Boats for Sale in Wisconsin

Registration and titles

The Wisconsin DNR registers and titles boats. All motorized boats need registration, including boats with only an electric trolling motor, and so do sailboats over 12 feet. A boat registered in another state can use Wisconsin waters for less than 60 consecutive days without registering here.

Registration lasts three years. It starts April 1 of the year it is issued and expires March 31 of the third year. The decals are color coded by expiration year.

Boats 16 feet and longer must have a Wisconsin certificate of title, a rule in place since February 1, 1989. Boats under 16 feet are not titled. When you buy a titled boat, the seller signs the original title. If the owners' names are joined by "and", every owner has to sign. If they're joined by "or", one signature is enough. For boats 16 feet and up, the title and supporting papers have to be mailed in, so an online transaction stays pending until they arrive. The temporary operating receipt is good for 60 days.

Boating safety certification

Anyone born on or after January 1, 1989 needs a boating safety certificate to run a motorboat on their own. The age rules are:

• Under 10: can't operate a motorboat.
• Ages 10 and 11: only with a parent, guardian or designated adult aboard.
• Ages 12 to 15: need the course or an accompanying qualifying adult.
• Ages 16 and up, born on or after January 1, 1989: need the course or an accompanying adult who is certified or born before 1989.

Rental agents can issue a short-term rental education certificate to customers 16 and older.

Where to boat

Lake Winnebago is the largest inland lake, broad and shallow, and it can kick up a nasty chop. Green Bay and the Door County peninsula have harbors like Sister Bay, Egg Harbor and Sturgeon Bay. Lake Michigan ports from Kenosha to Kewaunee support trolling for salmon and trout. Lake Geneva in the southeast is a classic resort lake. The Northwoods around Minocqua and Eagle River are full of chain lakes, and the Apostle Islands sit in Lake Superior off Bayfield.

Popular boats

Deep-V aluminum walleye boats, pontoons for cabin lakes and larger trolling and cruising boats for the Great Lakes.

Season

Most inland lakes are open water from late April or May until ice forms in late fall, and Great Lakes boaters usually haul out by October. Lake Michigan and Lake Superior stay cold all summer and build big waves quickly, so a Great Lakes boat should have the freeboard, bilge pumps and electronics to match.

Buying tips for Wisconsin boats

Boating ends when the ice comes, so winterization history matters. Look for cracked blocks and split manifolds. On a boat over 16 feet, don't pay until you see a signed title. Check decal color against the registration card. Inspect old riveted aluminum hulls for weeping rivets.