How do I get a title on a boat if I dont know the name of the previous registered owner?

Question

We live in Texas and we got a boat from a friend who is was getting a divorce and did not have a place to keep his boat. He bought it from a guy a few years back and had not had it on the water because he was working on getting it "water ready". We now have the boat and want to get the title and registration so we can take it out but we do not know who the last registered owner was to file for a transfer of ownership.

Answer 1

If the boat has always been in Texas.

You may need to do a record search with the Texas Parks and Wildlife to find out who the last registered owner was.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications...

There are 2 options once you find out who the last registered owner was:

1. somehow contact that person on title so they can get a duplicate.

2. if the person is not available, you will need to apply for a bonded title, which can be very expensive and time consuming.

You may also want to contact the Texas Parks and Wildlife and see what options they have for your situation:

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744

Toll Free: [phone], Austin: [phone]

If the last registered owner was located outside of Texas, you may need to find out where the boat came from first before you can do anything else.

I work with this type of situation all the time at http://www.eboatloans.com

So I know what steps we need to take to protect the new owner as well as our banks.