Message:

1. Never give money without the title.

2. Even you own the lake, in California, it has to be registered, See the third item in
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/boatsinfo/boatreg.htm

3. CA DMV seems more interested in getting the sales tax, making sure you didn't
screw the state on the price, and establishing a paper trail in case it later turns up stolen.
That makes sense.


wrote in message ups.com...

s o wrote:
Hi all,

I planned on buying an old small fiberglass boat with an outboard on it
for about $400. The seller has no title or paperwork whatsoever. I
called dmv and they said bring in a bill of sale(like an invoice) and
they'll decide whether I could register it. Has anyone had similar
experience? how else can I get it registered? thanks.

I have a buddy that years ago bought a boat in CA with the pink slip
promised later. The pink never showed and money was owed on the boat.
Someone suggested he collect receipts from hardware and lumber stores
and claim he built the boat to DMV. He did and it worked. They assigned
new CF numbers.

Just so we're clear, this is illegal. Any boat with an outboard
attached in CA must have CF numbers unless you have a lake on your
property. Good luck.

-phish