When purchasing a boat from a private seller, no matter if it is going to be for recreational or commercial purposes, it is strongly recommended to conduct a vessel documentation center search by vessel name or, at least, USCG number. With all of the necessary information straight from the United States Coast Guard, you might want to keep reading if you want to find out how to conduct the search on our site.
Where Do I Carry out the Search?
First things first: rest assured you can conduct the search on our portal. Once there, you will be able to perform a background check on the boat you are interested in purchasing. Checking the vessel’s history is always a good idea, as it might expose past problems from the boat. By searching for the information on our website, which is updated quarterly, you will have access to information such as the age of the boat, the registered hailing port, and when the boat was last documented. This will allow you to know if the registration has expired or not.
Remember: by performing the vessel documentation center search by vessel name on our site you will have straight access to the USCG database. They update them every four months, so, in case you can not find a boat, that may be the reason.
What Data can I Obtain on a Search?
As a general rule of thumb, the information we will be able to provide you includes ownership information, preferred mortgage filings, lien claim notices, and supplemental data.
In addition to that, when you do a vessel document search, the vessel’s federal status may be extended, so your required information can be affected by recordings on the state level, or foreign registries if the boat has been registered abroad.
Some boats may have hidden claims or filing digressions, so the USCG states that the documentation obtained in the search should not be taken as conclusive evidence of ownership.
We Can Help You With a Bill of Sale And Any Other Form
The Maritime Documentation Center is a private firm that helps users on dealing with all of the documentation required by the USCG. Through our encrypted portal, you can change your boat address, register it for the first time, renew your documentation, get a certified copy, and more! Rest assured that all of your private information is safe with us.
On the other hand, remember that the law requires boat owners to have their vessels properly registered, or risk being issued costly fines. You can find the registration form and all of the documentation you need for your boat on our home page.
If there is anything else we can assist you with do not hesitate to contact us! Our friendly staff will shortly get back to you.