How do I report the sale of a documented vessel

[bayview]

Is there a way to remove my name from the records for a sold documented vessel?

All I can find on line is CG-1340 which is just a bill of sale but doesn't seem to be anything I file with the CG. All seems up to the buyer to document and register though there is no state title since it was documented.

 

[Pirogue]

You might wish to visit the uscg.mil website - the National Vessel Documentation Center section has a FAQ. Noticed this below...

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I SELL MY DOCUMENTED VESSEL?
When the sale is finalized you may complete a U.S. Coast Guard Bill of Sale (CG-1340) or complete the “Sale or Transfer of Vessel” section on the reverse of the Certificate of Documentation (CG-1270). Documentation forms, fee schedules, and instructions are available for downloading on this web site. If there is an outstanding mortgage, the mortgagee ( lender) should complete a Satisfaction of Mortgage. The vessel cannot be removed from documentation with an outstanding mortgage.

 

[bayview]

P I saw that and filled out it or something similar but everything went to the buyers broker. I don't find any way to independently notify the CG I sold it jut how the buyer applies for new documentation. But He doesn't have to

 

[Ski in NC]

Keep copies of the sale paperwork. Otherwise, why worry about it? The paperwork you have proves you no longer own the boat.

 

[bayview]

Because years ago I sold a car but the buyer failed to register it and I kept getting parking tickets that I had to dispute.

 

[SCOTTEDAVIS]

Would it make any sense to send to the USCG via return receipte a letter stating you sold the boat along with a copy of the BOS and any other paperwork?

I would think doing that and then keeping everything including the return receipt in a file in case you ever needed them would not be a bad idea.

I understand your concern regarding having your name removed, I just don't know the 100 percent way to do it.

Regards,

 

[twistedtree]

Send the CG a copy of 1340, or fill out another one and send it to them. That will record the sale, and drop it from active documentation. It's then up to the buyer to file for documentation in his name, if he so chooses.

Don't forget your MMSI and or FCC SA license. The MMSI can stay with the boat, but it would be good to get it out of your name. And the SA license and call sign gets deleted. It's not transferable.

And do you have any EPIRBs registered?

 

[dimer2]

I did as above but would still notice my name against the vessel. I finally gave them a call and found out I had not included the "fee" which was, if I recall, $19.00. They never notified me, just never processed the paperwork.

 

[kthoennes]

Be prepared to wait for months however - I filed the transfer ("exchange") paperwork when we bought our boat late last summer and the CG's document processing center shows current processing dates that are months or even years behind for various transaction types. At some point unless they catch up to some reasonable level, federal documentation for boats is going to become a pointless joke. As it is now, you can't can't really rely on any of the information in the registry because it's months or years out of date.

(I've heard from some others that the processing times on the CG's site are meaningless too - lien releases on recreational boats for example, the processing dates (now for paperwork filed in 2013) come and go but your submission may or may not be processed. One guy told me he paid off his boat and the paperwork was filed in 2012, but the lien still shows).

 

[twistedtree]

Unfortunately, vessel documentation is not the shining side of the USCG. It's actually quite an embarrassment, if you ask me.

Refile with the fee, then monitor to be sure it gets done, but as others have said, plan on waiting a ridiculously long time. 6-9 months woudl not be out of the questions. They list the file dates of what they are currently processing, so you can see how far behind they are, and you can see when you data comes up. There is then a further delay in getting it reflected in the data base.

 

[CaptTom]

Related question, maybe someone here knows:

In the rush to get the paperwork done, I never put my wife's name on the bill of sale or CG documentation.

I'd like to correct that oversight. As far as I can tell, I need to fill out a CG form to basically sell the boat for $1 from me to me and my wife. Then re-document.

Any tips on this? The registration is due to renew in June. Should I wait until then?

 

[kthoennes]

I'd file that now (or yesterday) but don't be in a hurry to have it processed or be reflected in the system - I see they're processing bill of sale forms for recreational vessels submitted in September 2014 lately, if the processing reports really mean anything. File it now, might be processed by mid to late summer.

 

[markpierce]

My boat's current documentation expiration date is shown as December 31, 2015. I had filed for renewal (with fee) in late November as my documentation was to expire at the end of 2014. Apparently, renewals are processed promptly, if nothing else.

 

[kthoennes]

Here's the page with current processing dates:

http://www.uscg.mil/nvdc/nvdcprocessdate.asp

On my boat though, the previous owner filed a lien satisfaction in April 2014. They're processing those from 2013 lately. I then bought the boat in September and filed the bos (exchange) almost immediately. When they reissue my documentation, I sure hope the previous owner's long-satisfied lien doesn't show on what is now my boat, free and clear. Hope they process pending paperwork on each boat as a package and not piece by piece out of order. What chaos.