Because buying a boat is such a large purchase for you, you naturally want to take your time, examine all your options, and get as much information as possible before you sign any bill of sale. More people today look to the secondary market to buy boats because they can find a better deal from brokers or previous owners. Once you see one or several ships that suit your needs, your wants, and your price, you should take the time to find out background information regarding the vessel in question. Performing a documentation search on a boat is an excellent place to start, and you may wonder if it is possible to do a Coast Guard documented vessel search by owner.
The Parameters of a Vessel Search
While the Coast Guard does maintain a database of all federally registered and documented vessel, the current search parameters that are provided do not include looking for a vessel by the owner. However, you can search for a vessel using the documentation number of the ship, or by the vessel name. The documentation number will help you to pinpoint precisely which ship you are looking for information about, but not everyone has access to this number. Instead, you may only know the name of the boat you are interested in. You can search using this name by typing it into a search box. You can then examine the results to find the vessel that matches the one you are interested in.
After a Vessel Search
Even though you cannot do a Coast Guard vessel search by owner, the information you can get by searching the database will at least let you know if the boat you like is documented and if the documentation is active or inactive. Once you know some of the basics and you still want to proceed with your purchase, your next step should be to request an abstract of title for the boat. The abstract will give you the mortgage information on the ship and allow you to see if there are any maritime liens on the ship that you should be concerned about. If the title is clear, you know you can move forward safely with your buying.
Searching, Documentation, Abstracts, and More
Despite the inability to conduct a Coast Guard documented vessel search by owner, you can still come to us at the Maritime Documentation Center to perform a vessel search. We have access to the database so you can begin your search process with us. You can also use our site to request an abstract of title and, once you have made a purchase, you can move ahead and get documentation for your boat in your name through us. See all the services we offer on our website and use us for the fast and secure method to get all the help you need to move forward towards getting the boat you want to call your own.