out, since this should have been done prior to the sale or exchange of any money. Maryland is a real pain in the butt when it comes to titles and registration......Just follow there web site and it will be worked out.

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After you spend a few days at DMV, please let us know how you made out.
Also, in VA you will need to title the trailer as well.

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after titling a car with a lost title in Va and also titling two boats, I strongly recommend you have the previous owner receive a replacement title from Md you then take to Va.

You could try the bill of sale with Md boat numbers but I would suspect Va DMV will have issues with this. I could be wrong but my gut feeling on this one.

Good luck!

John

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http://www.dgif.state.va.us/boating/w...itling.asp

This link should give you all the info you need for titling and registering your boat in VA. Boats in VA are titled and registered through the Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries...Trailers are titled and registered through DMV.

I titled a trailer last year from Ohio that didn't have one. No sweat with all my ducks in a row.

Good luck,
Dave

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when i got the boat, i got a trailer too. it was abandoned on my friend's land with no serial number. someone with a big truck stuck it way back in the woods, deep in the mud, probably trying to hide it or just get rid of it. the cops were notified and they advised the land owner to keep/sell it. the police didn't want to take the trailer, i honestly think they couldn't/didn't want to get it out of there.

anyway, i customized the trailer. i cut it down to size (i took off over 3 feet of length), rewired it, and moved around everything that was movable. i recieved a VIN tag from the virginia DMV to put on the trailer and i'm going to get a title as a "home built" trailer, so the whole trailer issue isn't such a big deal.

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i didn't know the DMV did boat stuff, i thought i had to go through the department of game and inland fisheries to get a title. they're in richmond and i'm not, so i thought i'd have to mail away for a title. the good part is it'll only cost $27 for a 3 year sticker.

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Daaaa

Sorry my mistake your right, DGIF for boats, DMV for trailers, and cars of course. Wasnt paying attention.

then disregard my post. I know you will need to have new numbers from a boat out of state, I also had to furnish the title but not sure if DGIF is easier than DMV.

John

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Your right you do need to mail fisheries folks, my mistake. I would actually call them and explain the situation and ask for their help. Did the previous owner have it registered in MD, if so can you get the previous registration. If you can, then you can get a temporary registration for VA while you wait for fisheries to sort things out.

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Also

In Va you do have a grace period for registering the boat, if you have previous boat info, think its 30 days.

John

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Dynamite, I just went through the titling process at VDGIF on Broad St in Richmond. The lady who does the title work (sorry, cannot remember her name) is an absolutely wonderful resource. My 13 had no HIN as it is pre '72 and she was extremely helpful.
Good luck with your quest and as stated above, try to get a replacement title from MD and things will go smoothly. Check with your local Walmart sporting goods section for temp. registration when you get the MD title.

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I had great luck with VA. They were very helpfull on the phone and I had some missing documents as well.