I once bought a boat on trailer at an estate sale. The boat was 12 ft,
IIRC, in a good shape but it was not anything of real value. I paid
$120.

http://igor.chudov.com/projects/12-f...raft-Seafarer/

Due to my naivety, I accepted the seller's excuses for not having a
title and bought the boat. I do not suspect any foul play, the money
involved does not warrant any fraud, the story was that the deceased
did not leave a title that the heirs could find.

What I then found, was that I had to get a title for it and the
trailer (a vehicle in IL). Otherwise it would not be registered and I
could get fined for operating an unregistered boat.

Finding out how to get titles was very painful and in the end, after
about a year I realized that it would be an endless nightmare and
maybe $200 in fees by the time I am done, if ever.

I ended up selling it to someone else, with full explanation for not
having a title, for just $300. (considering that I also bought oars it
was not much of a profit)

i