Every car owner or homeowner knows to check the history of the vehicle or building before making a financial commitment. This isn’t a good rule of thumb that’s exclusive to buying a car or home though, it applies to your vessel too!
If you’re in the market for a vessel, whether it’s for commercial or recreational use, it’s very important to perform a background check – especially when you’re buying your vessel from a private seller.
Neglecting to perform a vessel documentation search can lead to problems later on, but researching the vessel’s history can expose potential issues. This saves buyers a great deal of hassle, lets them get out on the water much sooner!
Why Vessel Documentation Search Is Useful
The information uncovered through a quick search can be the determining factor when deciding whether or not to buy a vessel. The last thing you want is to purchase a vessel only to learn it has a history of issues that you are now responsible for. You might even find that there is no pre-existing documentation for the vessel – this itself can have a handful of implications.
Some might not have needed the documentation. It’s also possible that the vessel did not meet the requirements for documentation. For example, if the owner was not a U.S. citizen, the rules and regulations for documentation do not apply as only citizens are eligible.
No prior documentation is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s another way of gaining insight into the history of the vessel and its previous owners. Further, you can have the vessel documented yourself if you meet all the requirements. Vessel documentation has many benefits, so if your pre-owned vessel is not documented you can get in touch with our team to help you begin the documentation process.
What Vessel Documentation Searches Can Find
Are you interested to learn more about the previous owners of the vessel? Do you have questions or concerns about its financial status? Both of these topics and more can be addressed through a quick search here on our website. With our site’s in-depth analysis you can find information such as:
- Ownership history, including all past as well as the present owner(s)
- Inconclusive evidence of ownership
- Mortgage filings
- Lien claim notices
- Hidden claims
- Auction, stolen, damage, or recall history
- Supplemental data
The information you find through a vessel documentation search can be at the state or federal level, and it may also include information from relevant foreign registries.
How to Do Vessel Documentation Search
Performing a vessel documentation search is fairly easy. There is some information that you are going to need, but once you find it our team here at US Vessel Documentation Center can take care of the rest. We will need you to supply us with information including:
- The vessel’s name
- Official USCG number
- Hull identification number (HIN)
If a vessel doesn’t have an official USCG number, this means it wasn’t registered at the federal level. It might have been registered at the state level instead, though. A registration sticker can be found on either side of the bow, and it is typically a small square or rectangular shape.
Remember that performing a search does not guarantee getting results. Many jurisdictions do not simply hand this information out, in the interest of protecting the privacy of the previous owner. However, if you have filed an accident and/or there is anything that can assist in a pending lawsuit, you might be entitled to that information.
How to Quickly Find Your Vessel’s Documentation History
It never hurts to check and see what information a vessel documentation search will yield. You stand to lose nothing by doing so, and can at the very least gain some peace of mind that your vessel is in good standing and ready to set sail. And if the search does find any concerning details, you now know the appropriate course of action to take before you hit the water – or if it’s even worth the purchase.
Our database can quickly and easily find details on a vessel’s history for you, giving you almost immediate access to official information. Not only are we able to find documentation history, we can also assist you with any documents of your own. You can find any and every document you could possibly need right here on our website. Simply complete the form, upload it, and we will take care of the rest.
Are you having trouble completing a document? That’s not a problem, just reach out to our team and we can answer all your questions.
