Ohio Boat Appraisers

On the death of a married Ohio resident, the surviving spouse may select one watercraft, one watercraft trailer and one outboard motor that the will does not otherwise dispose of. Title passes on an affidavit stating the date of death, a description of each item and its approximate value. What passes this way is not an estate asset and is left out of the estate inventory, so the approximate value sworn on that affidavit is often the only figure anyone writes down. Liens survive the transfer.

An application for a watercraft or outboard motor title must be filed with the clerk of the court of common pleas within thirty days of the purchase or the assignment of ownership, and sales or use tax is paid at that point. In a casual sale between private parties, the price stated on the affidavit filed with the clerk is prima facie evidence of the price for tax purposes. Every Ohio title carries a warning in bold that the true selling price is required by law, that all transfers are audited by the department of taxation, and that the buyer may be assessed any further tax found to be due.

Ohio's watercraft title chapter does not reach a canoe, a watercraft under fourteen feet without a permanently affixed mechanical means of propulsion, a watercraft under fourteen feet whose fixed propulsion is rated under ten horsepower, or an outboard motor under ten horsepower. Federally documented vessels sit outside it too. Ownership of those craft is shown by a bill of sale, a registration or plain possession, which is why an estate or a claim involving one leans harder on a written valuation than on a certificate.