Oh boy, oh boy... I heard folks say "just get a bill of sale from the owner, and that's all you'll need to get it registered". Not so! Others said "I wouldn't bother registering it", but if you plan to use a trolling motor and go in public waters, it's required. So, I decided to do what had to be done.
I stopped in at the DMV boater's registration location, and learned I had to track back to the last time it was registered, or at least be able to prove the trail of owners. 1st, the said I had to find the hull ID number, before they would do anything. All boats made in or for the USA since 1972 had a hull ID# attached. I looked all over the boat, and couldn't find it. It will always be in the upper RH rear of the outer transom, and typically there's a hidden # somewhere else on the boat, in a secret place by the mfg. I searched the internet, and finally found the phone number for Landau. I called, and it seems they had gone out of business many years ago, were bought out for some other family members, and now they only make Pontoon boats. There was a guy there who worked for them for something like 35 years, and he talked to me. He confirmed, there would be a number on the outer upper rear transom, and the secret # would be in one of several locations he gave me. I searched and search, and couldn't find it. Now, I was beginning to get worried that it had been stolen and the number plates removed. I noticed the transom had an extra board attached that didn't look stock, seen in the pic below.
That's where the last owner had bolted a raggedy broken / patched
trolling motor mount. What the heck, the board looked rotten, so I
decided to rip it off...Low and behold, there was the hull ID number plate, _AND_ the "secret" ID plate (almost in the center of the transom). BOY!! Was I ever relieved.... I cleaned them up, and began to fabricate a new transom spacer that was not as wide, so as to not cover the hull ID#.
Little did I know, this was just the first step in getting this registration issue resolved...
