Dorsett

[MARKM]

Hi! I just joined and just obtained a mid 60's Dorsett Daytona. It's been sitting outside for some time but is in really great condition, considering. It's about 17' with a GM four banger and Mercrusier. It has trim tabs. The fuel smells really bad and the upholstery is brittle. That's about all I know about this boat. It was free but came with no title and no paperwork. Plate on trailer expired in 2000 and was an Idaho plate. There are no ID plates or numbers anywhere that I can find. So I need some advise on how to proceed with title and getting this baby ready for the lake. Thanks much! (I think I attached a picture but I am new here!)

[Bflaherty]

Welcome to the forum. Cool boat, I've never seen one of those before..

As for your title situation, there are several ways to get on the water all with varying degrees of legality...

Easiest way it to file for a lost title (which can take anywhere from 3 months to I believe 3 years) and the state will issue a new title in your name (provided they don't find documentation that the boat was ever stollen)...

If you don't care about the "original" information being on title, there are other ways to get the boat registered but I'm going to put them on the forum cause most are quite illegal...

I would suggest you hold of on doing any real work to the boat until you have a clear title, there have been several stories of people in this situation who don't start the paperwork until there several thousands of dollars into the boat and then find out the previous owner owes 10k in back child support and the boat has a lien on it (which means if you want the title, someone has to pay the 10k lien)...

Didn't mean to be a buzzkill...

Congrats on the new boat, deffinitely unique and looks like it will be a lot of fun when you get it on the water.

[MARKM]

Thank you!

Great advice Brian! Thank you!

[Helmar]

Welcome to the group.
Nice looking Dorsett too

Not sure about CA on how they do lost titles or abandoned boats.

Oregon is, you have to contact the last owner (which they will give you if you give them the ID number from the hull), they have 30 days to respond. If they don't respond, Oregon will take your 90 bucks and send you to one of the river cops for a HIN inspection (Hull Identification Number, which None of them have ANY Clue were to look) If none is found, they just flat issue you a new one.
If NO hull ID number and No HIN number, they just sell you the title and give you a new HIN number

Now, I can't tell that living in CA to get that ID hull stickers off or your looking for some real trouble. Better off if its just an abandoned boat.

Might check with our Sister club and see if any of those folks know the lost or abandoned title process.

Good chance she has never seen Salt water. The Salt Water Gods tend to want sacrifice's way too often in my opinion :TwoCents1:
Enjoy

[bham-rick]

Nice looking boat

It has the Dyna Plane hull so its at least a 1964 .

[Tim_Mattson]

Mark,
My first resto was a Dorsett 17` runabout.
Was laying in the bow grinding stringers when my wife pulled into the driveway with headlights on......Saw a rectangular square of light with the numbers visible once backlit.It was on the bow,right hand side halfway up the hull side.
Also found some numbers under rear corner chrome caps before.....forgot whether they matched Id number on title.
A pencil etching of any number you find on hull will become a legal document at DMV if you can produce one.Number just has to not be used in the DMV system anywhere else.
Look at night with flashlights in/out of boat and another set of eyes.
Sweet boat btw.....replace all fuel lines with ethanol-res.and fresh filter on bracket before using.
TimM