03-12-2009, 11:10 PM
I heard from some of you guys on here how frustrating the whole registering of a small boat can be, and I experienced it today. Thankfully, I decided to e-mail the DMV and the Utah State Parks Boating Program ahead of time to get a solid answer before I actually set foot into the DMV to get it registered. I brought the printed e-mail from the DMV in to show them when I started getting questioned at the counter.
Utah law says that as soon as you put any kind of a motor on a watercraft, even a float tube, it has to be registered. The problem is that alot of people don't really seem to know how to go about doing this. At the DMV they may ask for a title, a bill of sale, safety inspection, VIN number, insurance, sales reciept, etc. It's a freakin' inflatable raft made of PVC I bought from Cabelas for under $200! She told me I had to have a sales reciept from Cabelas as proof that I paid taxes on it. I said, "How can I do that? I don't have it anymore and I can't go back to Cabelas and get a sales reciept from a year and a half ago." I showed her the e-mail from a higher up guy at the DMV who specifically said I did not need a reciept, only to fill out a statement of ownership form, and the rest was worked out from there.
So, here's the basics for anyone who wants to know. If your watercraft has a motor less than 25 horsepower, it does NOT have to be titled, only registered. If you do not have a sales receipt, adamantly assure the people at the DMV that all you have to do is fill out a statement of ownership. On this, you have to fill out all this personal info and write down the make, model, and year, estimated value, condition, etc. Also have to state why you don't have a title (because it does not need one!). After they look up on the computer under non-titled watercraft, they can select your type of boat and figure it out from there. They give you the number you have to buy stickers for to put on the boat, and also the registration decal you'll have to renew next year, like a vehicle. Cost me a total of $37 bucks.
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Utah law says that as soon as you put any kind of a motor on a watercraft, even a float tube, it has to be registered. The problem is that alot of people don't really seem to know how to go about doing this. At the DMV they may ask for a title, a bill of sale, safety inspection, VIN number, insurance, sales reciept, etc. It's a freakin' inflatable raft made of PVC I bought from Cabelas for under $200! She told me I had to have a sales reciept from Cabelas as proof that I paid taxes on it. I said, "How can I do that? I don't have it anymore and I can't go back to Cabelas and get a sales reciept from a year and a half ago." I showed her the e-mail from a higher up guy at the DMV who specifically said I did not need a reciept, only to fill out a statement of ownership form, and the rest was worked out from there.
So, here's the basics for anyone who wants to know. If your watercraft has a motor less than 25 horsepower, it does NOT have to be titled, only registered. If you do not have a sales receipt, adamantly assure the people at the DMV that all you have to do is fill out a statement of ownership. On this, you have to fill out all this personal info and write down the make, model, and year, estimated value, condition, etc. Also have to state why you don't have a title (because it does not need one!). After they look up on the computer under non-titled watercraft, they can select your type of boat and figure it out from there. They give you the number you have to buy stickers for to put on the boat, and also the registration decal you'll have to renew next year, like a vehicle. Cost me a total of $37 bucks.
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