Transferring a Boat After a Loved One Passes

When someone you love passes away, the last thing you need is a stack of confusing paperwork. Yet boats often get set aside while families settle everything else, and then nobody is sure who owns them or how to sell them.

We help families sort it out, calmly and correctly.

The paperwork you'll need comes down to two questions: how is the boat registered, and whose names are on it?

Missouri-titled boats, outboard motors and trailers

• A beneficiary is named on the title. Missouri titles can list a "transfer on death" (TOD) beneficiary. If one is listed, the transfer is usually simpler.
• The boat is jointly owned. If the title lists more than one owner, the surviving owner may be able to transfer it with proof of death. How the names are written on the title matters.
• No surviving owner or beneficiary. The state will generally need court paperwork, such as a court order, letters from the probate court, or a small estate affidavit certified by the probate court.

Coast Guard documented boats

• Jointly owned. If the boat passes to a surviving joint owner, the Coast Guard typically needs a certified copy of the death certificate.
• Through probate. If a court handles the estate, the Coast Guard needs certified copies of the court's orders, and the court-appointed representative can sign for the estate.
• Without probate. Where state law allows a transfer without going to court, the Coast Guard needs proof that state requirements were met.
• Any recorded mortgage on the boat still needs to be paid off and released, or dealt with as part of the sale.

Don't worry about having everything at once. These are the usual starting points:

• The boat, motor and trailer titles, or the Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation
• A certified copy of the death certificate
• Any probate paperwork, such as letters from the court or a small estate affidavit
• Loan payoff or lien release information, if there was a loan on the boat
• The name of the person who will keep or buy the boat, if you know it

• Transferring Missouri titles for boats, outboard motors and trailers
• Transferring Coast Guard documentation to heirs or buyers
• Abstract of Title searches to check for recorded mortgages or liens
• Switching a boat from Coast Guard documentation to a state title, or back

Every estate is different, so we'll give you a flat quote before we start. No surprises.

We handle boat titles and documentation, not legal advice. For questions about the estate itself, such as wills, probate, or who inherits what, please talk with an estate attorney.

Attorneys and personal representatives: we're happy to work alongside you on the vessel side of an estate. Send your clients our way, or contact us directly.