This should be a rather quick answered question.  BUT, i have never owned a boat before and have been searching on craigslist for a fishing boat and i have seen a lot of people saying "registered till 2012".  isnt a boat like a car where as soon as you get it you have to register it in your name then its good for a year?

what good is it for someone to say its registered through 2012?  OR if its registered through 2012, you dont have to register it till then?

how does that work?  :-[

Yes, registration should be transferred upon change of ownership.

That said (and it's been a while since I bought a boat that had valid registration), you should be able to transfer the remaining registration. 

Don't know how it is in Ohio but yes, I know in Kentucky, once you buy a boat, you are SUPPOSED to get it registered right away, then they will give you new registration numbers and stickers and then mail the title.

so will they carry over the registration for the time its good through?  or does it start all over when you register it?

In Florida you have one week to register you boat or you pay a fine. call your local tag department and they will tell you how your state law works

Here in Pa, you get a new sticker to put on. First one is a temporary and then 2-4 weeks later you'll get the registration in the mail.

Every State is different most likely. Here in New Jersey a new owner means the new owner also needs a completely new registration too. If the boat was already registered in NJ to begin with, the numbers on the hull will remain the same but you still pay. NJ MVA gets their money no matter what. Boat registration is annual here and so are the tags on the trailer too. Renewable every March.

http://tinyurl.com/yjgnzbh

OMG dude; what a riot! I'm going to use that today.

Here in Arizona you must register within 30 days. You can register for 1 or 2 years. Same for motor vehicles. Trailers can be annually registered, or for @ 4 years registration fee, get a permanent registration. I have permanent on both my trailers, and register vehicles and boat for 2 years at a time.

hahah..i wish it was that simple here in fla.

btw... off topic.. what is up with all us bass players on this site? youe like the 4th one ive noticed.

The most important issue is to MAKE SURE than when you buy the boat the you also get the TITLE to the boat, and usually to the motor and trailer.  If you don't have the Titles, then you can't get it/them registered - period.  Do not offer to buy a boat unless the owner can show you the Title(s.)  If he says he lost it/them, then tell him you will wait until he finds it or gets a replacement.  By doing this you will avoid buying a potentially stolen boat.  Regardless, you will save yourself a lot of aggravation when it comes to registration time.

In Oklahoma, Titles are required for the boat and motor, but not the trailer if it is under a certain length.  Each State's laws are different, so do your research.

In Ohio, registration is valid for 3 years.  If the boat still has a valid registration all you have to do is transfer the registration to you. This can only be done, however, after you have transferred the titles for the boat and outboard. All you will need to pay is a transfer fee for the registration instead of a new/renewal fee. I think it's only $5 to transfer and around $50 to renew.

So to answer your question, the registration will not start over when you transfer.  It will stay valid until 2012, and at that time you will have to renew.

I concur with rodnreel11.  If the title is valid, then the registration is valid until its expiration date.  All you pay is a small fee for transferring the registration.