Wanted WANTED: Title for an inflatable: WANTED

jcm · 10 November 2016, 13:10

Hello,

Recently purchased a used Zodiac FC470 from someone on Craigslist and the seller had only given me a "bill of sale" but when I tried registering the boat here in TEXAS (boat titles are handled by Parks and Wildlife dept. in Texas), they said the boat was registered to someone else and not the person who had sold me the boat. I tried contacting the seller to resolve this problem but was not able to find him.

I am looking to purchase a TITLE for a Zodiac FC470 or a similar sized inflatable so that I can register my FC. I am hoping to find someone who might have a TITLE to an inflatable boat that they no longer own. I figured in worst case scenario, I can remove the ID plate on my transom and just claim that I bought the boat without the ID plate.

If anyone has any other idea on how I can register my FC, please let me know. I would truly appreciate any help I can get.

Nos4r2 · 10 November 2016, 13:44

Sure it's not a stolen boat? This looks dodgy to me, and if there's any hint of impropriety it's not welcome here.

jcm · 10 November 2016, 14:28

That's the first thing I asked Texas Parks and Wildlife when I was attempting to register the boat and they said it was never reported stolen.

95gstnj · 11 November 2016, 02:33

There should be a process to title an abandoned vessel. There is in my state. You need to attempt to contact the owner through certified mail, post an ad in the local newspaper, wait a certain amount of time, jump through more hoops, etc. Time consuming but it should be able to be done...

office888 · 11 November 2016, 11:54

It's called "title skipping". It's a pretty big crime.