Stolen boats

[thelump]

A friend of mine is in the process of buying a second hand boat fro
a private seller. How can she check that it is not a stolen boat?

[TheRealAndy]

ITs nearly impossible to do it, but you could try ring the police to see if the hull number and engine number is listed as stolen. IF you are in qld might also pay to give the cops in NSW a call.

[onerabbit]

Isnt there somewhere you can do a REVS check for boats?

Muzz

[Steeler]

Andy you are so right it aint funny. About three years ago one of my young blokes friends at school his father rang me to say he had a old Caribbean Camaro hull with a 80 blueband in the back yard it had been there for about 8 yrs untouched grass growing underneath it.He could not start it one day so left it to nature in the back yard.He asked me if i wanted to check it out and offer it to me no cost as he knew i did not mind the odd hull refurbish or engine rebuild project.

When the project was complete all i had to do was get a receipt from him take it down to the nearest dealer for a HIN and presto the boat was mine.

I remember thinking at the time if someone is brazen enough to nick a boat then doctoring up a dodgy sales receipt is nothing and all of a sudden you own a boat.

I know i got a little off track but like Andy says ask as many questions as you can with the relevant authorities.Even ask the current owner perhaps for any receipts for maintenance or service work that might suggest how long they have had it in there possession.

[TheRealAndy]

Isnt there somewhere you can do a REVS check for boats?

Muzz

REVS will only telly you if boat is under finance, and I think its only for QLD boats.

[cormorant]

Police also list stolen vehicles on revs and so do insurers - I assumed it was the same wih boats? Revs is a register of interests be it finance or vehicle of interest

There is a revs in NSW but I am not sure if it is linked to interstate - that would only be logical but we all know about logic and paperwork between states

[gone_fishing]

doesnt water ways keep records of owners with the hin identification plate
dont think you could sell a boat legally in nsw without a hin ...
i guess that if it worth some good coin it should have one or make them get one
and asking for a history is good idea or their purchase reciepts


or if it a cheapy hmm paint it a different colour:lipsrsealed:

[cormorant]

unfortunately rebirthing a boat and aquiring a new hin is all to easy for the crims and the odds of getting caught ( unless the old owner stumbles across the boat) don't seem high/. Let us face facts it is just a rivoted on bit of ally. Would the old owner even blink if he got his insurance pay out?

[Moonlighter]

A couple of basic things you can do - these help but are not 100% guarantees.

Honest sellers will be able to tick them off easily:

• Ask to see copies of the rego certificate of the boat and trailer for the last few years - most people keep them and can produce them if asked;
• Verify that the person named on the rego papers is the one selling - see their driver's licence, and that the address is the same
• Check that the serial/VIN/HIN numbers on the boat, trailer, motor match the ones on the certificates and are not ground off;
• Ask if the boat is insured and to see the insurance certificate - again checking to match up the details

Cheers

ML

[Steeler]

unfortunately rebirthing a boat and aquiring a new hin is all to easy for the crims and the odds of getting caught ( unless the old owner stumbles across the boat) don't seem high/. Let us face facts it is just a rivoted on bit of ally. Would teh old owner even blink if he got his insurance pay out?

Cormorant is spot on, 8 rivet holes and ya done.That easy its bloody scarey.

Steeler

[boatboy50]

Just to add,

REVS will only show informatin pertaining to the state issueing the REVS. Ie, if it is encumbered in sydney, then moved and rego in Qld, it will not show up on a Qld rego.

I just sold a boat which has had finance paid out 4 years ago. It had not been removed from REVS, and I had to wait for the finance company to remove it before I could sell it.

Darren

[Jarrah Jack]

You can also check the serial number on the motor, I looked for one once and it didn't exist although I could see where it had been. I read in the stolen section where a boat was traced because a mechanic noticed something iffy about the serial number. The boat was taken from Qld registered in WA then found in SA. I think the mechanic checked the number with merc.

[cormorant]

Some have been picked up via the serial numbers within the ECU that crims can't change even when tehy restamp a motor or change transom brackets . Only heard of one like that and it was a fluke. Was due to a warranty claim

[White Pointer]

REVS will only telly you if boat is under finance, and I think its only for QLD boats.

G'day,

In all States and Territories in Australia except the NT the REVS system works just as well for boats, motors and trailers as it does for cars.

You need to get:

HIN number of the boat and check the ABP and rego papers against the actual number stamped on the hull

Engine number from the rego papers and check it on the actual engine

VIN number and rego number of the trailer from the rego papers and check it against the VIN on the trailer compliance plate and the trailer rego plate.

If all this checks out go to the Office of Fair Trading Counter at the Magistrates Court in George Street in Brisbane and they will do a search and issue a certificate. You can also lodge this on line but I'm too lazy to search for all the links for you. If you are not in QLD, your State has similar processes through your State Consumer Affairs authorities.

Note that the seller must give you a current "vehicle safety certificate" for the trailer in QLD - otherwise you can't transfer rego.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

White Pointer

[snapersam]

A friend of mine is in the process of buying a second hand boat fro
a private seller. How can she check that it is not a stolen boat?

check the lost and stolen thread for mor info,
i recently lost my boat.and mentioned many issues i had.