Boat Title and Insurance Question

[Shortbow]

The green screen can usually answer most questions and solve most problems, lets see how you guys do no this one.

A man has a boat that gets stolen. The insurance company pays the owner of the boat for the boat. The boat is later found and returned to the owner except it has been completely stripped, it is now just a boat and trailer. No motor, no electronics, or trolling motor, etc... Even the VIN number has been removed.
The insurance company is notified that the boat is now back in the possesion of the original owner. The insurance company says just leave the boat there and we will come get it.

Five years later the boat is still sitting there. The owner decided to sell the boat by bill of sale.

CAN THIS BOAT BE REGISTERED?

Can this boat be legally sold by the original owner?

[dhillis]

not exactly sure. but since the insurance paid for it, it is theirs. Now that it has been there for 5 years you can put a lien on it for storage cost and with cars you put a lien and send a certified letter stating they have 30 days to pick up the vehicle. Look up mechanics lein.

[Fishndude]

The "owner" is the insurance company. He cannot sell it!

Good luck "man"!!

[LeanMachine]

yes it can be registered. You would have to apply for a lost title. Sometimes a GW will come out and verify that there are no numbers to identify the boat with.

[Gerald G]

No, is the best answer. You can not get a boat registered in Texas without a title. A bill of sale will not work.
I think the best thing for him to do is call the Ins. company and ask what they want to do with it and go from there.
He got paid for it, the boat belong to the Ins. company. They may tell him to do whatever he wants with it. But anyone that buys it is looking for trouble since the VIN number is gone.
TP&W does not look kindly on those kind of things.

[Miki]

Its a totaled boat. He would have to have a release of title from the insurance company then he could do what he wanted. Well with that said get the release because they dont care and do what you want. Like dhills said 5 year storage fee you would charge the insurance they will give your the totaled title.

[theboydoutdoors]

No Vin might be a problem if the guy you sold it to tries to do anything with it.

[Atfulldraw]

so it doesn't have a VIN number?

number number...

[txcountryboy86]

if there is no vin, how can they identify it as his boat?!? sorry for stirrin the pot.......

[Rotag]

You can get a new VIN or rather it will be called a boat ID number but I would get a letter from the insurance company first.

[Shortbow]

Thanks guys. I don't know that I have the time or the desire to track down everyone it would take to make it work. This was not my boat but someone in classifieds on a different site. The VIN # was ground off when it had been stolen. I agree that this boat should belong to the title company but like stated before, it would not be hard to charge the title company for 5 yrs of storage then exchange the insurance Co. for the title in exchange for their storage bill. That is if they can even get the title back.

[Crookhunter]

If the insurance co. releases the property to you, you can do a 68A and get a HIN (hull identification number) reassigned and the boat can be registered agin legally.

[Codie]

If the insurance company paid you for the stolen boat, and it was later returned to you and the insurance company told you to hold on to it and they would come get it. Then I would be asking the insurance company what to do since it is their boat. I wouldn;t do a thing with it until I made contact with the insurance company.