What identifies the hull
A Colorado boat bill of sale is only as good as the identifier on it. For boats that is the Hull Identification Number (HIN), found moulded or plated into the starboard side of the transom, near the top — twelve characters on any boat built since 1972.
Read it off the hull itself rather than from the advert, and check it against whatever paperwork the seller produces. A document describing the wrong boat protects nobody.
Odometer disclosure
No odometer disclosure applies. The federal rule under 49 U.S.C. § 32705 covers highway motor vehicles, and boats are not among them. Our form leaves it out rather than asking you to certify something that does not apply to what you are selling. Engine hours are the closest equivalent and are worth recording as a description of condition.
Does Colorado title boats?
This is the category where state practice varies most. Some states title boats above a length or horsepower threshold, some only register them, and federally documented vessels go through the U.S. Coast Guard instead of the state entirely.
For this category you will normally be dealing with the agency that handles vessels — which in many states is a natural resources, wildlife or parks department rather than the DMV. In Colorado the starting point is Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles — and if they do not handle this category themselves, they will tell you which department does.
Where there is no title, the bill of sale is not a formality — it is the ownership record. That makes the identifier and both parties' full legal names and addresses matter more, not less.
What goes wrong with boats
| Forgetting the trailer is a separate vehicle | In most states the trailer has its own title and its own registration. Selling 'the boat and trailer' on one line with one identifier leaves the buyer unable to register the trailer. Record its own VIN or serial. |
| A HIN that does not match the paperwork | Check the number moulded into the transom against the title or registration before you pay. Boats are re-hulled and re-numbered more often than people expect. |
| An outboard sold with the boat but titled separately | In some states a detachable outboard motor carries its own registration or title. Record the engine serial number as well as the HIN. |
What to confirm with Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles
These are the questions whose answers genuinely differ from state to state and category to category. Take this list to their website or a field office:
- Does Colorado title boats? If it does not, the bill of sale is your only ownership record, so it needs to be complete.
- Which agency handles vessels in Colorado — the DMV, or a natural resources or wildlife department? This is the question that wastes the most time when people guess.
- Is a bill of sale required to transfer one here, or only recommended?
- Is there an official CO form that has to be used instead of a generic bill of sale?
- Does anything need to be notarized — the bill of sale, the title assignment, or neither? An electronic signature is not a notarization; if a notary is required you need one in person.
- How many days does the buyer have to complete the transfer, and what is the penalty for being late?
- Who pays sales or use tax, and is it charged on the price paid or on a state valuation?
- Is there a length or horsepower threshold above which a title is issued rather than just a registration?
- Is the trailer titled separately, and does the outboard motor need its own registration?
- Must the seller file a release of liability or notice of transfer, and within how long?
How to do the paperwork
Whatever Colorado requires on top, both parties should walk away with a signed record showing the boat, its hull identification number, the price, the date and an as-is clause. Fill it in, sign on your phone, and send the other party a link — they review, can propose a different price, and sign from their own phone. The completed legal PDF is emailed to both of you.
Start a Colorado boat bill of sale — free