If you ask us what are the most common questions we receive every day, customers inquiring about the Abstract of Title would definitely rank amongst the top five. With that in mind, Vessel Documentation Online created this helpful guide with some of the basic features of the document. Let us tell you what this particular paperwork is when you might need it and some of the information you would be able to find on it.
Details You Can Find On An Abstract Of Title
We should start this article by defining what an Abstract of Title is: a formal document, issued by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), that notifies you of all the information submitted from that particular vessel to the governmental agency while the boat was registered with them. Let us add that the US Coast Guard is in charge of the maritime administration at a national level. They oversee everything that has to do with federal waters, along with the protection of our territory from maritime threats.
Keep in mind that the document will only include the details from when the boat was registered federally. If at some point the boat owner decided not to be licensed with the USCG anymore, the information about that period will not come up in this document. You would need a boat title history for that.
As you might know, every USCG-registered boat has a unique identification number. This number is called Hull Identification Number (HIN) and stays with the boat regardless of the owner. The number will come up in the document, which could be useful in the case that one of the old owners of the boat displayed a different number on the vessel, whatever the reason.
Some other details you will be able to check on the document are the owner’s history of the boat, the financial details, and some other information found relevant to the US Coast Guard. If any outstanding mortgage or lien is still on the boat, it will need to be satisfied first.
Why Get This Document
If you are wondering why you would want to get the Abstract of Title that is a fair question. If the vessel you are purchasing is brand new, well, there is no boat history you need to research. Though if it isn’t, you can never be too careful: Normally, what the owner is telling you is true. He or she might not know all of the past of the boat, so the owner might not even be deceiving you on purpose. The abstract will then help you to double-check all the record history from the boat, and prevent you from having headaches about the subject in the future.
Easy Processing Of Boat Documentation
You can quickly access the Abstract of Title and any other type of boat documentation from our site, Vessel Documentation Online, obviously from the comfort of your own place. If you don’t want to lose any more time scrolling through the USCG website and downloading their forms to find out you have to send them in person, our site can help you out. Other than the online processing, you can rest assured that your details will be kept confidential, given that our platform is SSL-encrypted. Additionally, having someone from our staff overlooking your documentation will also prevent you from making any mistakes. Contact us today for any other issue we may assist you with!