I am on the hunt for an inexpensive trailer to haul my 14' jon boat and have ventured into the wilds of Facebook Marketplace. I am looking in the Houston area so there are lots of sellers with various combinations of Boats Motors and/or trailers, and trying to sort out what's worth calling on vs what's garbage or just not worth the hassle. Many are listed as Bill of Sale only, no current title - what is the hassle factor trying to title a motor, boat, or trailer? Do you have to have a title on a little Jon Boat trailer, or could I fix it up and call it a homemade trailer? Assume boat & motor title is a much bigger problem?

As an aside - it seems like there are quite a few sellers (individuals) that have a little inventory of various boats etc. and the couple I have called there was a language barrier. Assume those folks are just resellers?

If anyone has a little trailer for sale let me know.

Thanks

If the trailer has been previously registered and you are buying it from the person it was previously registered to it makes it much easier. I recently bought a 19' sail boat and the trailer was a bill of sale. I didn't have the plates and the bill of sale did not have the plate number on it. I had to call the seller back and have him provide the plate number that was registered to the trailer so my County tax office could verify the previous owner.

They are really cracking down on trailer theft by making it very hard to sell a stolen trailer. I would not buy one that didn't at least have verifiable match between the registered owner and the seller. If you try to register it as shop built you will have to go through a DPS inspection of the trailer. If it has a VIN on it somewhere that's going to create problems. I don't know what other criteria they have to register it as shop built. It's a huge PITA for something that is probably worth $200.

Boat is probably going to be similar situation. If you can show that the seller had it registered at some point under their name you will probably be OK. If not I would steer clear.

Call the Tracker Factory Outlet store in Ft. Worth. They sell Tracker scratch and dent stuff there.
I was there before Christmas and they had some Jon trailers sitting there in the back.
They make some pretty good deals there.

Also, been looking for an old Jon boat trailer to turn into a kayak trailer. After talking to the county tax office and reading what other people have gone through it is not worth it to buy a cheap used trailer if it don't have a title or registration. Also you must make sure the VIN on the trailer is intact and readable regardless.

Most likely any boat trailer you buy will be a manufactured trailer.

Off the state's trailer registration website.
Texas Trailer Registration
Note: A manufactured trailer with missing paperwork cannot be registered as a homemade trailer.

These are the steps the county tax office gave me to register a manufactured trailer with missing paperwork, or Incomplete or Unreadable VIN.
1. Make an appointment for VTR-68A inspection.
2. Bring all relevant paperwork with you to inspection (including but not limited to receipt, bill of sale)
3. You will need to go to a county court judge or higher to receive judgment awarding ownership of the trailer described. (cannot be a Justice of the Peace).
4. Contact you Regional Service Center to obtain more information.

Also, it says that a peace officer may seize the trailer without warrant if the officer has probable cause to believe the trailer is stolen or if the VIN was removed or altered.

I've given up on the used trailer route unless I find that purple unicorn out there that is registered and will just buy a new trailer.

The laws get even more confusing when trying to get something from out of state.

I was recently gifted a bass boat, motor and trailer from my dad in Vermont. He hauled it down here to Texas and signed over all the registration cards from Vermont. He never had a title for anything because Vermont didn't require one because of its age. One thing Vermont does right, they print a blank bill of sale on the back of your registration card.

I took those to my county tax office (Fayette) and thought this would be an easy process. It took me three trips to them and one to TPWD in College Station to iron everything out and re-register the package in Texas.

A lot depends on the mood of the person at the county tax office too. In my second trip I had all my paperwork in order. Kindly explained my interpretation of the Vermont law and was turned away because that is what TPWD told her to do.

Shout out to the TPWD office in College Station. The young lady there took all my info and processed what my county tax office refused to do and had me out the door in minutes with tags in my hand. I now have Texas titles for everything.

My county requires an inspection by the regional auto theft task force whether you're trying to register as shop made or home made.

I'd be very cautious buying a used trailer these days. The task force can seize the trailer with no warrant if they believe it's stolen and you likely won't get it back.

So all of these Boats Motors and trailers I see for sale with no title ("Bill of Sale Only") are basically worthless..... That is disappointing - there are lots of trailers available and several boats available that would be a real upgrade for me......

I think it depends on the total weight, and what it is rated for. In my experience the trailer was the first thing I was able to push through at my county clerk.

I think Academy sells an inexpensive johnboat trailer? I see a 14 footer on their site for $1500. Maybe that's beyond your budget?

I know it's a ways off, but these folks deal in used boats, motors and trailers. They usually have several for sale and decent prices. In San Antonio.

A Plus Boat Services

AgTech88 said:

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So all of these Boats Motors and trailers I see for sale with no title ("Bill of Sale Only") are basically worthless..... That is disappointing - there are lots of trailers available and several boats available that would be a real upgrade for me......

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No they're not worthless. If there is a vin and they're trying to sell as a home built then yes stay away. If no vin and you don't suspect foul play I wouldn't have an issue. Some counties don't require DPS inspection.

What about all of the boats and trailers (not homemade) that dont have titles or any info on previous registration or owner etc. Is it just too big a hassle or risk to mess with?

AgTech88 said:

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What about all of the boats and trailers (not homemade) that dont have titles or any info on previous registration or owner etc. Is it just too big a hassle or risk to mess with?

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Not sure how uniform each county handles it, but see my post above for the 4 steps my county says you have to go through to register a trailer with a VIN but no paper work. #4 is the wild card because there may be more steps you have to go through.

That #3 - "You will need to go to a county court judge or higher" seems like the deal killer from a hassle standpoint........