Boat title question

Guy has a small boat I want to buy... it had been registered in the past from previous owner but this owner never had the title.....
Is it hard to get the title?? As I wanted to buy it to fish a few public lakes..
Thanks

run and don't stop till you don't remember the boat with no title.

worst mistake you can make, have to have a bill of sale and since it has been registered you for sure need the signed title.

find another.

The owner was saying it was easy to apply for a lost title... but I am skeptical as if I can't get it registered I wasted the money

It's fairly easy if the boat is registered in YOUR name and you need a replacement title. It's a very complicated and expensive task to get a title to a boat that doesn't have one and you don't already own.

If it is so easy, why hasn’t the current owner filed for a title? I would never buy a boat in Texas without a title. There is no telling what you could be getting involved with.

like texan said above, if it is in your name, easy to get a replacement, not in your name and no title, like I said above, run.

it had been registered in the past from previous owner but this owner never had the title.....

To TPWD the name on the title is the person who owns the boat. If you purchase the boat from someone not listed on the title, the purchase is not recognized by TPWD. You cannot file as a lost title because your name is not on the title. It gets complicated very quickly.

The only person that can apply for a lost title is the last owner it was titled to. So if the guy trying to sell the boat never had it in his name then he can’t even apply for a lost title.
So it is not easy at all.
Plus if it has an outboard motor you will also need a title for it. Which is 99% he doesn’t have.

Thanks. Appreciate the feedback. It would be ok for ponds but I'm gonna pass as wanted it for public lakes

Good decision.

Easier than picking Barkley..

Significant grief awaits those who buy a boat/motor in Texas without a title in the person's name selling the items. You are going to have a very nice yard ornament because that is all it can be used for. Run away as fast as you can and don't look back. TPWD does not play around. Go with the person selling the boat to a TPWD office. See what they tell you.

If it's aluminum, you could probably get $.20 per pound, AFTER you saw it up and haul it to the scrapyard. Otherwise, it has NO value. IslandJim