Boats for Sale in Idaho

Idaho boating ranges from big northern lakes like Coeur d'Alene and Pend Oreille to Payette Lake, Lake Cascade and the reservoirs on the Snake River plain. Many trips start with a long tow over a mountain pass.

Registration with IDPR

Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) handles boat registration. Most boats need a Certificate of Number and validation stickers, displayed on both sides of the bow high above the waterline. Manually propelled boats, float tubes, sailboards and out-of-state registered boats used 60 days or less are exceptions.

You can register online, by phone, at more than 200 vendors, or at some county DMV offices. If you buy online, the email receipt works as temporary proof of registration for 60 days, so you can launch right away. Stickers usually arrive within two weeks, though May and June backlogs can stretch longer. During registration you choose a use area, and part of your fee goes back to boating facilities there.

Titles through ITD

Titles come from the Idaho Transportation Department, not IDPR. Under ITD's boat fact sheet, a title is required for:

model year 2000 or newer boats with permanently attached propulsion
model year 2000 or newer non-exempt boats over 12 feet, regardless of propulsion
financed non-exempt boats

Outboard boats 12 feet or less are exempt. Canoes, kayaks, inflatables and rafts can't be titled. Once a boat is titled in Idaho, every later Idaho owner must title it too.

Invasive species sticker

Idaho registration includes the invasive species fee for Idaho boats. Out-of-state boats need a separate sticker: $30 for motorized and $7 for non-motorized, according to the state's invasive species program. The money funds the Department of Agriculture's work to keep quagga and zebra mussels out. Expect watercraft inspection stations on the highways in season.

Boater education

Idaho's boating handbook says education is required after a boating DUI conviction and for repeat boating offenders. For everyone else it's recommended, not required. Taking a course is still smart, especially for river boating.

Where to boat

In the Panhandle, Lake Coeur d'Alene, Lake Pend Oreille and Priest Lake are classic big-water lakes. McCall's Payette Lake and Lake Cascade are summer cabin country. Near Boise, Lucky Peak and Lake Lowell are busy, and the Snake River's reservoirs, including C.J. Strike and American Falls, serve the south. Jet boats run Hells Canyon and the Salmon River.

Idaho rivers bring rocks, rapids and cold snowmelt. Big lakes can kick up fast in afternoon wind.

Popular boats

Welded aluminum jet boats are an Idaho specialty. Wake boats, pontoons and fishing boats fill the lakes, and drift boats and rafts work the rivers.

Buying tips for Idaho

For a 2000 or newer boat with a motor, insist on a title. Check whether there's a lien. On jet boats, look at the pump, intake grate and hull bottom for rock damage. Ask for invasive species inspection receipts if the boat came from out of state. Finally, compare the HIN on the transom with the title or bill of sale before any money changes hands.