I bought a stolen dinghy

[Moonpie]

Originally Posted by Khagan1227

It would appear you can check the FDLE website to see if the boat was stolen.

FDLE Public Access System | Stolen Boats Search

Since I live part time in Florida and am VERY aware of their Sunshine Laws, I took a shot and there ya go. It probably won't help you out, but perhaps it might help someone else.

Thanks for the link. I did a search and my ex-dinghy doesn't show up

I emailed the guy I bought it from and told him I wanted a refund. He contacted the guy he bought it from, who produced the registration and contact information of a yacht broker - the dinghy came with a boat he bought from the yacht broker. They're all supposedly going to work with the cop and sort it out

I'm pretty confused how this cop thinks the dinghy is STILL stolen. I guess at one time it may have been stolen. I do hope it's all a big paperwork mixup and I get my dinghy back!

[Moonpie]

Originally Posted by downunder

Moonpie,

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Hope you are not having a bad run after the speaker problems.

Heh...nah, no bad runs here :P Thanks mate!

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Moonpie

Not sure what more I could have done. Did plenty of due diligence.

I think what you did was reasonable, especially if you paid market value rather than 10 cents on the dollar! - but some ID and an address that you verified would have been nice to have. Not only to be able to locate him again to try and reclaim your money, but also to have someone else to point the Police to (so they stop looking so hard at you!)........no guarantee that the ID etc is genuine, but for something like this unlikely to have been a one time ID so an alias can be as useful to the Police as a real name.

With a bit of luck the Vendor was also previously duped or was doing a bit of fraud! - in either case you have a chance of getting yer money back, even if it requires a civil claim.

LATE EDIT: I see the story has moved on / been added to - note to self: type faster!

[HappyMdRSailor]

Moonie.... My suspicions of you contributing interesting stories has been verified....

All will work out in the end I am sure!

[DSDman]

Here is how it could have gone down. Sailboat belongs to couple, but boat is in husbands name. couple gets divorced, while proceedings are going on and before a judge rules husband sells boat and dingy. New owner takes both out of state. Sells dingy for a newer model. Divorce degree a year later says sailboat and all accessories belong to the wife now. she files theft report and the wheels start to churn. By the time the state computers all talk to each other it has been two years later and the registration number pops up as stolen.

[waterworldly]

I don't understand why you would register it in the first place. Every dinghy that I have seen was unregistered and marked "TT to Whatever Boat". Even in Florida we have never had a problem, and we have used ours extensively up and down the East Coast and in the Bahamas for years.

[Kettlewell]

You were very lucky in Florida--the numerous on-the-water law enforcement agencies down there love to stop dinghies without numbers.

[waterworldly]

We were stopped, but since we are only US registered, and not residing in Florida, and we are not required for US registered to register the dink, they (FL law) has no jurisdiction. We are not official residents of any state.

[nimblemotors]

Originally Posted by maxingout

Bummer. I hope it works out for you.

Every time I go to Craigslist, I feel like I am looking at stolen property.

Not so much craigslist, unless they ask to meet in a parking lot,
but it ALL looks stolen on ebay.

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by waterworldly

We were stopped, but since we are only US registered, and not residing in Florida, and we are not required for US registered to register the dink, they (FL law) has no jurisdiction. We are not official residents of any state.

I bet they would feel differently a bear and the numbers on your dinghy and found out it was stolen.

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by waterworldly

We are not official residents of any state.

I'd be interested in further discussion on this topic, perhaps in a new thread or offline.

First, there is no "official" residency standard. Every department and institution of the state has it's own method of determining "residency"

Second, there is no non-state method of registering vehicles, bank accounts, or insurance policies that I know of.

So how do you register a boat, get insurance, or handle your banking without claiming to be a resident of any state?

[Kettlewell]

We were stopped, but since we are only US registered, and not residing in Florida, and we are not required for US registered to register the dink, they (FL law) has no jurisdiction. We are not official residents of any state.

You caught somebody on a good day, because that is not the law. CG documentation does not mean that you are not also subject to state law--when you are in Florida you are subject to Florida law no matter what state you are from.

This is from the Coast Guard website:

IS A DOCUMENTED VESSEL EXEMPT FROM STATE JURISDICTION?
No, all documented vessels must comply with the laws of the state in which they are operated. The vessel's document must be shown to state law enforcement personnel upon their demand. States may require documented vessels to be registered (but not numbered) and to display state decals showing that they have complied with state requirements.
Top of Page
IS THE VESSEL TENDER DOCUMENTED?
Documentation of your vessel does not cover the vessel's tender or dinghy. These craft fall within the jurisdiction of the motorboat numbering laws of the state of principal use. Please contact your state agency that handles the registration or numbering of motorboats for further information
Top of Page.

[Alecadi]

Originally Posted by waterworldly

I don't understand why you would register it in the first place. Every dinghy that I have seen was unregistered and marked "TT to Whatever Boat". Even in Florida we have never had a problem, and we have used ours extensively up and down the East Coast and in the Bahamas for years.

Because it's the law... .?? Is that a good reason enough?? Did I miss something?
If it has an o/b engine, it has to be registered, at least here in Florida

[Alecadi]

Originally Posted by waterworldly

We were stopped, but since we are only US registered, and not residing in Florida, and we are not required for US registered to register the dink, they (FL law) has no jurisdiction. We are not official residents of any state.

There is no legal relation between mainboat and dinghy.. They are, in regard to the law, 2 different entities. The fact that the boat is us registered doesn't mean that the dinghy doesn't have to be registered in Fl. More over, for florida residents (i think it's only 90 days) even a documented boat has to be registered for local tax purpose

[Cheechako]

Sounds like you not only have to make sure the seller has the title etc, but need to check that his ID matches it!