Need some help / advice on trailer title
 

I bought a boat from a member here on OSO. He has been great to deal with, so I am 100% sure the issue I am having is not his fault. I really don't know what my next step should be please see below.

I bought a boat w/trailer for an agreed amount. I am in Michigan and the seller is in Virginia. Things are handled differently in each state. Once seller received full payment he had the lien that was on the trailer and boat released. I have received the boat title, however have not received the trailer title (Virginia titles trailers, MI just does transferable registration). The seller has checked with VA DMV and they state they sent the title to my bank, when it should have been sent to me... My bank states they never received. DMV in VA won't speak to me or my bank, and when the seller talked to them they said it had been sent. So basically I have a trailer without registration/title and tags. Any info/help would greatly be appreciated as my boat is sitting on an unregistered/untagged trailer and could potentially be ticketed or towed at any time. Not to mention, my bank issued me a check to take care of taxes/etc for the entire package, so right now the boat title work hasn't been done either... And I am now approaching two months since completing the sale...... I guess the only good thing is it is still winter. If it was boating season, I would be freaking out...

Have the seller go and get a new title printed up, very minimal cost, sign where he needs to then send it to you. Title has been cleared so this should be an easy stop and go for him. He can just walk in and say he lost his title, and they should be able to print him a new one right there.

The Virginia should be able to go to DMV and apply for a duplicate title. That with lien release from bank would cure all.

Yea if the title still shows the bank lien on it, definitely have to have lien release or title is worth nothing. I assume you have all bills of sale already done and notorized? Seller could probably just take the lien release to the DMV and have them remove the lien and then print up the new one with no lien. Probably be better so you don't have to deal with that portion. And may be a different charge considering it isn't lost, and is a change of status, or maybe not they like there money lol

Just go down there with serial number, trailer weight, and manufacturer and see if they will register it. Tell them it was included in the boat purchase. Mi does title trailers if they weigh 2,500 lbs or more.

Just got off phone with MI SOS and I can register it with bill of sale and weight. The title cut off is actually 5000lbs. But need to get a weight and that will be impossible to do until spring, when I can take the boat off of the trailer. Unless I can get something from the manufacture. Working on that now.

This is correct, I was at MI SOS last night. We purchased a boat and trailer from IL. If the trailer is under 2500 it "may" only have a registration. The next snag is you need something that shows trailer only weight. How big is the trailer, alum, steel??

Ohio registers by weight also, there is a DMV weight slip you take and have punched and signed at a scale.

Find a farm scale or a CAT scale and if you have the gift of gab you can usually get them to stamp and sign the form without even having the trailer there. Or just keep pestering them and they will do it to get you to go away.

I just had my truck weighed and my boat and trailer at a landscape supply place. They give you a weight slip with nothing on it but a digital weight and a signature. You could take a small car down and have it weighed and use that slip for the trailer. Crazy and kind of a waste of time, You pay the $75 and they give you a plate. Guess they are only looking to avoid an unusually heavy trailer.

The guys at the Mill will usually weigh the boat and trailer together, and subtract the weight of the boat. Not a big deal since it's obvious the trailer doesn't weigh 5,000 lbs.