Purchased a USCG documented boat, how do I transfer , previous owner passed???

[porsche189]

I purchased a boat that has sat idle for 2-3 years... USCG documentation is from 2016. I found it on the boat. The boat owner was in a car wreck and had passed from complications. Family selling me the boat doesn't do much boating.
I need to find out what I will need in order to get the vessel documented in my name before too much time passes.
Anyone that can help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[skipmac]

Typically in the case of a legal issue involving a deceased person you will need a copy of the death certificate and/or power of attorney from the person now legally authorized to deal with the boat.

I actually handled a sale like this when I was a yacht broker.

[Dsanduril]

I would call or e-mail the NVDC, they really are very helpful. The short answer, if you can still contact the seller is to complete the Bill of Sale. This is where the call to NVDC would be useful, I'm suspecting they will want a death certificate/probate finding or something similar to show that the person signing has the authority to do so.

With the bill of sale you then just file for reinstatement since the old CoD is expired.

[porsche189]

Thank you skipmac!,
I am glad to see that this comes up, and I am not in virgin waters... just new to me. Does it matter that the document is from 2016? and since I plan on moving the boat from texas to florida... anything I need to plan for?

[dwedeking2]

I purchased mine in a similar situation. Skipmac gave good advise. I'd only add be patient. It took me a year to get it all settled. Going back and forth between the parties (broker, widow and .gov).

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

I would call or e-mail the NVDC, they really are very helpful. The short answer, if you can still contact the seller is to complete the Bill of Sale. This is where the call to NVDC would be useful, I'm suspecting they will want a death certificate/probate finding or something similar to show that the person signing has the authority to do so.

With the bill of sale you then just file for reinstatement since the old CoD is expired.

Agree. One of the few government agencies I've called where you usually can reach a person and that person is helpful and knowledgable.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by dwedeking2

I purchased mine in a similar situation. Skipmac gave good advise. I'd only add be patient. It took me a year to get it all settled. Going back and forth between the parties (broker, widow and .gov).

Yes add extra time for the additional red tape. The sale I did the owner lived out of the country and not a US citizen so getting docs back and forth took a while.

[porsche189]

thank you all!
The links and advice are most helpful... I will be on the path, and with any government interaction, patience seems like the answer...

[Cheechako]

Do you have a bill of sale or anything?

[SaltyMetals]

When i bought my boat in 2016 (she originally splashed in 2004) it was important from the VAT point of view that i had a complete documented chain of the two previous owners with copies of the very first sale showing VAT payment along with the subsequent chain of owners. One of these was the widow of a previous owner along with a Power of Attorney showing her authority to pass title. Looked as though it all ran v smoothly.
Andrew

[OS2Dude]

Moving the boat to FL will require you to register it with the state if do/do not renew the USCG doc. USCG doc may be required by the insurance company or bank (if applicable), but neither the state nor the CG require it to be renewed.

[sanibel sailor]

I did it. Broker gave me a bill of sale and washed his hands of the deal. Widow was disabled and DIL had POA. Fortunately, they were cooperative. It was slow but not really difficult. NVDC required death certificate, copy of will naming executor, POA forms, and bill of sale from executor/POA on their form. Took several tries to get it all right for them, each with a long wait. About a 9 month process.

The time lapse of documentation is no issue.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

I did it. Broker gave me a bill of sale and washed his hands of the deal. Widow was disabled and DIL had POA. Fortunately, they were cooperative. It was slow but not really difficult. NVDC required death certificate, copy of will naming executor, POA forms, and bill of sale from executor/POA on their form. Took several tries to get it all right for them, each with a long wait. About a 9 month process.

The time lapse of documentation is no issue.

Compared to the sale I did as a broker this sounds relatively painless. In my case the owner was not a US citizen and if I recall, it was his ex-girlfriend selling the boat. She had all the docs and a letter from the family but we needed all the stuff you listed.

So turned out the deceased owner was from Colombia and had been killed or murdered in a knife fight. That was a interesting tidbit.

So girlfriend had to contact family in Colombia to get the death certificates, PoA, etc. They of course came in Spanish so had to legal, notarized translations. To his credit, the buyer waited out the whole process but it was a very good deal on a nice C&C 30.

[WindwardPrinces]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Typically in the case of a legal issue involving a deceased person you will need a copy of the death certificate and/or power of attorney from the person now legally authorized to deal with the boat.

I actually handled a sale like this when I was a yacht broker.

This is exactly what you do. Have the person with the estate power of attorney sign the bill of sale, include an official copy of the death certificate. You can use the bill of sale from the NVDC.


I did this a few years ago. Pretty easy, really.

[Mithril Bham]

I assume that you have a bill of sale. I went through a similar thing. You need to jump through the hoops. Not rocket science but a pain. Don't assume anything. Make a personal contact and remember that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.