Purchasing a second-hand boat will let you spend days of sailing or relaxing under the sun. However, it’s difficult to enjoy those moments if the ship you bought is without proper documentation or with liens attached to it. That’s why experts encourage buyers to perform a Coast Guard documented vessel search before making a final decision.
Through a Coast Guard documented vessel search, you’ll know whether or not the boat’s documentation is active and if there are liens on it. Don’t invest into something that you’re not sure of. Make sure that you perform the search first before buying it.
If the search gives you a result that indicates that the documentation requires renewal, you just need to go to our Renewal page and process it yourself. However, if there are liens involved, the seller has to handle them first. Never purchase a boat with liens because you’ll be carrying the burden after buying it. Make sure that the title of the boat is clean as well.
At Vessel Documentation, we provide Coast Guard documentation search, renewal, initial documentation and other services that will help you easily process boat documentation.
How can I perform a Coast Guard documented vessel search?
It’s a federal registration of a vessel. But not all ships can be documented. One of its requirements is that the ship has to weigh five net tons or more. It has to be approximately 27 inches and above. Not all boats meeting the conditions must be documented. However, if you’ll use the boat for commercial purposes, then documentation may be necessary.
Boat documentation may also be necessary if you’re applying for a loan. Banks and other financial institutions require applicants to present a certificate of boat documentation before they finance a portion of the boat purchase.
The documentation is your ship’s passport when sailing in foreign or international waters. You can also use it as an authorization to use your boat for specific trades. Because the documentation allows the recording pressed mortgage on the abstract of title, lenders will have the assurance of a recorded lien at a federal level. Furthermore, the documentation prevents illegal transfer of boat title.
Thus, when you conduct a US Coast Guard documented vessel search, the search result will give you pertinent details about the boat, including information about clean title and liens. When performing such search, however, make sure that you know the boat’s official number or complete name. You can start your search or you can call us at (866) 981-8783 for additional information.