Boat registration, Proof of ownership and security?

blackrandomapple

blackrandomapple

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As you will probably see, i have posted a few questions lately...

This one is about ownership.

So i spend a lot of money on the latest boat (the 9th one) and i am now worried about security as to me its a lot of money, Basically, how do i prove i own the boat if it is stolen...

ive done some google searches and it come up with the GOV.Uk website and give me a whole load of red tape like safety certs and having insurance, the way i see it, its upto me whether i insure my boat or have a safety cert as i will not be using in on inland waters, canals etc.... i just want to register it so somehwere there is proof that i am the owner if it were to get stolen... I live in Gloucestershire and there are lots of 'Travellers' near by, whats to stop them stealing it, taking it up north and selling it as there own?

It is as secure as it could be on the driveway with wheel locks, hitch locks and CCTV cameras but we all know nothing is ever completely safe...
 
Only proof you can have is the bill of sale. No boat registration offers proof of ownership.

On the other hand, you might want to prove that the boat the police have just recovered is actually your boat, so you'll want to mark it in some way. A million ways to do that, excluding the obvious of noting HIN numbers etc. Stamp or weld something to the trailer. Engrave something in a hidden place on the hull. Smart water, datatag, etc etc.
 
Boat theft is not really a big issue. Take the precautions suggested above and insure the boat and stop worrying.
 
Most marinas and yards will require 3rd party insurance.

I would definitely not want to have a collision with someone who is not insured. This would include a non insured boat running into a moored boat.
 
I also spent a lot of money to buy my boat . I wouldn't wish to be without insurance cover. The premium is not too painful.
.
 
blackrandomapple said:
I live in Gloucestershire and there are lots of 'Travellers' near by, whats to stop them stealing it, taking it up north and selling it as there own?

It is as secure as it could be on the driveway with wheel locks, hitch locks and CCTV cameras but we all know nothing is ever completely safe...
Click to expand...

Had you thought of moving?
 
PaulRainbow said:
Only proof you can have is the bill of sale. No boat registration offers proof of ownership.
Click to expand...

That's a question that interests me, having just renewed the registration on my boat (Part 1)

In the registration certificate it says "this is not proof of ownership". But on the MCA website it advises part 1 registration if you want proof of ownership! (In fact, when my boat was registered I don't thing the SSR had yet been invented)

I wish the MCA would make up its mind.
 
The reason it isn't proof of ownership is, you could sell the boat without notifying anyone. The boat would still be registered to you, but you would not be the owner.
 
blackrandomapple said:
Basically, how do i prove i own the boat if it is stolen...
Click to expand...

How do you prove you own your telly if that gets stolen? If you were worried about it, you might make a note of the serial number, you'd probably keep the receipt, and you might even mark it with one of those invisible pens or micro-dot systems.

Cars are unusual in having a government registry, most possessions are not centrally registered (obviously). So stop thinking of your boat like it was a car, and things will become clearer.

blackrandomapple said:
the way i see it, its upto me whether i insure my boat
Click to expand...

Legally yes, but...

  • Many harbours require you to have third-party insurance as a condition of entry
  • You can do thousands of pounds worth of damage to someone else's boat with a relatively simple mistake in a marina or busy harbour - do you really want to pay for that out of your own pocket?
  • You seem to be worried about the boat getting nicked - surely you want it to be insured against theft in case that happens?

Boat insurance is relatively cheap compared to car insurance. I paid £60 last year for basic third-party cover for an eBay speedboat I bought with three mates for a bit of a laugh - if the boat's destroyed I can swallow the cost, but if we lose control and run into the side of a newly-restored classic yacht that costs twenty grand to repair and repaint, I don't want to be on the hook for that.

Pete
 
Last edited:
Serin said:
That's a question that interests me, having just renewed the registration on my boat (Part 1)

In the registration certificate it says "this is not proof of ownership". But on the MCA website it advises part 1 registration if you want proof of ownership! (In fact, when my boat was registered I don't thing the SSR had yet been invented)

I wish the MCA would make up its mind.
Click to expand...

This is a commonly-aired question. As I'm sure you'll know, unlike SSR, the authorities require evidence of ownership before handing out a Part 1 certificate. But inevitably they have no control over what happens thereafter. Sure, if everyone in the subsequent chain of ownership goes by the book, Part 1 remains strong evidence of ownership. But...big surprise...neither they nor anyone else can be sure that everyone does.


prv said:
Cars are unusual in having a government registry
Click to expand...
But even that only specifies the 'registered keeper', who isn't necessarily the owner (unless it's changed since I last lived in the UK).
 
macd said:
But even that only specifies the 'registered keeper', who isn't necessarily the owner (unless it's changed since I last lived in the UK).
Click to expand...

A "registered keeper" has different status from an owner. It is the person responsible for the car and anything the car does. For example, responsible for offences or declaring who the driver was if the offences are those committed by the driver. Given that the owners of most cars (at least new ones) are either companies or finance houses having an individual nominated as "keeper" is logical.
 
Tranona said:
A "registered keeper" has different status from an owner. It is the person responsible for the car and anything the car does. For example, responsible for offences or declaring who the driver was if the offences are those committed by the driver. Given that the owners of most cars (at least new ones) are either companies or finance houses having an individual nominated as "keeper" is logical.
Click to expand...

I'm aware of all that, Mr T. I was merely responding to the comparison drawn with boat registration and pointing out that it's not particularly comparable.
 
macd said:
This is a commonly-aired question. As I'm sure you'll know, unlike SSR, the authorities require evidence of ownership before handing out a Part 1 certificate. But inevitably they have no control over what happens thereafter. Sure, if everyone in the subsequent chain of ownership goes by the book, Part 1 remains strong evidence of ownership. But...big surprise...neither they nor anyone else can be sure that everyone does.
Click to expand...

The only change of ownership that has ever befallen my boat is when my husband re-registered her in our joint names, shortly after we purchased the hull. The MCA was quite happy to issue a new part 1 registration certificate in my sole name after my husband's death. Not being quite sure of the position, I dug out the original bill of sale relating to the re-registration and was assured that it, with the registration certificate, constitute full proof of ownership.

I have Tranona to thank for the advice that led to this stage.
 
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