Buying a second-hand boat in Queensland: checks, rego transfer and licence

Check the boat's rego status before you hand over any money

Run a rego check on the seller's boat first, using the number on the hull. Use the Transport and Main Roads online check or the QLD Rego Check app, or ring 13 23 80. You want to know the rego is current before you talk price, not after.

Boats and jet skis with an engine of 3 kW or more need rego on Queensland water. If the rego has lapsed, it can be renewed within 3 months of the expiry date. After that, the boat needs a brand new registration. Operate an unregistered boat and you can be fined.

While you're standing next to it, compare the numbers on the hull with the ones on the seller's paperwork. Registration numbers must be readable from 30 metres, in a colour that contrasts with the hull. Most owners no longer get a certificate in the post, so ask the seller to download theirs online.

Search the PPSR to see if anyone else has a claim on the boat

A Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) search shows whether anyone apart from the seller has a security interest in what you're buying. Think a finance company that's still owed money on the boat. The Queensland Government points used-vehicle buyers to the PPSR for exactly this reason, and the PPSR website runs a boat search alongside its car search.

Do it before you pay. A clean rego check tells you the boat is registered. It says nothing about money owing.

Two other things can stall a sale on paper. A boat that's subject to enforcement action by the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) can't have its registration transferred until that action ends. And a boat 15 metres or longer can't be transferred online. Maritime Safety Queensland has to endorse a transfer of ownership for those boats before Transport and Main Roads will process it.

If either applies, ask the seller to sort it out before money changes hands. It's much harder to fix once the boat's in your driveway.

Transfer the registration into your name within 14 days

Changing ownership of a boat in Queensland is the buyer's job: once you've bought it, you've got 14 days to put the registration in your name. For a recreational boat, the Queensland Government says to take three things. A completed Queensland regulated ship registration transfer form (F3521). Evidence of the boat's origin, such as a purchase receipt. And evidence of your identity, such as a current driver licence.

Lodge it at a transport and motoring customer service centre. If you live in a rural area, a QGAP office, Magistrates Court or local police station that provides registration services can handle it too. Call before you go.

The transfer fee is yours to pay as the buyer, not the seller's. If you finish the transfer online and the rego has expired, you'll pay the renewal as part of it. More than 3 months past expiry, the boat needs a brand new registration instead.

Get a written receipt on the day, with the date of sale, both names and the boat's registration number. It's your evidence of origin, and the date of sale is when your 14 days start. Registration doesn't include third party insurance, so arrange that with an insurer.

Transferring online: the seller has to lodge their half first

You can transfer a boat's rego online, but only after the seller has done their part. The seller goes first and releases the rego from their name. Your half comes next: you complete the transfer and cover the fees. The seller enters the date of sale and how and where the boat will be stored, and your side asks where and how you'll store it.

The buyer service has limits. It only works when the registration will be in one person's name. You also need a Queensland driver licence or customer reference number, plus a Queensland address you've already given Transport and Main Roads.

Buying jointly with a partner? Buying through a company? Wanting to claim a concession or a transfer fee exemption? Each of those sends you to a service centre instead. So do boats 15 metres or longer.

If the seller lodged online and you'd rather finish at the counter, that's fine. A transport and motoring customer service centre can complete the transfer whether the seller lodged online or in person.

The trailer is a separate transfer, on a different form

A boat on a registered trailer means two transfers. The Queensland Government is plain about it: if you've bought a boat with a registered trailer, you also need to transfer the trailer registration. The 14-day window covers it too, because that rule applies to any used vehicle, caravan, trailer or boat that changes hands.

The forms differ. The boat goes on the F3521 ship transfer form. An in-person trailer transfer uses the vehicle registration transfer application (F3520), which both buyer and seller complete and sign. The buyer lodges Part A and the seller keeps Part B.

Trailer weight decides the extra paperwork. For a trailer with an aggregate trailer mass (ATM) between 750 kg and 4.5 tonnes, the transfer needs a current safety certificate. Over 4.5 tonnes ATM, it needs a certificate of inspection. A safety certificate can only be used once, so the seller can't hand over one from their own purchase.

One bit of good news. There's no vehicle registration duty on the transfer of a trailer.

Roadworthy: not on the boat's transfer list, often needed for the trailer

The Queensland Government's list of what to bring when you transfer a recreational boat's registration has three items: the F3521 form, evidence of the boat's origin and your ID. A safety certificate, the document most people call a roadworthy, isn't on it. The safety certificate rules on the transfer pages are written for vehicles and trailers.

So the roadworthy question usually lands on the trailer. A boat trailer with an ATM between 750 kg and 4.5 tonnes needs a current safety certificate for the transfer, and one over 4.5 tonnes needs a certificate of inspection. Because each certificate works for one transfer only, the seller needs a fresh one for your sale. Agree on who's paying for it before you shake hands.

The paperwork won't tell you much about the boat's condition. Once it's yours, Queensland's general safety obligation (a safe boat, the right safety gear and crew, safe operation) is on you every trip.

What licence you need to drive it home: a marine licence above 4.5 kW

To drive your new boat yourself, you need a Queensland marine licence if its engine power is greater than 4.5 kW. Buying a jet ski? Riding one takes two licences: a recreational marine licence plus a personal watercraft licence. Rego belongs to the boat. The licence belongs to you. Having one doesn't give you the other.

Until you're licensed, you can still operate the boat with a supervisor on board who holds a valid marine licence and can take immediate control. You can't tow a skier or tube unless you hold the licence yourself.

Getting licensed starts with a BoatSafe course. Our Boat Licence course is priced from $329, with online theory and a practical day on sheltered water at Caloundra, Maroochydore or Noosaville. Complete it and you get a statement of competency, which is only valid for 6 months, so apply for your licence soon after. Once issued, the licence is valid for life.

Not sure you need one? Start with Do I need a boat licence in Queensland?. Bought a jet ski? See the Jet Ski Licence course and our jet ski licence guide, then pick a day on course dates.

Training delivered by Australian Boating College, RTO #3399.