Registering Kayak with DMV

I thought I'd make a new thread on registering a kayak since info was a bit scattered in the search and I couldn't' find the answer I needed. I need to register my kayak and have the original receipt from Kayak City. If I enter the original price on the DMV form, will I get taxed a second time for my kayak or will I be alright if I can show them my original receipt showing them that I paid sales tax on it already? I'm trying to figure out how to get this done without paying and arm and a leg for it. I was also reading another post regarding the matter and the poster said he was forced to pay for 5 years of back registration even though he didn't operate his kayak with a motor during that time and didn't require a registration. I'm trying to avoid that too.  Help?

What kind of motor are you adding?

Electric trolling motor, a Newport

I too bought my non motorized kayak from Kayak City. James at KC told me via email that to register my kayak I would need the receipt, a Mfr Stmt of Origin and the Boat 101 form from the DMV website. I have the receipt and the Boat 101 Form. James said he could provide the MSO if I came in to the shop with my receipt and my driver license so he knows I'm the guy who bought the boat from him. You might call the shop first before making a trek there to confirm the above.

My local DMV is temporarily closed for remodeling and I don't have a half day to burn at another DMV so instead of trying to register in person, I followed the DMV website instructions to mail in my documents with a check. It's been a couple weeks and I haven't heard back, fingers crossed.

I never did go in to KC to get the MSO. The DMV website just says I need "proof of ownership" so I am first going to see if the sales receipt alone works.

By the way, the consensus here seems to be that if the DMV agent is trying to charge you for prior years and you can't convince them otherwise, walk out and make an appointment at a different DMV. There seems to be widespread confusion at DMV on this topic and you just have to get lucky to get the right person.

Thanks for the heads up. Yea that's the first of heard of needing a Manufacturers Statement of Origin. I would have figured that a receipt and the information found through the hull number would have been sufficient. I'll give KC a call and see what they say.

By the way, the consensus here seems to be that if the DMV agent is trying to charge you for prior years and you can't convince them otherwise, walk out and make an appointment at a different DMV. There seems to be widespread confusion at DMV on this topic and you just have to get lucky to get the right person.

I have not registered a motorized kayak, but I did register a trailer that I built from a kit, and that caused a fair bit of confusion at the DMV. Based on my experience, I'd say that the advice above is exactly right--if you don't get an answer that makes sense, just leave and go to a different DMV (or even go back to the same DMV later), as a different person may give you a different answer.

I agree with others it depends on which DMV you go to and which employee helps you.  In my case, I was required to provide a signed copy of my MSO.  They would not accept the emailed copy Hobie sent me  so I had to go back to Kayak city and have the manager sign it as true and correct. 

I was not charged the sales tax a second time once I submitted a copy of my original sales receipt. 
They also did not try to charge me for back registration even though I had owned my kayak for a couple years before applying for my CF numbers.

I registered my kayak a long time ago with the DMV.  All they required was the serial number on the back.  I was doing it for the sail, but I also had a motor, so no difference.  They didn't ask me for an original sales receipt or how much I paid for it either.  Maybe rules have changed, or it was the DMV agent I got lucky with. Seems all they cared about was collecting my money.  The fee is a tax based on the personal property value and is through the county just like homeowners' property tax.  I included the title they gave me to Bulldog-Alex who now owns that kayak.  I dropped the registration with my county because I don't own it anymore, but they never asked who now does own it and I don't think they removed the title from their records, so either Alex updated the DMV or they think it's still in my name. 

It's starting to look more and more like I should get the MSO just in case I'm asked. I'll try to stop by KC and get that this weekend. I'm glad I saved my receipts! I'll try registering it just using my regular receipt and putting in what I paid for it. Hopefully I get lucky and find a clerk that won't charge me the back taxes, or the sales tax that I already paid. We'll see!

Dunno if you've registered or not but here's my $0.02, as I just did this two weeks ago with my OT PDL 120 I purchased in 2020 from Kayak City and Vanhunks Sauger I bought third party last November.

I registered my Sauger first.  I had the registration form (BOAT 101), the transfer of ownership form (REG 227) and a receipt from the seller.  I didn't know I needed the serial number from the 'yak (or off of the MSO); the DMV lady went and asked her boss who told her to generate a new number.   They use that as the Hull Identification Number (HIN) on the top of BOAT 101.  I didn't know it at the time (see below) but she charged me tax from the sale.

Next was the PDL 120, a couple days later I went in with my BOAT 101 form, my OT receipt and the serial number off of the MSO (you can find that on the back of your Owner's Manual that came with the kayak).  The cost to register was a third of the cost for registering the Sauger, she told me that the first lady charged me tax on the sale.  None was charged on the OT sale as I had the receipt showing I'd already paid the tax.

FWIW I called Kayak City to see if they could help me find my receipt from 2020 as I could not.  Their records didn't go back that far; I was lucky enough to have purchased online and could download my receipt from the online sale thru Kayak City's website.