Now that summer is gone in the pacific nw (like someone flicked the switch), I thought I would share my experience getting my boat from canada to the states so nobody else gets to experience the drama I did.

I have been craving a comp for several years and waiting to find the right classic composite, crystal waters turned me on to a '94 for a good price in great condition aboot 6 hours away from me in Canada. I talked to the guy a bunch, got closeup pics, asked him if he had paperwork and took the leap of faith and headed up to get it, cash in hand. When I got there the boat was as expected, everything looked great and I was ready to pull the trigger. I ask for the title and he hands me the title - to the trailer. Turns out in Canada they don't do boat titles and there are no yearly licensing or tab requirements for boats. There are no pleasurecraft ownership transfer requirements in canada, just a one time registration transfer requirement that is largely unenforced and only about 8 years old. I call the local insurance office and ask about this and they confirm that bill of sale is all that is needed, everything looks to be on the up and up; I have no reason to believe this guys is bsing me, he owns the trailer and it clearly came with the boat.

I bite the bullet and hand over the cash and haul a$$ to the border sweating bullets the whole way. Get to the border, show them the trailer title and b.o.s and give them the story. Border guy checks trailer & boat ID numbers, sends me thru no prob! Now I think I am home free right? WRONG.

A couple of days later I head to the Dept of Licensing to get titles and tabs. Trailer was a breeze, now comes the boat....We need proof of ownership from previous owner she says. I explain that it is a 20yr old boat, probably been thru a few owners and there is no ownership transfer requirement in Canda....We need proof of ownership to issue a title she says...NEXT!

After much research I find out that the only doc that will work is a vessel registration from the government of canada in my name. You can request this via mail with a copy of the bill of sale and about 5 weeks worth of wait. I do this and finally get registration in my name from the government of canada, take it to the licensing office, and FINALLY get my title & tabs.


MORAL:
If you buy a boat in canada that is coming across the border, make sure the person you are buying it from is the registered owner, has the document from the canadian gov't, have him give you a bill of sale, and just for good measure have him fill out a form you can get from the canadian government website stating that he is the owner of the boat and have it notarized in Canada. The first 2 months I owned this boat were nervewracking as hell, hopefully this saves someone from going through this.

Good news is, after all of this, I love the boat and have been having a blast with it. Now I have 9 months of crappy winter to fix all the little stuff that bugs me.