I have a Water Skeeter pontoon and didn't know registration was a requirement if I use a trolling motor until a Game Warder told me so. Has anyone ever registered this type of inflateable and what is required to do so?
Also, how did up put TX numbers on it?

Thanks for any and all help,
TB

A lot of people have theirs registered/titled. You need a form PWD143 with a Manufactured Statement of Origin.

If you bought used, show a bill of sale so you don't get taxed (6.25%) on the full retail amount. If new, then no sales tax will be added. $32 for the registration and $27 for the title. Those are approximate figures so better check with the TPWD to make sure.

As for the numbers, you can stick them to the toon or make a plate with them hanging from the side.

Maybe someone else can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

Sounds about right to me. Just go down to your local Texas Park and Wildlife office for guidance.

If your inflatable does not have and individual identification number then you are in for a whole bunch of headaches trying to get one assigned on a used boat. I sold both my pontoons for that very reason.

I won't lie. Mine was a pain to register but it was worth it. Most pontoons come with an HIN, especially if they have a motor mount. It's the MSO that was tricky to get for me. I was about to a point where I was going to write out my own bill of sale from a friend who'd back me. But the dealer came through in the end.

Mine wasnt too hard to do just had to call the manufactuer and get an HIN#.

I registured mine about a month ago. Yes it is a pain if your toon does not have a HIN or if you bought it used and cannot contact the previous owner. I followed the instructions on the TPWD web site and found a way to get it done. Here is the web page to help you get started:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/

I like using my trolling motor on my toon.

Hi. New to this forum though I have been lurking for awhile. I haven't registered a boat in quite a while, but there used to be a "home made" boat section which could sometimes be used if you didn't have HIN or if you have customized somewhat.


Best way I have to display registration numbers for an inflatable has been to use plastic venitian blind slats that are wide and long enough. Just stick the numbers to that and use clear package tape to insure that numbers stay on. I like the flexible aspect of the plate material, which allows compact storage while still allowing full display when stretched with bungee or braided nylon line between two fixed points on either side.

Hope this helps.

Porta

Welcome to the forum. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a piece of clear mylar, cut it in strips and stuck the registration to it. I use either bungees, zip ties or string to attach the strips to my toon.

Well a month later and I am still fighting the battle to get the thing registered. Took me 3 weeks to get the Water Skeeter dealer to respond to my emails/phone messages. He emailed me a MSO but TP&W would not accept that because it was a photo copy. Just got another email from Water Skeeter saying they will mail me an original. I hope this does it.
All this for a $500 dollar intertube.
Bureaucracy at it's finest!

TB

You aren't in Midland are you? This sounds too familiar, though it only took me a few weeks and some FedEx $$$ to get my 3rd and final MSO. You might try driving to another town. My understanding is some TDPW's are more lenient than others.

It is ridiculous for an inflatable craft that does 3 mph. These should be exempt with an electric motor under X-number of boost imo. It's about the equivilant of being forced to register your kid's powerswheels.

I went to the one in Austin and they still had a 10 min confrence before they said ok to me.

I tried to register a 12' pontoon with a motor mount but no ID #.
This required a trip to the courthouse to get the sellers form plus an avidavit for the previous owner to fill out as to why it was never registered. Once I got that down the next step was to go find a TWPD field office to make sure I had all the paper work in order. Then I got another paper from them to take to he game warden that would inspect the craft and issue an ID#. Then back to the courthouse to pay the fees to get the registration.
Had two problems. The previous owner would not return calls, email, letters, or even registered letters. Secondly, if I was able to get all the proper paperwork there is only one GW in NorthEast Texas that inspects and issues numbers.
It got to be too much of a hassle so I just sold it at a loss and washed my hands of the whole mess.

Dang, that sucks. That's why I bought new so I don't have to worry about those issues.