Ok, so I am back to thinking of registering the canoe so I can put a trolling motor on. I had decided before just not to mess with it but now I am thinking I will give it a try.
The question I have is…
With no paper work, bill of sale or title, how do I go about getting the canoe registered? I know a watercraft bill of sale needs to be filled out. But I have no idea of the previous owner or any exsisting paperwork. It is an Old Town canoe with a clear serial number on it.
What steps should I take to try and register it? I looked on the DNR site but really did not find much helpful info. So I thought I would ask you guys. I know some one has been in the same boat as me before.
I,m not sure how it’s there, but when I moved from Florida(where if a boat was under 16’ and no motor you did not have to register it} I had to register my kayak here in South Dakota and no one had no idea what to do(not a lot of kayaking in South Dakota). When I went to the courthouse where you get your tags I was given a form that I had to get signed by a Game Warden who look at the serial number on my kayak and OK’ed it you might want to check in to that.
Goals achieved with little effort are seldom worthwhile or lasting.
-Coach John Wooden
The best advice I can give in that situation is to go to the DNR office–there is one in Florence, Columbia, and Charleston (might be another one or two in the state as well) and talk to them about it. They will tell you everything you need to have it done and will go out of their way to help you. It’s obvious that you aren’t trying anything shady so you won’t have any problems. My gut feeling says they’ll just want a letter saying it’s never been registered before because it’s never had a motor on it before. Then they’ll just have you fill out the paperwork with that letter attached.
I have heard of something like that before, where you can take a picture of the boat and serial number and a rubbing of the serial number for them to look at.
Guess I am just going to have to make a trip there and find out what I need to do. Work always keeps me from having time to do things like that though.
If you call Old town with the Serial number, you should be able to get a copy of the MSO (Manufacturers statment of origin). I have heard also that DNR can usually set you up with a “salvaged title” or something to that effect. You will have to sign an Affidavit of sorts affirming that it is your boat and you own it out right. Good luck!
Now that is a good idea. Contacting Old Town might be the way to go. Thanks for the idea.
In some instances, they might only be able to send the MSO to the original dealer (if they are even around, but they should be able to then mail it to you.
If you have any kind of number on your boat they use that. If not they told to put a number on it myself but you would need and proof of purchase if. I just went though a few years back. They also told me that a cop could sign off on it. You just need to get some kind of form from the state.
Goals achieved with little effort are seldom worthwhile or lasting.
-Coach John Wooden
I registered my old town last year with no problems. The serial number on canoe should be inside up at the bow.
After I told dnr what i was doing they asked for serial number and registered it as a new title with no hassle. No past paperwork needed. I looked on craigslist for a like canoe being sold for value amount for property tax.
Neighbor had a little hassle 2 years ago. He had a family member sell the canoe to him for a $1 to get past paperwork. You can print a affidavit of sale off of website.
Well that was a little to easy. I sent Old Town an e-mail and explained what I was trying to do. They said “No problem, we will send you an MSO.” All I had to do was send them the serial number, color of the boat and my address. Bam! All done. Now I guess when I get that, I can just hit the DNR office and get it registered. Should be hassle free.
Now I all I need to do is get me a trolling motor and figure how I want to mount it. I have seen some mounted on the side, just behind the rear seat. Or just clamped on the side of the boat. But I was kind of thinking of making a mount that would mount it off of the stern. Or do you guys think that would be to hard to reach and use?
Well that was a little to easy. I sent Old Town an e-mail and explained what I was trying to do. They said “No problem, we will send you an MSO.” All I had to do was send them the serial number, color of the boat and my address. Bam! All done. Now I guess when I get that, I can just hit the DNR office and get it registered. Should be hassle free.
Now I all I need to do is get me a trolling motor and figure how I want to mount it. I have seen some mounted on the side, just behind the rear seat. Or just clamped on the side of the boat. But I was kind of thinking of making a mount that would mount it off of the stern. Or do you guys think that would be to hard to reach and use?
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I mount mine on the side a little bit behind the back seat and it works real well. It puts the handle right about where I am sitting. You’ll want to build up that spot where you will mount the motor. I used a couple of blocks of wood on both the inside and outside of the canoe just under the lip on the gunnel and ran a couple of bolts thru the ends to hold it in place.