Titling a boat purchased from a no title state

[JRR11]

Hey all,

Recently purchased a 2003 Stratos from Tennessee where boats are not titled. Anyone on here go through this in Indiana?

I have a bill of sale for both the boat and the trailer.

Getting conflicting information from the BMV. One person said I have to go through the court ordered title process. Others say just need to bring in the bills of sale and have VIN checks completed.

Wondering what others experience was with this. TIA!

[rude150]

I bought my boat from out of state- but it had a title.
I got the affidavit from the BMV- had the sheriff come and make sure it wasn’t stolen, fill out paperwork, then another trip to BMV.

You will need to do this for the boat and trailer.

[Last Smallmouth Hunter]

I bought my boat from out of state- but it had a title.
I got the affidavit from the BMV- had the sheriff come and make sure it wasn’t stolen, fill out paperwork, then another trip to BMV.

You will need to do this for the boat and trailer.

How long did the process take?

[jpd_hack]

I've bought one boat in Indiana that had a title but the trailer did not (jon boat that wasn't trailered regularly). I've also bought a boat + trailer from Illinois that was titled. I had to do the following in both cases.

There is a form you can download from the BMV online and then you'll call the local police department and they'll send someone to inspect the VIN / HIN to ensure it hasn't been tampered with. IIRC you'll just need to download and fill out an additional form yourself and then bring the paperwork into the BMV and they'll take care of the rest. I did not have any issues either time. One purchase was in 2018 and one was in 2020.

[rude150]

I don’t remember how long the process took.
You could probably do it in a day, depending on how quick the officer shows up, and u go back to BMV so they can finish the process.

[yetti462]

My neighbor is a state cop, I had the inspection done fast. BMV was surprisingly fast as well.

[BigEasy]

I’ve bought a few motorcycles out of state and it’s the simple process described of having a LEO check it over. The fastest I ever got one inspected I was on my way home and saw a sheriffs car parked in a church lot and thought I’d ask if he could follow me home and do it. He was sound dead asleep so I just sat there and stared at him till he woke up. He couldn’t say yes fast enough when I asked him to do the inspection

[JRR11]

Thanks for the responses, everyone! Process was actually fairly simple. Bill of Sale for boat and trailer and VIN checks. BMV was a breeze for once.

[Slimy Hoosier]

I did the same, just bring all the information you do have to the bmv. I had the BMV lady verify my VIN which was awful. She was unsure if if she say a B or an 8 and tried to claim she couldnt complete it. I was ready to key my own boat to remove the paint to review the engraving. Luckily she caved. Good luck in there the BMV sucks.

Also, my trailer vin was long gone in the bottom of some Wisconsin lake. So I was unable to get a plate for my trailer. Going on 6 years now I have not had a plate on my boat trailer. Driven in front of multiple officers with no issue.

[BackLash625]

I did the same, just bring all the information you do have to the bmv. I had the BMV lady verify my VIN which was awful. She was unsure if if she say a B or an 8 and tried to claim she couldnt complete it. I was ready to key my own boat to remove the paint to review the engraving. Luckily she caved. Good luck in there the BMV sucks.

Also, my trailer vin was long gone in the bottom of some Wisconsin lake. So I was unable to get a plate for my trailer. Going on 6 years now I have not had a plate on my boat trailer. Driven in front of multiple officers with no issue.

That's just crazy.. nothing like the pillars of bureaucracy...