An occasion in which you need to find out the name of whom a boat’s title is may someday appear. You may be involved in an accident in which the other boater sped away, for instance, and if that is your case you may be able to identify the boat by its name and port of hail. Yes, you will always need to gather certain identifying information from the other vessel, but that can just be obtained with a glimpse. Read on if you want to learn how to conduct the USCG vessel owner search on our website.
Step 1
The first thing you need to know is that some jurisdictions are a bit more protective than others when it comes to the title information of boat owners. However, in the case of an accident report or a pending lawsuit, you may be entitled to have access to that information.
To begin with, you need to check on the other vessel’s registration. Every boat should have a small square or rectangle sticker on either side of the bow. This information will let you know if the boat is registered by the Us Coast Guard or if it is documented locally, in its own state.
Step 2
Write down somewhere all of the boat’s identifying information that you notice. You can use the notes app on your phone, or the old way with a notebook and a pencil.
Look for the stern or the back of the boat where you should be able to find the Hull Identification Number (HIN). The HIN has been compulsory for all vessels since 1970 and it is a unique identifier for watercraft in the United States. We are saying watercraft because that includes smaller crafts like a kayak or even a jet ski. You may also find it on the right side of the board if it is facing forward.
Some boats may have a name and port of hail on the stern, and they should also be included.
Step 3
Once you have gathered all of the information we have been talking about it is time to do something about it. You can now conduct the USCG vessel owner search. If the boat is documented with the Coast Guard, the name and port of hail of the boat should appear on the database with all the vessels organized by name. That information would be enough to provide you with the owner of the boat title details.
On the other hand, the watercraft can be registered in a state, in which case you are going to need to find the relevant state agency and enter the HIN OR vessel name.
In any case, you may find all of the relevant information on our site. Just press the “vessel documentation button” on the left side of our website so we can help you. Furthermore, you can process other boat documentation like the renewal, abstract of title, or Certificate of Documentation to name a few. Complete the form and Vessel Documentation Online will do the rest!