Titling a boat

[belliswood]

With the purchase of a 370 sundancer this boat should be documented right? Is there any sales tax on a documented boat and what does it take to transfer the documentation and but the bank on it as the lein holder. What kind of costs are in volved for this?

Thanks

BArry

 

[Sprint7TW]

I think all of this depends on the state that you are located in.

 

[320Bob]

I had to get my 320 documented for the bank loan. Did it through BoatU.S. and it cost I believe $375. Since this was a refinance, no sales tax was involved but here in IL it wouldn't have made any difference. I would have paid sales tax with or without Coast Guard Documentation. It cost's nothing to renew it once received. All you have to do is sign a piece of paper and send it back to the Coast Guard. I'm trading my 320 in next month when the new boat arrives from the factory. I will have to sign both the title and the documentation certificate to transfer ownership to the dealer.

 

[reelnauti]

I had my 370 documented for the sole reason as to avoid putting the registration numbers on the Hull. I still had to pay NJ sales tax.

 

[CV-23]

I did not mind putting registration numbers on my hull in PA (below rubrail). The waters I boat, "non coastal or large", because I would get hassled by local LE for not having them. Over 30ft I would go CG Documentation because the 3" registration numbers would look so tiny and most LE would consider it a ship in our area!......Mike.

 

[Tonka Boater]

I had my 370 documented for the sole reason as to avoid putting the registration numbers on the Hull. I still had to pay NJ sales tax.

Ditto....

 

[Henry Boyd]

Documentation does not necessarily get you out of paying for sales tax. That being said you can document your boat's home port anywhere in the US you like. The only limitation is that it must be a location that has a US Post Office. Some people try to document their boats outside of the state they live in to avoid their taxes (Like John Kerry did with his new $7.0 million dollar blowboat last year). Sometimes this is legitimate, I have friends who live in my area (Mass) but keep their boats in New Hampshire not to avoid the taxes, but because they happen to like keeping their boats there. In either case you then become responsible for the sales (and any other taxes) in the home port state. Some states will chase you some won't. My friends who keep their boat in Portsmouth by the way pay taxes in NH, and usually have to respond to the MA tax people theirs as well.


Henry

 

[alnav]

Barry, if I were you I would contact a broker or dealer in your area, they will have someone on staff or a vendor who will navigate all the various rules (for a fee around a couple hundred bucks). Most banks also provide the service as part of the loan (also for a fee). If you want to do it yourself, the Virginia procedure is here: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/registration/procedure.asp. Coast Guard documentation can also be done on your own starting here: http://uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvdc/. State registration will trigger a sales tax check no matter which way you go; unless you paid it when you bought it the state will want something but I believe Virginia's is capped on the order of $2K. You're also technically liable for the same personal property tax we pay on our cars in Virginia each year but most counties on the water have waived it for boats, you should make sure yours does or keep the boat somewhere else, that's potentially a lot of money each year.