Denis Marier wrote:
I am a little uneasy to buy a used sailboat.
I do not know of any mechanism that can tell me if there are any monetary
liens against a sailboat. If I buy a boat and pay the seller in full who
will prove that I own the boat. The seller may still owe money to the bank
that makes the bank the real owner.
One of our club member did buy a boat in the US and managed to obtain
clearance from the lending institution. This may not always be the case.
Many are saying that I may have to hire the service of lawyer to get clear
ownership other suggested the service of a broker. In Canada, lawyers are
only responsible for what information they have access or made available to
them. I would appreciate any comments and suggestions
TIA

In Canada there are two systems of boat ownership:

- Registered
- Licensed

If it is a registered vessel, you can easily check the title
is clear of liens.

If it is licensed it will have a number on the bow. In BC
they usually start "13K ....". Licensed vessels may have
liens against them and you won't be able to tell. Licenses
are for smaller boats (under 15 gross tons), effectively
about 40' or so.

Evan Gatehouse