a friend has a 302 formula in jersey. he ownes it, but guy who lost boat didn't give up the title. what is the best, obviously legal, way to obtain a title or registration?

Check your local laws in Nebraska I had to send a request to the dmv to find the last registered owner, send a certified letter of intent, put an ad in the local paper explaining your intentions (selling for storage,etc). Wait for a minimum 30 days, if no reply take all paperwork to dmv. Its a pain but thats the law here. Randy

Don't know if he can help u there....but it is the guy I use here
Phichol Williams
Express title service
7864430905
Rich sander from the cape referred u

In Texas it must be auctioned by the storage facility owner or agent (manager of storage facility or auctioneer)
They provide a receipt of the transaction.
In addition to being the winning bidder with a recipt from storage facility you must have a copy of the newspaper ad which ran locally to advise citizens of the local city county etc..
at least 7 days prior to the auction.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept (they title Texas boats and PWC's) really makes the process extremely tough.
I bought a pair of skis in this manner a few years ago and had a really hard time because of the date of the classified ad (15 days before auction) The manager had to go before a Notary and have his letter stating the only notification of the auction he placed in the newspaper was this one 2 weeks prior, notarized.
My understanding of the law is that even if the owner or the manager wanted the item they have to get a friend to bid for them and then place theirself as the buyer on the receipt, and that in Texas they can only claim the rent, the cost of notifications (certified letters), and the auctioneers cut of the sale, the balance due, if auctioned above this, is refunded to the tenant.
Trust me on this, sometimes you have to go toe to toe with the manager or owner. All they want is whatever they can get in cash, and for the winner to get the stuff out of the room as quickly as possible. I had to threaten my manger with suit for not following protocol when I was not allowed to title the skis with TPWD. If they do not follow the directives you WILL NOT GET A BOAT/PWC TITLE IN TEXAS.
And, guess what, most don't follow these. They expect that you will take it just like everybody else takes the items out and calls them their own. This doesn't work for getting a title and registration. And then they get crappy with you for demanding your buyers' rights. I told my clown you'll make this good with a full refund or my counsel will make your life a living hell for breaking civil law with a titled motorized vehicle in the State of Texas.. He promptly wrote the letter with a ball point pen and followed me to a Wells Fargo where we got his statement notarized and stapled to his business card.
My experience was a royal pain in the ass getting titled.

See ya,
Kelly

jersey is similar, plus you hafta pay sales tax on the book value even if a dealer going to resell. that's why i am looking for a workaround.

google search a "Lien Service" in your area. They will have all the answers. Most charge $35-50 to get you a title.