Someone put a ~16' sailboat and trailer at the top of the road that eventually leads to my mom's house. It had a sign on it that said "Free, Hook me up, take me home." ... So I did.
Trailer is in decent shape, boat will need some work plus a sail
No phone number, but the license plate is still on the trailer and registration sticker still on the boat. Both were last registered in 1998

Now... I need to find out who the owner is and get him/her to transfer the title for both the boat and the trailer to me, all assuming it wasnt stolen (I doubt it, but you never know)
What's the easiest way to do this? Or rather, the easiest way for the current legal owner? I dont mind jumping through a few hoops because I do want the boat, and the less I need to badger the guy the better...

3/23/2008 9:45:23 PM

(unless this is a parody thread that I'm unaware of... in which case ignore)

Sounds like the work of an upset Sig/other...

should be able to go to the DMV and have them look up the plate or something along those lines...

Or possibly just claim salvage on it...

3/23/2008 9:48:44 PM

Nah, not parody thread

I was thinking more along the lines of "got sick of looking at it" as the last it was registered was '98... if you dont use something for 10 years its probably time to get rid of it, and they didn't want to bother selling it... but that's just useless speculation

I figured the first step would be call the DMV, but I'd like to know what sort of thing they'll do.
Will they give me the name/addr/number for the guy, or will they attempt to contact, or will they want me to bring the plate in to verify, etc...?

3/23/2008 9:57:35 PM

wow, i really hope it wasn't just someone putting a note on someone's boat or something. it's not like you're picking a coffee table up off the side of the road. if you do get titles and register them, you better hope it doesn't come back to bite you.

anyway, it's easy to get a boat title. you don't even have to have one though to register it with wildlife. if you want one, just make up a bill of sale and take it in. you at least need the previous owner's name though, especially if it is titled (a lot of boats never are, especially smaller and non power ones).

as for the trailer, here's a thread that should answer your questions: http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=497328

3/23/2008 10:05:17 PM

That would be incredibly awesome if someone was playing a joke on the owner...

They leave the sign on, "hahaha"

Come back the next day and it's gone. Reaction? "Oh shit!"

3/24/2008 1:36:01 PM

There are ways to register it in NC without knowing who the owner is. I talked to the Wildlife Resources Commission when I was looking at some unregistered jet skis one time. They had some sort of "abandoned/salvage" process by which they would send notice to the last registered owner's last known address giving them an opportunity to protest your registration.

I'd call or stop by the Wildlife Resources Commission office and just be honest with them. They were pretty cool and easy to work with when I talked to them. More than likely everything will be smooth, but you have no idea about the history of the boat. It may have been stolen in 1998 for all you know. If you get caught in a lie you'll have a whole lot of explaining to do.

3/24/2008 2:29:42 PM

aww man, thats pretty cool


I'd like to learn how to sail

3/24/2008 2:51:32 PM

just call the wildlife office on centenial campus or stop by with the number, and they can tell you the owner and wheter or not there is a lein on the boat by the registration number

3/24/2008 2:52:48 PM

To be clear, I do intend on returning the boat if the owner wants it back

Thanks all for the info
I didn't know wildlife had an office on centennial, I'll stop by tomorrow and see what they say

3/24/2008 4:11:41 PM

The office I went to was off S. Saunders St. near the Dunkin Donuts. It was the main NC office at the time. I didn't know about the one on Centennial unless it is a replacement for that one.

3/24/2008 4:14:35 PM

ncwrc main headquarters is the centennial campus office

3/24/2008 4:31:36 PM

soooo sailboat=engine so now you should make it a flowerbed or burn it.

3/24/2008 10:57:28 PM

paging optmusprimer

3/25/2008 10:03:46 PM

bttt

how did this end up?

4/10/2008 1:08:14 PM

Oriental NC landscaping

FLOWERBED or STRAWBERRY PLANTER

4/10/2008 1:14:17 PM

^ It's funny because it's true.

4/10/2008 2:08:13 PM

Alright, an update then
I did stop by Wildlife, the guy was nice and looked up the owner's name, addr, and phone... Unfortunately its an appt. right off Duke campus in Durham. I doubt he's still there, the info is ten years out of date.

I've tried to call the number Wildlife gave me about 5 times at various hours
Its just a generic answering machine, and the only phone I have is my cell... I'm not comfortable leaving that number on random answering machines and there's no way to tell if its still the guy's number

I just wrote the certified letter Wildlife wants me to send, getting ready to send it off
If I get the whole thing back then I go get a police report from Durham to prove it wasn't reported stolen
If I get confirmation it was delivered then the guy is still there and will hopefully either sign a bill of sale or come pick it up.

4/10/2008 2:50:09 PM

thats a whole lot of work, pictures?

4/16/2008 12:59:07 PM

Quote :

"Oriental NC landscaping FLOWERBED or STRAWBERRY PLANTER"

Hey!!! Why you ragging on Oriental???

4/16/2008 1:08:50 PM

pwnt is alive

4/16/2008 1:19:35 PM

Quote :

"pwnt is alive"

...and having a drink at a bar in sunny St Maarten whilest checking his email.

4/16/2008 1:22:25 PM

oooh i think there's a nude beach there on the french side...

4/16/2008 1:49:34 PM

haha you found a real failboat

4/16/2008 2:13:38 PM

^^ There is. And from I saw it looked like a herd of fat cows grazing on a sandy beach.

Failboat? Hahaaaaa. That's funny.

4/16/2008 4:05:12 PM

Another update
Boat seems to have passed all the tests. Certified letter to the previous owner bounced back (as expected) and it was never reported stolen. I'll take everything into Wildlife on Monday.
It looks like the trailer is just going to take a while. Where Wildlife gives you a list and says go for it, the DMV wants to do everything themselves... and it can take 90 days. Been dragging my feet, wanted the boat to clear first. I'll drop the form off at the DMV on Monday as well. So yeah

A picture for those interested


...and a rough photoshop of my current idea for painting it
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/windhound/redboat_c.jpg

5/2/2008 4:56:59 PM

The boat is called a "Windmill." They used to have a fairly active racing class back in the 70's and 80's. There's a good number of them strewn throughout the eastern US. If you need sails and so forth, pm me and I'll let you know some good places to find used parts.

Trailer-wise, it looks homemade to me...riiiiiiiiiiiight?

5/2/2008 6:43:41 PM

^Its not registered as a windmill, but it looks just like one. I'll take a measuring tape to the hull and mast this weekend. PM sent regarding parts. Was planning on making a sail, but my skills with a sewing machine are limited at best.

As far as the trailer, I'd rather do it the 'right' way... even though it likely means I'll miss the best part of the summer
Besides, they have someone inspect a 'homemade' trailer right? That thing is fairly plainly factory made.

5/2/2008 7:16:20 PM

how long is it? i'm switching out the steel trailer under my boat for a galvanized one this summer. i would sell it to you on the cheap. it's not titled now, so you'll have to have it inspected as a homemade, but it'll require a lot less work than that one. it also has 12" wheels (those look like 8" to me). my dad and i redid the bearings and it has less than 500 miles on it since that.

5/2/2008 7:33:59 PM

Update: all clear.
Took forever, but it was done properly.
Seems sad someone would abandon a nice little dingy, but its been over 100 days and no contact made. Though, it ended up that the last owner never transfered title on the trailer. I got a confused phonecall from the previous-previous owner asking why he was getting official letters regarding a trailer his deceased father had sold many years ago.

I got lucky and found a set of sails off the NC Coast. A little bleach and all the ropes cleaned up fine. Had to redo a few bits of fiberglass but overall its a solid little boat that cleaned up very well. The last thing it needs is a nice coat of paint, but that'll probably have to wait a little while.

She does measure and weigh out properly for a windmill. Exact length, width, and 13lbs over the 200lb min for the class.

My main set of sails has #2807 on them, but I'll eventually swap out for her real Hull ID 3801. If you see 'er out say hi.
Oh, and I've named her Dragoon.

7/23/2008 11:46:12 PM

honestly, if i see you out ill load back onto the trailer and go home. sailboats are queer.

7/23/2008 11:50:09 PM