Hawaii Boat History Reports

Hawaii is the only state where practically every boat is a saltwater boat. There is almost no inland boating water in the islands (Wahiawa Reservoir on Oahu is the notable exception), so the market is ocean craft: offshore sportfishers running out of Honokohau and Kailua-Kona for marlin and ahi, dive, snorkel, and whale watch boats working the Kona coast and the Maui channels, and trailerable skiffs and center consoles launching from ramps on every island. Registration is administered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 200. Section 200-31 requires every undocumented vessel to be registered and numbered on an annual basis before it is used on state waters, with only four exceptions: foreign vessels temporarily using Hawaii waters, public vessels of the United States, ships lifeboats, and vessels the department exempts by rule. Current DOBOR fees are $25 for a new registration under 20 feet and $40 at 20 feet and over, with annual renewals of $20 and $35. Renewals can be filed online at vessel.ehawaii.gov, but new purchases and ownership transfers must be completed in person at the Vessel Registration and Titling Office on Sand Island or at a neighbor island district office.

The fact that reshaped every used boat deal in Hawaii is that the state started titling vessels on July 1, 2021. DOBOR implemented titling under HRS Chapter 200A, the Uniform Certificate of Title for Vessels Act (Act 46, Session Laws of Hawaii 2018), through amendments to Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 13-241. The change is more sweeping than it sounds. A vessel title now proves ownership and never expires, valid for the life of the hull or until it changes hands, while the certificate of number is what lets you operate on state waters and must be renewed every year. A certificate of number no longer shows ownership at all. Under HRS 200A-17 a bill of sale is no longer the instrument that transfers a titled Hawaii boat: the transferor signs the certificate itself, or signs a record evidencing the transfer when the title is electronic, and the buyer receives a new title once the transfer requirements are met. Section 200A-6(b) puts a 20 day clock on it, requiring the owner to deliver a title application to the department no later than 20 days after the transfer of ownership or after Hawaii becomes the state of principal use, and DOBOR charges a $40 late fee for failing to obtain a title in time and a $30 late fee when a new owner does not complete the transfer within 20 calendar days.

Liens live on that title record, which is good news for buyers who know to look. HRS 200A-15 provides that a security interest in a Hawaii vessel may be perfected only by the department receiving a title application that identifies the secured party, or, on a hull that already has a title, by an application to add the security interest listing the owner of record, the name and address of the secured party, and the hull identification number. Subsection (f) is the one to remember at closing: a purchaser who obtains a release from the secured party shown in the department files or on the certificate takes free of that security interest. What the state record still cannot tell you is the rest of the story. Section 200A-6(c) exempts documented vessels, foreign documented vessels, barges, hulls under construction, and dealer inventory from titling entirely, so the larger charter and sportfishing boats that carry US Coast Guard documentation have no Hawaii title and no state lien record. And a large share of island hulls were bought on the mainland and barged over, meaning the accident, lien, and salvage history that matters happened under a California, Washington, or Florida number before the HI number ever existed. A HullTrace report works from the HIN rather than the paperwork, surfacing USCG-reported accident records, preferred ship mortgages and lien filings recorded with the National Vessel Documentation Center, salvage events, and open CPSC safety recalls. See our guides on how to check boat history and what a HIN is for the step by step process.

• +Ask for the title, not the registration. Since July 1, 2021 the certificate of number no longer proves ownership in Hawaii, so a seller who can only produce a registration card and a handwritten bill of sale on an undocumented hull is missing the document that actually transfers the boat.
• +Read the secured party field on the certificate. Under HRS 200A-15 a lender perfects its interest on the title record, and subsection (f) means you take free of that interest only if you get a release from the secured party named in the DOBOR files or on the certificate. Get the release in writing before any money moves.
• +Ask directly about the Hull Damaged brand under HRS 200A-10. It is real and it carries a $1,000 administrative penalty for an owner of record who fails to disclose, for anyone who colludes in that failure, and for an insurer that skips its own obligation, but it only attaches when the damage happened while that owner held the boat and the owner had notice of it at transfer.
• +Check for DOBOR holds before you agree to anything. Under HRS 200-31(b) a registration cannot be renewed or transferred while the registered owner owes money to the department, has a pending citation for a rules violation, or has a vessel that is abandoned, grounded, derelict, unauthorized, or impounded. Those are the seller problems that become your problem at the counter.
• +If the boat is USCG documented, there is no Hawaii title to inspect. Section 200A-6(c)(1) exempts documented vessels from titling, so order an abstract of title from the NVDC to see preferred ship mortgages and notices of claim of lien on the Kona charter boats and larger sportfishers where documentation is common.
• +Trace where the hull lived before it arrived. Boats barged over from the West Coast carry years of history under a previous state number, and island events leave their own marks: the March 2011 tsunami wrecked boats at Keehi Lagoon and in the Kona harbors, Hurricane Iniki flattened the Kauai fleet in 1992, and the August 8, 2023 Lahaina wildfire destroyed Lahaina Small Boat Harbor and the vessels moored there.

Hawaii vessel data is sourced from the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), HRS Chapter 200 and Chapter 200A, Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapters 13-241 and 13-244, and the USCG National Vessel Documentation Center.

Every recorded ownership transfer in the federal and state systems.

Active and released liens — know if there's a secured creditor claim on the hull.

USCG-reported incidents including collisions, groundings, and sinkings.

Any record of total-loss or salvage operations tied to this hull.

Cross-referenced against the NCIC national stolen vessel database.

Active CPSC safety recalls tied to this HIN or model configuration.

Does Hawaii require a title for a boat?

Yes. DOBOR implemented vessel titling on July 1, 2021 under HRS Chapter 200A, the Uniform Certificate of Title for Vessels Act, and the owner of any undocumented vessel for which Hawaii is the state of principal use must obtain a certificate of title. The title proves ownership and never needs renewal: it is valid for the life of the vessel or until ownership transfers. The certificate of number is separate, it only allows operation on state waters, it must be renewed annually, and since 2021 it no longer shows ownership at all. Section 200A-6(c) exempts documented vessels, foreign documented vessels, barges, vessels under construction before delivery, and dealer inventory from the titling requirement. Section 200A-6(b) gives an owner 20 days after a transfer of ownership, or after Hawaii becomes the state of principal use, to deliver a title application to the department.

How do I register a boat in Hawaii?

Registration goes through the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation. HRS 200-31 requires every undocumented vessel to be registered and numbered annually before it is used on state waters, with exceptions only for foreign vessels temporarily in Hawaii waters, public vessels of the United States, ships lifeboats, and vessels exempted by department rule. New registrations and ownership transfers must be handled in person at the Vessel Registration and Titling Office at 4 Sand Island Access Road in Honolulu or at a neighbor island district office, and the current application covers both the title and the registration in one form. Renewals can be filed online at vessel.ehawaii.gov, by mail, or in person, and may be renewed without penalty any time in the 90 days before expiration. DOBOR fees are $25 for a new registration under 20 feet and $40 at 20 feet and over, with renewals of $20 and $35, a $20 fee for a new certificate of title, and $30 for an ownership transfer that covers both the title and the registration. Note that vessel trailers are registered separately through county DMV offices, not through DOBOR.

How do I check a Hawaii boat for liens?

Check the title record held by DOBOR. Under HRS 200A-15 a security interest in a Hawaii vessel can be perfected only by the department receiving a title application that identifies the secured party, or, where a title already exists, an application to add the security interest that lists the owner of record, the name and mailing address of the secured party, and the hull identification number. That makes the DOBOR title the authoritative lien record for an undocumented boat, and subsection (f) protects a buyer who obtains a release from the secured party named in the department files or on the certificate. If the vessel is federally documented, Hawaii does not title it under section 200A-6(c)(1) and the record lives with the National Vessel Documentation Center instead: order an abstract of title, which lists recorded preferred ship mortgages and notices of claim of lien. A HullTrace report checks the HIN against the records we hold: the HIN lookup is free and the full report is $15.

Do you need a boating license in Hawaii?

Hawaii does not issue a boating license, but since November 10, 2014 it has required boating safety education. Under HAR 13-244-15.5, adopted under the authority of HRS 200-24, any person operating a power driven vessel on state waters must possess a certificate of completion from a NASBLA approved boating safety course that includes a Hawaii waters component approved by the department. The requirement applies to vessels with motors greater than 10 horsepower. A person under 16 may not operate a power driven vessel unless they hold the certificate and are accompanied on board and directly supervised by someone 21 or older who also holds it. The certificate is issued for life and is not revoked.

What should I watch for when buying a used boat in Hawaii?

Missing titles, mainland history, salt corrosion, and DOBOR holds. Start with the paperwork: on an undocumented hull the seller should hand you a signed title, not a bill of sale, because HRS 200A-17 makes the certificate itself the transfer instrument, and a late transfer costs $30 while a late first title costs $40 on top of the $20 title fee. Hawaii does brand hulls under HRS 200A-10, applying the Hull Damaged designation with a $1,000 administrative penalty for non-disclosure, but that duty only binds an owner who caused or knew about the damage while holding the boat, so prior owner damage, an undocumented repair, or a hull barged in from another state can arrive with a clean Hawaii record. Check HRS 200-31(b) holds as well, since a registration cannot be renewed or transferred while the owner owes DOBOR money, has a pending citation, or has an impounded or derelict vessel. Then check the hull itself: every Hawaii boat is a saltwater boat, so engine mounts, wiring harnesses, and through-hull fittings deserve real scrutiny, and a USCG-reported accident search under 33 CFR 173.55 is the only way to see the grounding, collision, and storm history that no island paperwork is obliged to show you.