Boats for Sale in Georgia

Registration in Georgia

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, handles boat registration. Every motorized vessel and every sailboat longer than 12 feet needs a Georgia registration while on public water. Registrations can be done online through Go Outdoors Georgia. Georgia does not issue boat titles, which surprises people moving from states that do. That makes a solid bill of sale, the registration record and the hull identification number your proof of ownership, so get them right when you buy.

Because there is no title to check, run the HIN and the GA registration number past the DNR and confirm the seller's name matches before money changes hands.

Boater education

Georgia requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1998 to complete an approved boater education course before operating a motorized vessel on public water, with exceptions such as licensed captains. There are also age rules for personal watercraft: nobody under 12 may operate a PWC, and 12 to 15 year olds need to have passed the course. The DNR Law Enforcement Division runs the education program.

The lakes

Lake Lanier, north of Atlanta, is one of the busiest lakes in the Southeast, with roughly 690 miles of shoreline and major marinas such as Aqualand and Lanier Islands. Weekends in July are crowded and the water gets choppy from wakes, which shapes what people buy. Lake Allatoona to the west is closer for many Atlanta suburbs.

On the South Carolina border, Lake Hartwell, Richard B. Russell and Clarks Hill (J. Strom Thurmond) form a chain on the Savannah River. Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair are Georgia Power lakes with a lot of lake-house traffic. West Point Lake and Lake Seminole are known bass and crappie water.

The coast is short but rich: tidal creeks and sounds around Savannah, Brunswick, St. Simons and Jekyll suit bay boats and flats skiffs, and the tide range here is big enough to strand a careless captain.

Popular boats

Pontoons rule on Oconee and Sinclair. On Lanier you see a lot of wakeboats, deck boats and larger cruisers, plus a big bass boat crowd from the tournament circuit. Saltwater buyers mostly want 18 to 24 foot bay boats with shallow draft for the creeks.

Season

Lake boating starts in earnest around April and runs into October, and mild winters mean anglers fish all year.

Buying tips for Georgia boats

With no title system, paperwork is everything. Ask for the original bill of sale or dealer invoice if the boat has changed hands before. Lanier boats often spend the whole season in a wet slip, so check bottom paint, blisters and the condition of the outdrive or lower unit. Red Georgia clay stains are common on hulls and carpet and are mostly cosmetic.

Coastal boats need the usual saltwater checks: flushed engines, corrosion on trailer axles and lights, and pitting on stainless. Also ask where the boat was stored during recent hurricanes.