Documenting A Boat
 

Hey guys, I have a new boat ordered and the bank requires that I document it. I am all for this but want to do it right. The dealer suggests that I go online to one of the companies listed and do it myself and save a few bucks from having him do it for me. It seems that the going price is around $350.00.

Is this how you guys have done it? Any suggestions or comments are appreciated.

Thanks
Mark

I used Hampton Roads Documentation Service,its worth the fee and no hassel.I know people that have done it themselves and they would not do it again.

Same here, I let the loan company take care of it for me, I did a lot of checking myself and thought about it. Turned out it cost the loan company more than they charged me to do it because of the registration that was never done by the previous owner. It will save you a big headache, spend the extra money.

I documented my boat with little trouble. Downloaded the forms from the Coast Gaurd, used some information from the survey, and called the coast gaurd with any questions. Not that hard. The boat had never been documented before.

I used
Lake Ozark Marine Documentation & Titling Services
P.O. Box 66
Portage De Sioux, MO 63373
314-899-1575

I didn't have any problems and they even take care of my renewal certificate if I want.

I have had two boats documented (working on a third) and from my experience, its worth the $350-$400. You can go to the US Coast Guard website and get all the forms, fill them out and send them in, but sometimes the information on the boat is not that easy to get. If you deal with a "documentation" company, they typically have the information and if they do not, they will contact the manufacturer and get it. No hassle except for writing the check.

My .02