Are you selling a vessel and want to make sure that you have all of the paperwork covered? Do you have an undocumented vessel that you have an interested buyer for and want to have crossed all of your “t’s” and dotted all of your “i’s?” That makes all of the sense in the world. Selling a vessel is a very big deal. You do not want to find out, later on, that you made some small error that leads to big problems. Below, we can “fill in some gaps” about what you could be looking for from a vessel bill of sale.
Who a Vessel Bill of Sale is For
These forms are for those who are selling an undocumented vessel. That means the vessel is not registered with the United States Coast Guard. If it were, then you would want one of our “Transfer” forms. If your vessel isn’t documented, then you don’t need that. However, in that case, you are going to want a bill of sale. If “bill of sale” seems a bit opaque and odd of a name, think of it as a very detailed “receipt” for the sale of your vessel.
No Official Forms, But…
As you’ve probably noticed if you’ve searched online for a bill of sale form for a vessel, there is no “official” form. You won’t find a “United States Coast Guard Bill of Sale” or something similar. Instead, what you may find are “bill of sale templates.” While these aren’t official, they do include the information that you’re probably going to want to put into one of these forms. If you have the right information on your bill of sale, it should protect you as well as the vessel purchaser.
What Should Be in a Bill of Sale
These forms should lay out exactly who is involved with the sale. That means your name, address, and contact information. Moreover, you’re going to want the same for all other parties involved in the sale, too (such as the buyer, whether or not they’re a person/corporation, and so forth). Also, you’re going to want to include plenty of information about the vessel as well. That means you should include the year it was manufactured, where it was manufactured, who did the manufacturing, the brand of the vessel, its model, its length, and even its HIN (Hull Identification Number).
If You’re Selling a Documented Vessel
As part of a vessel’s history, you can upload these forms at our site. Now, if you’re looking to sell a documented vessel, that’s something we can help with directly. In fact, you can go to our site right now and click on “Transfer.” That includes everything you’ll need to cover your back when you sell your vessel. Keep in mind: you want to have any liens and mortgages (including Preferred Ship’s Mortgages) paid off by the time you sell your vessel. To see all of the ways that we can help vessel owners, click here.