Homemade Boat Trailer?

Matzrig

Member
What constitutes a "homemade" Boat trailer? Can it be a manufactured trailer that has been altered? I can't find a VIN on this old trailer and I was told you can get registered as homemade but I don't want to get busted for trying to pass a factory trailer for homemade. Anyone ever deal with this?
 

trad bow

wooden stick slinging driveler
I rebuilt an old boat trailer that didn’t have a vin number. Once I finished trailer I had sheriff department inspect and sign paperwork that I got from tag office for a home made trailer. I told the tag folks up front that it was a old boat trailer and they said that’s what they called all old or rebuilt trailer. Your county may be the same or not.
 

Matzrig

Member
Thanks
Its Dekalb county so I am sure they will make it as hard as they can. I am going to give it a shot anyway
 

gtmcwhorter

Senior Member
Every boat I’ve bought that hasn’t been brand new the county wound up giving me a homemade trailer vin plate to put on and get inspected. Even those that had existing vins. It’s a pain but I’m used to it.
 

ryanh487

Senior Member
I had the same thing happen in cobb. They didn't even look at it. Just had me fill out the paperwork, handed me a SN plate to mount on the tongue and my new tag. It was supposed to be inspected before they give you the SN and tag but they didn't care or require it.
 

boatbuilder

Senior Member
What constitutes a "homemade" Boat trailer? Can it be a manufactured trailer that has been altered? I can't find a VIN on this old trailer and I was told you can get registered as homemade but I don't want to get busted for trying to pass a factory trailer for homemade. Anyone ever deal with this?

Lots of trailers are registered as homemade.

How long have you had this trailer? Do you have a bill of sale?

You need to get a cop to look at it and fill out a form. You will take that form to the tag office and give them some money and they will give you a
Tag and a vin plate to put on the trailer.

Easy.
 

boatbuilder

Senior Member
What constitutes a "homemade" Boat trailer? Can it be a manufactured trailer that has been altered? I can't find a VIN on this old trailer and I was told you can get registered as homemade but I don't want to get busted for trying to pass a factory trailer for homemade. Anyone ever deal with this?

Lots of trailers are registered as homemade.

How long have you had this trailer? Do you have a bill of sale?

You need to get a cop to look at it and fill out a form. You will take that form to the tag office and give them some money and they will give you a
Tag and a vin plate to put on the trailer.

Easy.
 

JackSprat

Senior Member
Any trailer that doesn't have a VIN can be declared to be homemade.

Tag office will give you a form, you take it to the PoPo, PoPo looks at it, certifies that it does't have a VIN, you take the form back to the tag office, and they will give you a sticker with an assigned VIN.

You can buy a trailer kit from Northern Tool and register it as homemade,

Basically, if it pass the police inspection, tag office doesn't care as long as the check clears.

Having LEO inspect it is a relatively new development.

Used to, you'd go to the tag office, say "I want to register a homemade trailer", and they would say "o.k."
 

BoosterC

Senior Member
Dekalb Co. is really not that bad. Someone had done a bait and switch before I bought my current boat, The trailer was registered in a different county. Per tag office, I called police and they sent an officer out the next day to certify that I had a bill of sale and possession.
 

martinc

Senior Member
Went thru this about 6 years back when I bought the Jet Boat. The trailer had NO VIN number. The local tag office gave me a "homemade trailer" VIN number to attach to the trailer, had it verified by a LEO, took the signed affidavit back to tag office and they gave me my tag.

Martin
 

615groundpounder

Senior Member
Make sure the trailer is road worthy before calling the sheriff out to inspect. When I did this the sheriff checked the tires and for working lights also before signing off.
 

Phantoms

Member
I'm sorry for bringing up this old thread but I'm going through something similar right now. Have a nice aluminum MagicTilt trailer that came with my 18ft CC. Have bill of sale for trailer and boat and already registered boat. Trailer has a manufacturer Vin Sticker on it but nothing is legible on it. All the numbers have long faded away and disappeared. Trailer has been through Copart sale and they didn't list the VIN of it (only the boat). Person I bought it from (who bought it through Copart Auction) never registered the trailer as they have a boat lift at their home that the boat sat on and only used the trailer for getting it home.

I'm going to fill out the form https://dor.georgia.gov/t-23-homemade-trailer-affidavit but have a question about the weight box on the form. Do I put down what the trailer weighs by itself, what it weighs with boat or it's carrying capacity?

I estimate the trailer as 350lbs (like I said, aluminum) and Sailfish list the boat as 1350lbs.
 

little rascal

Senior Member
I had the same thing happen in cobb. They didn't even look at it. Just had me fill out the paperwork, handed me a SN plate to mount on the tongue and my new tag. It was supposed to be inspected before they give you the SN and tag but they didn't care or require it.

Oh Cobb don't care. A bill of sale and you're good. Up here in WV, oh my Goodness what a pain. You get a handfull of forms and popo has to come out and sign. They still have inspections on vehicles no emissions. What a pain!!!!
 

ryanh487

Senior Member
I'm sorry for bringing up this old thread but I'm going through something similar right now. Have a nice aluminum MagicTilt trailer that came with my 18ft CC. Have bill of sale for trailer and boat and already registered boat. Trailer has a manufacturer Vin Sticker on it but nothing is legible on it. All the numbers have long faded away and disappeared. Trailer has been through Copart sale and they didn't list the VIN of it (only the boat). Person I bought it from (who bought it through Copart Auction) never registered the trailer as they have a boat lift at their home that the boat sat on and only used the trailer for getting it home.

I'm going to fill out the form https://dor.georgia.gov/t-23-homemade-trailer-affidavit but have a question about the weight box on the form. Do I put down what the trailer weighs by itself, what it weighs with boat or it's carrying capacity?

I estimate the trailer as 350lbs (like I said, aluminum) and Sailfish list the boat as 1350lbs.

I used the estimated weight of the trailer. They don't put it on a scale or anything.
 

GTMODawg

BANNED
I rebuilt an old boat trailer that didn’t have a vin number. Once I finished trailer I had sheriff department inspect and sign paperwork that I got from tag office for a home made trailer. I told the tag folks up front that it was a old boat trailer and they said that’s what they called all old or rebuilt trailer. Your county may be the same or not.


This is exactly how it has always worked in Georgia in the past, if you needed a trailer tag at all....they used to more or less be optional LOL. I have bought a bunch of boats over the years and have gone this route to get the trailer registered. Boats and boat trailers used to be the very easy to steal and register in Georgia....anyone could register anything and even if you never registered it odds were pretty good no one would ever notice. It has changed since then but it is still easier than most states.


I was told once by Georgia and again in New Mexico that trailers have no VIN but instead the axle is what actually has a VIN and it may or may not be stamped on the trailer. I think I was told the same thing in Washington State but I wouldn't swear to it....I have a boat now and the trailer was registered in Oregon as a factory built trailer but the guy I bought it from had someone tee bone the trailer, destroying one of the axles. He had it repaired and it has an Oregon home made plate screwed over the original VIN which was ingraved on the under side of the trailer tongue, That plate matches the stamp on one of the axles but not both. I registered that trailer in Washington and had a title based on that VIN from Oregon and I just registered it in Georgia without any changes to any VIN. If this is the case it would be all too easy to steal boat trailers and replace the axle, a fairly cheap undertaking when you are talking about tandem and triple axle aluminum I beam trailers, go throug the inspection process and have a clean title on that trailer. They ought to tighten that up some how but theives would find a way no matter what probably....
 

GTMODawg

BANNED
On another Georgia trailer registration note I have a 8.5 X 20 foot enclosed goose decoy trailer that I bought in Texas and registered in New Mexico. New Mexico offered a permanent trailer registration on that trailer for about $200 I think so I paid the money to avoid having to renew. I just tried to register than trailer in Georgia and was told New Mexico would have to deregister it. I called them and they said they didn't do that and the tag should be good where its at LOL. I was doubtful of this but when I went back to the tag office sure enough the lady said I could use the trailer and sell it or do anything and I was good. If I sell it the new buyer would have to register it which would apparently set the wheels in motion in New Mexico to transfer ownership but the only way for me to do that is sell it myself and why would I???? Gotta love the inefficiency of beaurcrats sometimes!
 
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