Maybe someone who has experience with this can help me because I find the DNR info confusing.  I'm looking at a 16' aluminum boat with motor (20hp).  Current registration sticker shows the year as 1979.  What do I need from the previous owner to transfer ownership to me?

Don't know what the regs say, but a boat that old doesn't have a title, just a registration.  A bill of sale with the license number and hull ID signed by the original owner has always worked for me.

Sounds about right.... Private party boat sales you dont have to pay the state taxes on the boat. Just pay for the sticker..

If its on a trailer, you will need to transfer that also... And pay taxes on the cost of the trailer...

If possible, you and the seller go down to the DMV, and transfer everything over... That way if there are any questions it can be fixed then...

Thanks.  The input was helpful!

I just registered a 1972 square stern canoe that I bought from a guy's Dad at work.  I went in with the VIN # and they said I needed a bill of sale to get a new sticker.  I went out to the truck and made a fake one with my daughter's crayon.  The lady smiled and registered it in my name.

So the lady at the DMV was hesitant at first to do the registration/transfer.  The guy I bought it from and was on my bill of sale did not match the current registration.  I figured out he never registered it in his name and was no doubt looking to sell it before the registration expired.  I think if the boat does not have to be titled then there is no requirement to show continuous ownership like there would be with the trailer or a new and larger boat.  She did ultimately transfer the registration though.  Might have helped that the seller was on the title transfer for the trailer that came with it.  Overall let's just say that I didn't do my homework on this one quite as well as I should have.  This was my first boat buying experience!

You did about as well as could be expected not knowing about the line of ownership and registration.

When we bought our duck boat, we had a "bill of sale" and pics of the registration and everything we could think of... still took the DMV/DNR a bit longer than we had hoped to get it through.

That said, buying a used vehicle/boat from someone other than a dealer is always "interesting".

Question now is, does it float?