Registering boat in NH

[Bill]

Question for those mass residents who have done it. Can you use your boat in mass without registering in mass so long as you trailer the boat and don’t need a mooring permit? What about if I register in New Hampshire and then later on want to register in mass? Do I sell it to myself or how does that work with sales tax etc?

 

[Woodvine]

You can use a NH boat in MA, technically if it is going to spend 60 + days in MA it needs a MA reg and title. Only really an issue if your neighbor complains to the town, this happened to my brother but his was some big ugly searay on stands in my mothers yard the Town told him to register it in MA or face fines. I run a NH boat in MA and have never had an issue but I am on the border. My town, East Kingston NH registers boats at town hall we are right over the border close to 95 if you’re looking for somewhere to do it.

 

[jweir]

Bill my duck boat was registered for years in NH because Salem, NH is a border town with us and I needed a quick registration and didn’t want to drive to Boston, Worcester, etc. NH is just a walk into town hall or registry. Only problem is NH is annual where MA is 2 years. No one ever questioned me, but this also had no title (12’ long) so that wasn’t a complication when I did register in MA.

 

[Raider Ronnie]

This sounds like a question for John Kerry

 

[Bill]

This sounds like a question for John Kerry

Valuable input as usual Ronnie

 

[BOSBoatMan]

Valuable input as usual Ronnie

He should run for office

 

[plowin]

Registering in NH and using the boat in MA is technically not an issue as the registration is for the body of water that the boat is used most often in. Who the hell is going to know where that actually is! Now if you have it on a mooring or dock all year in MA that could present a problem but it would still technically be a valid registration.

If you have had the boat registered in NH in the past and have an expired registration then you can go to the registry and reregister the boat in MA and have a title generated for it at that time. It can even be done by way of mail if you dont want to go to the registry.

 

[plowin]

This sounds like a question for John Kerry

Mr. “Pay your fair share Kerry“ had his new custom built sailing yacht documented in RI if my memory is correct in an effort to dodge paying his fair share of sales tax to MA. After being exposed and several article put in the paper about it he and Mrs.ketchup though better of it.

 

[Fouraces59]

To register in NH do you need top show an address in NH? I registered my fathers Duffy in Maine using my in-laws address, got the Maine state registration then used that to get USCG documentation. There was a title issue on the boat due to common law wife, boat owner who passed and an unfriendly relationship between wife and boat owners family.

 

[harpoon83]

To register in NH do you need top show an address in NH? I registered my fathers Duffy in Maine using my in-laws address, got the Maine state registration then used that to get USCG documentation. There was a title issue on the boat due to common law wife, boat owner who passed and an unfriendly relationship between wife and boat owners family.

Anyone can register a boat in NH out of stater's welcome. You are supposed to use the boat 51% of the time in NH waters....

 

[bristolskiffer]

I live in Mass and have a house in NH. I registered the boat in NH....super easy.

What happens if I want to register in Mass??? Do I have to pay sales tax???

Thanks

 

[Snake8]

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone know about trailer reg in NH? I went to register an older sub 3000lb trailer as "homemade" in MA, which used to be pretty easy, now you need an inspection etc., sort of like registering a boat without a title/hin. Looking to get it registered without dealing with that crap.

 

[Raider Ronnie]

I live in Mass and have a house in NH. I registered the boat in NH....super easy.

What happens if I want to register in Mass??? Do I have to pay sales tax???

Thanks

Absolutely you have to pay in Taxachessetts

 

[Perfect Balance]

The only thing to consider is if you are doing it to avoid sales and excise taxes. Lets say you acquired a 100k boat private sale and you wanted to avoid paying sales tax. If you registered it in NH and never paid taxes and later went to register in mass your bill of sale is going to have a date on it. You will have to pay the sales tax to register in Mass. If you keep a boat at a marina most wont let you reg out of state if you are a Mass resident. The marinas cooperate withg the town and state to be "good neighbors" You will have to pay excise tax too. It wouldnt surprise me if they get you for back excise tax too. I keep my boat in Gloucester and I don't live in that town but they charge me excise tax. Even if you are a NH resident and keep a boat at a Massachustts marina you are subject to excise tax in that town. Moral of the story, its really hard to avoid any of this if you plan to register in Mass. They are getting good at getting their money. No you cant sell it to yourself. There is no such thing.

 

[Fouraces59]

The only thing to consider is if you are doing it to avoid sales and excise taxes. Lets say you acquired a 100k boat private sale and you wanted to avoid paying sales tax. If you registered it in NH and never paid taxes and later went to register in mass your bill of sale is going to have a date on it. You will have to pay the sales tax to register in Mass. If you keep a boat at a marina most wont let you reg out of state if you are a Mass resident. The marinas cooperate withg the town and state to be "good neighbors" You will have to pay excise tax too. It wouldnt surprise me if they get you for back excise tax too. I keep my boat in Gloucester and I don't live in that town but they charge me excise tax. Even if you are a NH resident and keep a boat at a Massachustts marina you are subject to excise tax in that town. Moral of the story, its really hard to avoid any of this if you plan to register in Mass. They are getting good at getting their money. No you cant sell it to yourself. There is no such thing.

But I would think if he can register in NH and keeps it on a trailer in MA and not on mooring or marina he would escape excise tax.

 

[Perfect Balance]

But I would think if he can register in NH and keeps it on a trailer in MA and not on mooring or marina he would escape excise tax.

Possibly but he did ask if he was to register it later what would happen. I have been surprised living is massachusetts how good they are at getting their money. MAny towns go looking for this kind of thing.

 

[MAArcher]

You can use a NH registered boat in Mass as others have said, though technically it has to leave the state every 59 days. I'm told that you can register it in MA at a later date if you want. Not sure about taxes but I would assume since having the form showing you've paid tax is part of the required application for Mass registration, you'll have to pay the taxes. I don't think you have to "sell it to yourself" as in having some re-titling and silly self to self bills of sale or anything like that.

 

[Perfect Balance]

There is another complexity. USE TAX Sales and Use tax on Boats, Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles, and Snowmobiles

 

[MAArcher]

Possibly but he did ask if he was to register it later what would happen. I have been surprised living is massachusetts how good they are at getting their money. MAny towns go looking for this kind of thing.

I'd say to the contrary, Mass sucks at getting their money. We've lost untold thousand if not millions of dollars in registration fees and taxes due to Mass residents registering their boats out of state simply because we've made the process such a nightmare. Most if not all the surrounding states have simpler/more convenient processes and less strict titling requirements. The hoops you have to jump through to register an old canoe you bought at a yard sale and want to put a trolling motor on is enough to make you want to start tarring and feathering legislatures.

 

[Perfect Balance]

Registering in NH is just like if you bought a boat out of state and let it sit in your yard for years. If you later go to register in MAss they will make you pay sales tax before you register it in mass. They may ask you pay use tax for the time it was not registered.