Boat registration in nj?

[Gregorym38]

Hey,

i an looking into getting a small jon boat with a friend, and then mounting a motor on it. How much of a hassle would registration be? Would i need insurance? We are spending about 500 in total on the boat and trailer,

[GaryH]

Just type boat registration in NJ it will give you all the info you need. 

[NJBasstard]

Wether its a hassle or not depends on what you have. Do you have paperwork for the boat or trailer? Did the previous owner ever register the boat in NJ before? If the boat has no title but has been previously registered by the current owner than a notarized bill of sale signed by both buyer and seller could suffice. Even with that it will depend entirely on who your dealing with at DMV. 

 

If the boat is 12' or longer with no title than you have to go through the State Police Marine Buraeu for a hull inspection. They assign a new hull ID and the boat is titled as home-made. HOWEVER, as of a couple years ago you are required to show receipts for all materials used to build the boat. It's exactly the same for trailers..the days of picking up a $100 untitled trailer and easily registering it as home made are over.

 

My opinion as someone who has bought a couple untitled jon boats and was only successful with one in NJ (before the material receipt requirement).. don't buy a boat in NJ without paperwork.

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, NJBasstard said:

Wether its a hassle or not depends on what you have. Do you have paperwork for the boat or trailer? Did the previous owner ever register the boat in NJ before? If the boat has no title but has been previously registered by the current owner than a notarized bill of sale signed by both buyer and seller could suffice. Even with that it will depend entirely on who your dealing with at DMV. 

 

If the boat is 12' or longer with no title than you have to go through the State Police Marine Buraeu for a hull inspection. They assign a new hull ID and the boat is titled as home-made. HOWEVER, as of a couple years ago you are required to show receipts for all materials used to build the boat. It's exactly the same for trailers..the days of picking up a $100 untitled trailer and easily registering it as home made are over.

 

My opinion as someone who has bought a couple untitled jon boats and was only successful with one in NJ (before the material receipt requirement).. don't buy a boat in NJ without paperwork.

what he said. A 12’ boat doesn’t get titled so a motorized 12’ or under kayak or Jon boat is fairly straightforward.  Otherwise, don’t buy it without a title and registration, boat and trailer. 

[Susky River Rat]

16 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

Hey,

i an looking into getting a small jon boat with a friend, and then mounting a motor on it. How much of a hassle would registration be? Would i need insurance? We are spending about 500 in total on the boat and trailer,

The other thing you need to look at is if you are using it in another state or launching it on the other side of the Delaware those laws apply. if you were to use that boat in PA it would need to be registered and titled because of having a motor, even an electric trolling motor. A registered boat pretty much will cover you anywhere.

[casts_by_fly]

1 minute ago, Darnold335 said:

The other thing you need to look at is if you are using it in another state or launching it on the other side of the Delaware those laws apply. if you were to use that boat in PA it would need to be registered and titled because of having a motor, even an electric trolling motor. 

 

A NJ title and registration would be honored in PA.  And NJ law is such that if you are resident you have to have the boat registered in NJ.  The trailer is different.  You could have the trailer registered in Maine (which is apparently a lot easier than NJ) but the boat is a motor vehicle just the same as a car.

[Susky River Rat]

1 minute ago, casts_by_fly said:

A NJ title and registration would be honored in PA.  And NJ law is such that if you are resident you have to have the boat registered in NJ.

I know but, someone stated a 12’ does not get titled in NJ. That would be problematic if he would want to go to another state and use it.

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, Darnold335 said:

I know but, someone stated a 12’ does not get titled in NJ. That would be problematic if he would want to go to another state and use it.

No, its not a problem.  So long as you are abiding by the laws of your home state you are okay.  A registration is what other states enforce.  Title is just ownership.  

[jhoffman]

Even Kayaks come with certificates of origin

[casts_by_fly]

7 minutes ago, jhoffman said:

Even Kayaks come with certificates of origin

 

They should, but most people who don't know about registering boats don't pay attention to it.  For Old Town the MSO is on the back of the paper/card info sheet that you get with the boat.  Most people would just throw it away and it doesn't matter since they never need to register it.

[Susky River Rat]

21 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

No, its not a problem.  So long as you are abiding by the laws of your home state you are okay.  A registration is what other states enforce.  Title is just ownership.  

But in most states you cannot register it without a title. If he can’t register it most states will have an issue with it. Which this is only purely if he does want to go out of state. 

[casts_by_fly]

In NJ, it will get registered but not titled.  He'll get his numbers and NJ MVC sticker.  So long as that registration is current, he's good to go in any other state.  this is the exact scenario I'm in with my autopilot.

 

20 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

Hey,

i an looking into getting a small jon boat with a friend, and then mounting a motor on it. How much of a hassle would registration be? Would i need insurance? We are spending about 500 in total on the boat and trailer,

 

greg,

 

One thing I don't think was mentioned yet in this or your other thread is that if you motorize a kayak or a jonboat, you need to have completed the boaters safety course and get your boating certificate.  NJ requires it for any motorized boat.  You won't need to add the endorsement to your driving license unless you go above a 9.9hp or a couple other conditions.

[Susky River Rat]

3 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

In NJ, it will get registered but not titled.

Gotcha that’s what I was missing sorry.

[Gregorym38]

Ok to clear up some info here, i have not yet determined which boat i would get. My friend and i would split it, and he has his boating license, so i would probably just use it with him. I can always get the certification later. The boat is still to be determined, but at our price point i doubt that they will have paperwork. The outboard on it is in my friends garage, he has 2 extras, i dont know how much hp. I would primarily use it in nj, and ny. I would also probably have to buy a trailer. 
I guess my specific questions are, what kind of a boat should i get that will make registration easiest? Is it that much of a hassle to register? Would out of state be ok? From your past comments, i am assuming yes as lomg as it is registered? 

[casts_by_fly]

15 minutes ago, Gregorym38 said:

Ok to clear up some info here, i have not yet determined which boat i would get. My friend and i would split it, and he has his boating license, so i would probably just use it with him. I can always get the certification later. The boat is still to be determined, but at our price point i doubt that they will have paperwork. The outboard on it is in my friends garage, he has 2 extras, i dont know how much hp. I would primarily use it in nj, and ny. I would also probably have to buy a trailer. 
I guess my specific questions are, what kind of a boat should i get that will make registration easiest? Is it that much of a hassle to register? Would out of state be ok? From your past comments, i am assuming yes as long as it is registered? 

 

https://www.state.nj.us/mvc/vehicles/boating.htm

 

The registration process is easy and straightforward providing you have the paperwork needed.  Its a couple pieces of paperwork, $60, and a trip to one of the DMV locations that does titling (half do titling, half do licenses).  The paperwork is the application form from the website and either your manufacturer's statement of origin (MSO) and your bill of sale/receipt OR the title and registration from a used boat and the old owner with a bill of sale.  The instructions on the website also mention a tracing of the hull identification number (HIN) like a wax tracing but I didn't have to show that (I had it with me).  The website has instructions so as long as you can follow them there will be no problem.

 

For a new kayak (with a motor or where you're adding one), you'll get the MSO when you buy the boat.  Old town's is on the back of the paperwork you get.  Your purchase receipt is the bill of sale.  All easy.  The same if you were to buy a new boat from a dealer (though that's not on your plan).

 

For a used boat, you'll need a bill of sale from the seller (which can be a pretty simple BOS signed by both parties).  If it is registered and titled already then great.  You'll need those too.  That's unlikely for the kayaks you're looking at so hopefully the seller kept the MSO in their paperwork (I wouldn't hold my breath).  You can get replacement paperwork from the manufacturer with the HIN and a BOS, but it might take a while.  For a Jon boat 12' and under, so long as its registered you'll be in good shape.  If its over 12' then I wouldn't buy one without a title also.  Doesn't matter if you're buying from in or out of state.  the same goes for a trailer.  I wouldn't buy a trailer that isn't already registered and titled.

 

One minor thing to consider, if the jon boat you're talking about is under 12' and the motor you add is over 1 hp then you'll need the boat endorsement on your license.  Otherwise if its 12' or more and you're under 10 hp you won't.  Its an edge case but if you're looking at smaller cheap jon boats its one you might find.

 

https://nj.gov/njsp/info/pdf/marine/non-tidal_license-021606.pdf

[Dogface]

20 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

I guess my specific questions are, what kind of a boat should i get that will make registration easiest? Is it that much of a hassle to register? Would out of state be ok? From your past comments, i am assuming yes as lomg as it is registered? 

 

I think you should forget about "easy" registration and get a boat that is safe and best suited for the water and type of fishing you will be doing. 

 

Registration is a one time thing. Once it's done it's done.