TX boat motor title

[Reagan1k 3,024]

Question for the boaters - My nephew is in TX and has a duck boat with a mud motor on it.  When he bought the motor (separate from the boat), the mfg in LA did not ever send him the paperwork so he could properly title it in TX.  He has no actual title for it.  Since then, the mfg has become non-responsive and may be out of business.

I'm considering buying it from him to help him out of a financial jam but I'll need a title to transfer and register it.  

Is there a way to go through the process of titling a previously untitled boat motor in TX if there are no supporting documents other than the original receipt of purchase?

[Gil Bang 26,048]

I have never heard of registering an engine. The boat is the vehicle. The engine is the engine.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,943]

I bought a motorcycle once from a Bandito.  I paid cash and got a signed title from Georgia.  My car was broken into on the way home and my briefcase with the title was stolen.  It turned out that the guy who signed the title was dead.  I had to get a bonded title in Texas.  I'm not sure if that's a thing for boat motors, but you might check on it.  You basically pay a fee to get a bond that is supposed to guarantee the title.

Edited October 19, 2020 by NeverMarryAStripper

[gyroprotagonist 2,595]

i am disapoint

[Reagan1k 3,024]

3 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I bought a motorcycle once from a Bandito.  I paid cash and got a signed title from Georgia.  My car was broken into on the way home and my briefcase with the title was stolen.  It turned out that the guy who signed the title was dead.  I had to get a bonded title in Texas.  I'm not sure if that's a thing for boat motors, but you might check on it.  You basically pay a fee to get a bond that is supposed to guarantee the title.

Found it.  You are correct and there is a form for use with both boats and / or outboard motors. 

He's going to file that paperwork and try to sell it locally in TX.

If he can't sell it quickly then I'll step in.

Thanks.

 

[Hate 20,146]

At first I was all excited because I thought this would be a motorboating contest and I love motorboating. I realized at a young age that I would never compete athletically as a professional, but then I saw this thread and thought “ I can do that”. Fuck you OP for getting my hopes up.

[Jkwellborn 6,748]

I have never heard of registering an engine. The boat is the vehicle. The engine is the engine.

And both are titled in Texas.

I just wanna see pictures of the setup.

[davidg 4,038]

I could be wrong but without a manufacturer's statement of origin and documents from the dealer you will probably have to do a bonded title and it will take some time and be a pain in the ass  before it could be sold again.   As a general rule never buy a water craft in TX without a title in hand.

[Reagan1k 3,024]

24 minutes ago, Jkwellborn said:

And both are titled in Texas.

I just wanna see pictures of the setup.

I don't have any pictures, but have seen it when visiting him and its a 23hp mud motor on a 15 - 48 hull.  Pretty nice. 

11 minutes ago, davidg said:

I could be wrong but without a manufacturer's statement of origin and documents from the dealer you will probably have to do a bonded title and it will take some time and be a pain in the ass  before it could be sold again.   As a general rule never buy a water craft in TX without a title in hand.

Yeah - For sure with a private sale, but this was a new, crated motor-only purchase through a dealer, drop shipped from the factory.

Thankfully he worked it out yesterday. 

He bought the motor from a dealer and the title paperwork was supposed to follow, but didn't.  Someone dropped the ball between the mfg. and dealer.  Long story short, he finally tracked down the mfg. via social media when all the phone calls and emails failed and he thought they'd gone out of business.  They have now mailed the proper paperwork.