Before I go into this brusk guide which gives you some options on how to register a Jon gunkhole with no title, permit me requite yous a quick word of alarm.

If y'all are in the market place for buying a used Jon gunkhole, exist really cautious about ownership one second hand that doesn't come with a title, HIN, or VIN. If yous practice buy information technology, you could end upwardly in a real mess that costs you more that actual used boat cost.

There accept been reported cases where people have bought Jon boats with no championship, and never been able to resolve the state of affairs.

However, it'south not to say it'south impossible.

To develop the guide below, I researched as many cases online that I found where people had attempted to register an old Jon gunkhole with no title, HIN, or VIN.

I've compiled all these notes into a set of questions near how to register a Jon boat without a VIN number or title, with real-earth examples where people were able to do it. I hope it helps!

Tips for registering a Jon boat with no title

One of the offset examples I found online when looking into this problem was a guy in Florida who wanted to know how to register a 14-foot Jon boat without a VIN or title in Florida.

He said it had been sitting around doing nothing for a couple of decades and whilst in that location was no motor or trailer with it, he did program to accept an outboard so wanted to exist completely legal and above board.

Here are some of the tips that he received back on how to register his Jon boat without a VIN number or title.

#1: Talk to your local tax office

Get in touch with your local tax agency, telling them everything you know almost the boat, including the spec, size, and where you got it from.

They will be able to walk you through the process of getting the boat registered.

#2: Talk to your local DMV

If you lot can find the HIN on the gunkhole (read my instructions farther down this page) then take that number to your local DMV. What they can exercise is query their database of records to find out if there is whatever information available on the gunkhole's history, previous owners, and titles.

If the DMV are unable to track downwardly whatever historical data, they will usually tell you what agency you need to contact next.

For example, let's say that you were able to find the HIN and gave that to the DMV or revenue enhancement bureau, they will then contact the registered title holder.

The letter will tell the previous title holder that a new person now wants to register the Jon boat. It'south then upwardly to them whether they sign and return that letter.

Now, if the Jon boat has been stolen, and you've bought it used, this is where things could go complicated, equally the owner will be notified that it'due south now you who has their gunkhole in your possession.

Another attribute that could happen here is that the Jon boat has had multiple owners historically, some of whom might not have registered it at all.

Every bit the revenue enhancement collectors will be writing to the final known registered possessor, they might not even exist the most recent actual owner.

Y'all tin meet why things can get quite messy here, and why in some cases, Jon boat owners have been unable to get a title for their newly caused purchase on the used market.

#3: Get a bill of sale if buying from the previous owner

If you are buying the boat, rather than it only existence handed down to yous, ever, always, get a pecker of sale from the person you lot purchase it from.

Both of y'all need to sign information technology; seller and heir-apparent.

Past doing so it will help with getting the Jon boat titled and registered properly.

If you don't know the HIN, and don't have a bill of sale, this is where y'all tin really come into bug – information technology might not even be worth trying to get the Jon boat registered. I've spoken to people who believe it'due south cheaper in the long run to just purchase a dissimilar boat which has all the correct documentation.

Please note: the communication above is specific to how to register a Jon boat with no title in Florida, but the process volition be similar in other states then delight exercise your own research. The next examples are taken from people who were trying to register without a VIN in Arkansas, Indiana (IN), Wisconsin (WI), and Canada.

Laws will differ from state to state

Brand sure that you know the law in your land when buying a boat. It is your responsibleness as the buyer to know your local regulations, don't but accept the word of the person selling it to you – contact your local state DNR office.

This is particularly important if you are going to exist buying a gunkhole in one state and transporting it beyond country lines. Know what the rules are in both states about registering boats with no titles.

How to register a Jon boat with no title in Arkansas

The process of registering a Jon boat in Arkansas is probably one of the near complex examples I establish online. It goes something similar this:

  • You need the nib of auction, or the registration document from the last 12 months.
  • Yous demand proof of insurance.
  • Your boat will accept to be assessed for personal property tax.
  • You lot volition need to provide evidence that you have paid personal property taxes.

It might exist like in your ain state, only certainly looks more in-depth when compared to registering a Jon boat without a title or VIN in Florida.

If y'all do have the Jon boat's title, in most cases, turn it over and on the back y'all will find the neb of sale on information technology, which has entry marks for the by owner to sign over details to you.

This is to testify it hasn't been stolen, and includes how much the boat was sold for, the previous possessor'south signature, and a date.

If you don't have the title, at the very least try to brand sure that you accept your ain version of a bill of sale. This should take the following format:

"I (electric current owner prints their proper noun) hereby grant ownership to this (year, brand, model, and VIN number of the vehicle) to (buyer of the vehicle) for the price of ($$$). (electric current owners' signature) (buyer'due south signature)"

This approach can piece of work when taking this document into your local DMV. That are known to accept this blazon of evidence when issuing new titles.

One last thing, in Arkansas you don't need to register a boat if it doesn't have a motor on it. This doesn't include trolling motors, so if you take bought a Jon boat with no championship, you don't take to register information technology if you are but going to be trolling-powered.

Registering a Jon boat with no title in Canada

I found one example in Canada where a guy bought a 1965 Jon gunkhole from a trustworthy enough seller, but the seller was unable to locate the championship papers.

The new owner was able to register the Jon boat in his own proper name using the registration numbers that were still visible on the boat.

This was in Ontario, in Canada.

He was too advised by the local authorities to keep the pecker of sale and registration papers inside of his Jon boat to avoid any possible problems in the future.

How to register a Jon boat with no title in Indiana

Indiana is completely unlike when it comes to registering a Jon gunkhole with no title or VIN/HIN. Instead, their states law say that yous don't need to championship the boat if it cost y'all less than $three,000 dollars.

Given that Jon boat registration issues and lack of titles only occur when ownership in the used market place, this should hateful that an Indiana purchase volition probably be less than that in most cases, and then no title will be required.

How to register a Jon boat with no title in Wisconsin

If you want to annals a Jon boat in WI, and tin't track down the title or documentation, it could exist even easier.

In Wisconsin, any gunkhole under 16 pes in length doesn't crave a championship, just a registration card. Anything larger than that volition need a card and title.

Related questions

Whilst doing my inquiry, I also came beyond some usually asked questions relating to registering a Jon gunkhole with no title. Hither are those questions with some curt answers.

Where is the HIN on a Jon boat?

The Hull Identification Number (HIN) will be located in the upper starboard (right) expanse of the transom. It will be embossed, engraved, or stamped on.

It's simple plenty to identify an HIN. The commencement three messages will be a short code of the manufacturer, which will tell what company congenital the boat.

If you can't run into the HIN on there, peradventure it was removed, so the state that the Jon boat was last registered in will accept it on record.

If you can find the HIN number on the Jon boat, it volition brand the process of registering and titling much easier. Accept the HIN to your Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

If the local DMV can't help you, and then can ordinarily put y'all in touch with an bureau who can.

What if you tin can't find the HIN on your Jon boat?

If yous can't discover the HIN, or rail down a bill of sale, it will make the process of registering the Jon boat very tricky. But non impossible.

Yet, it might even end up costing you more to become information technology registered and titled than information technology did to buy the old boat.

Jon boats from before 1972 won't have an HIN

If the Jon boat pre-dates 1972, so it won't have a HIN on it anyway.

In a case like this I would suggest y'all contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) or similar agency in your area. They might then exist able to issue an HIN for the old Jon boat.

I read an case merely like this on a boating forum where a guy was fixing up his grandfather's one-time Jon boat that had been sat in the yard for decades.

He could encounter no HIN on the boat at all, the reason being information technology was built before 1972, so information technology wouldn't accept had an HIN in those days – I don't believe they started up until 1973.

He needed to get the Jon boat titled and registered only could observe no bear witness of any HIN or series number at all.

What he ended upwards doing was downloading a Highway Condom & Motor Vehicles 82040 form, and and then getting a notary confirming that the Jon boat had no HIN.

He took that documentation to a revenue enhancement collector's office and then were able to event him with an HIN.

Is it worth buying a Jon gunkhole with no title?

This is the killer question.

A friend of mine bought a Jon boat with no title and he told me that it simply wasn't worth the hassle. He needed to find paperwork that he simply couldn't get concord of.

He ended up binning the boat off and buying another cheap used model that had all the correct paperwork, just to salve himself on the hassle and costs of trying to become the previous one registered.

The last word…

And so, there you take it, some notes on how yous might be able to go your Jon boat registered in a few unlike states.

To exist honest, if you are buying something actually cheap off Craigslist or similar, I would walk away if you tin can't get the correct paperwork.

Not only could it exist a sign that the boat is stolen, only the sheer hassles you might come across trying to get it registered with no championship could be outweighed by simply choosing a different boat which ticks all the paperwork and ownership boxes.

You can purchase one second hand with a title for but a few hundred dollars.