Boats for Sale in Washington

Title and registration through DOL

The Department of Licensing handles boat titles and registration, usually through vehicle licensing offices. Apply using the Vessel Title Application. The deadlines depend on how you got the boat:

• moving to Washington: register within 60 days
• bought in another state: register within 15 days

Nonresidents may use a boat in Washington for 60 days without registering it here. After that, they need a nonresident temporary permit.

Boater Education Card

Washington State Parks runs the Boater Education Card program. If you were born after January 1, 1955 and are 12 or older, you need the card to operate a boat with a motor of 15 hp or more. Exemptions include commercial fishing license holders, Coast Guard licensed operators and renters who complete a checklist and get a temporary card. A replacement card costs $5 by mail.

If someone else in the household will be driving, check that they qualify too. The card stays with the operator, not the boat.

Where to boat

Puget Sound runs from Olympia to the San Juan Islands, with marinas in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Anacortes and Bellingham. Inland, Lake Washington and Lake Union are in Seattle, Lake Chelan cuts deep into the Cascades, and Lake Roosevelt and the Columbia River are on the dry east side.

The season

Salt water boating goes on all year for people with the right boat and clothes, and summer is busy everywhere. Many eastern Washington lakes are mostly a summer scene.

Popular boats

Trawlers and cruisers for the islands, sailboats on the Sound, aluminum fishing boats for salmon, wake boats on the lakes and pontoons inland.

Buying tips for Washington

If you're bringing a boat in from another state, mark the 15-day deadline on your calendar. Salt water boats should be checked for corrosion and for blistering. Get a survey on larger boats, and make sure you have the Boater Education Card before you take the helm. If you're moving here with a boat, the 60-day clock starts when you become a resident, so take your old title and registration papers to the licensing office early.

If you bought the boat outside Washington, the 15-day clock starts at purchase, so get your Vessel Title Application started right away. Puget Sound boats need a hard look at the zincs, through-hulls and bottom paint. Columbia River and eastern lake boats should be checked for prop and lower unit wear.

Questions for a Washington seller: Is the title in your name, and is the registration current? Has the boat been in Puget Sound salt water or fresh water only? When was the bottom last painted, and when were the zincs replaced? Who will be driving, and do they have the Boater Education Card? Get the answers in writing if you can, and match them against the hull and paperwork. Bring the seller's title and a bill of sale to the licensing office together.