Just bought a '58 Skagit 20 Express...

[Bflaherty]

Tim you nailed it on the head!! Changing the title information can either be a huge pain in the arse in which you just say screw it and live with an incorrect title... Or you find that awesome office with helpful, decent, human beings and they can make the changes with little fuss.

Determining the actual title year is tough for each manufacturer. Our Chris-Craft is titled as a 1968 despite Chris-Craft marketing the boat as the 1969 line-up... Chris-Craft chose the year based on when the boat was sold, not when it was started... When I worked at ACB they titled their boats based on when the first piece of aluminum hit the jig, so like the Saratogan, a boat might be titled as 2006 when it didn't get delivered until 2008!

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

That's a nice unmolested Skagit 20, Kelly. Great find! Look forward to seeing that old girl back on the waterways where she belongs.....

I thought I'd throw in my two cents worth on the titling of old fiberglass boats. I bought the Saratogan back in 1988 and decided that I'd better transfer the title now (1999) despite the fact that the boat was still 11 years away from floating. I listed the year as 1957 which at the time was as accurate as I could guess. Transferring the title, done in Friday Harbor was no problem.

Some years later after being given a copy of the 1959 Skagit brochure by Bill Roberts, and the fact that my boat was on the front page of the 59 brochure, I concluded that my boat must be a 1959 model. So I went to the San Juan County auditors office and changed the manufacture date to 1959. That, I realize now was a mistake.

After many years of research, I now know that all three Skagit 31 Saratogan hulls were laid up in one shot in 1957. In wooden boat building, the year model of the boat is the year her keel was laid. So I've surmised that in fiberglass boat building, the mfg. year is the year the hull was laid up. The three Saratogans were finished one at a time. Hull three, mine, was completed in early 1958. It didn't sell in 58, so it wound up on the 1959 brochure. Okay, even in new boat construction, these things take time........

I bought tabs for M/V Sweet Zoanna today at the Pacific County Auditors office. I asked what was necessary to change the manufacture date from 1959, back to 1957? The gal was having a hard time hearing me and I was having a hard time hearing her. So for the first five minutes or so our conversation, it sounded like Abbot and Costello's 'Who's on First' comedy skit. She finally brought in another gal who had more knowledge on the subject. They were both perplexed as to why I would want to do such a thing, but a few key strokes on the computer informed me that all I needed to do was bring in my title and $17 and they would change the manufacture date on my title.....

Okay....that's all I've got for you today...

Good score, Kelly!

Cheers,

McSkagit

[Kelly]

I'll take some of the old brochure pics from 57-60 to show them the differences.
This one is a good one to start with as it talks about the trim on the windows:

[John Nelson]

Fiberglassics library has a lot of that stuff categorized by year You'll have to present that as a whole. Im certain they will accept that at an inspection.

[bruceb]

Kelly, thanks for the detailed pics, this boat was a great find- rare to see a windshield frame unbroken, not to mention no cracks in glass !!! Cleaned up really well. Rubrail end caps, hard to find. So because it's got the head and sink, larger cowl, it's an express rather than offshore. Nice condition on the helm boxes, usually those have more holes than Swiss cheese.
Did some quick research and the 1958 brochure has no year listed, as well as the 1959 ! Geeze, not many Skagit Plastics publications have year mentioned. Pretty much have to find magazine ads or articles to verify year if taking to a licensing agent for change.
I'll send an email on how to convert the head.
Thanks for saving this gem !

[Kelly]

A few more pics before bed...

[Kelly]

Thanks guys, I'll let you know how it goes!

[John Nelson]

Dol can change title Information If they wont you can get a state patrol inspection. Bring boat and Brochures with 57 58 and 59 Skagit 20s and other stuff. Look aluminum window trim . This dosnt affect you Washington is asking for bills of sale be notarized now.

[bruceb]

Kelly-
Had to renew mine so went in today and posed the problem to the licensing agent. She checked their database for Skagit boat and other than Skagit Orca, didn't list our boats. Didn't go back that far, she said. I asked if a person came up with an affidavit from a so-called "expert" ( maybe a marine surveyor) stating the proper year. She said no. Her solution is for her to email someone in Olympia and get approval to change the year shown on the registration. So the short answer would be it's a hassle to change.
I still like Bryan's concept of finding the right office, presenting an official looking appraisal sheet ( maybe a NWCBC logo, heh,heh)
with a group agreed- upon year.....then a licensing agent would forward that to Olympia and a change could be made there. Since you live near Olympia, might go faster or find someone face-to-face.
Neat details about Skagits make them easy to identify by year. Head scratchers might be some transitional boats we've seen, but that's another story.....

[Helmar]

So the seller listed the boat as a '59, which it isn't, and the title list it as a '61...which clearly it isn't. I'm going to ask the DOL if they can fix the paperwork to show it as a '58.

Like Brian said, try other DOL's. The known one NOT to use is the one in Port Townsend. Most people from that whole area will go to Poulsbo but again, try around if they give you any guff....Mine showed it was a 1968 which was a true 1958.

Good score Kelly

[Kelly]

Good advice Brian, I'll keep that in mind!
Thanks!

[Bflaherty]

So the seller listed the boat as a '59, which it isn't, and the title list it as a '61...which clearly it isn't. I'm going to ask the DOL if they can fix the paperwork to show it as a '58.

I know WSDOL will change the titling information if you have sufficient documentation to prove your claim. And how qualifies as "sufficient" also varies from one office to another. So if you get some documentation and the first office says no, just tell them you'll wait to get more evidence and try another office... It took me three different offices before one of them would correct he title on my old Performer "Havoc" which someone had mixed the manufacturer and model names up... Our Chris-Craft is still confusing as it is titled as a '68 but there is no documentation of this boat ever being available for '68...

Awesome find! Great to see another one get saved!!

[Kelly]

A couple of shots taken during the cleansing process:

[Kelly]

So the seller listed the boat as a '59, which it isn't, and the title list it as a '61...which clearly it isn't. I'm going to ask the DOL if they can fix the paperwork to show it as a '58.

[Kelly]

A few more pics...