Stuff I learned registering my new kayak trailer at the DMV today

I bought a Malone Eco Light trailer from Amazon and assembled it last weekend, today I went to the DMV with an appointment to get it registered and thought it would be useful to post some info about it.

What you'll need to bring:
- Bill of sale or receipt that shows you paid sales tax ideally with the VIN on it
- Manufacturer's certificate of origin that shows the VIN, make, and year
- REG 343 (APPLICATION FOR TITLE OR REGISTRATION) filled out as best as you can https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/uploads/2020/06/reg343.pdf
- Valid drivers license
- Approximately $53 to pay for the fees

What I should have done when arriving is pull over to the side of the DMV and look for a sign that says "Inspections", you'll want to park there and when approached let them know you need a VIN verification done.  They will fill out a REG 31 form https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/verification-of-vehicle-reg-31-pdf/ (this is done by the DMV, you don't need to bring this form or fill it out yourself) to make sure the VIN on your manufacturer's cert of origin matches the VIN on your trailer, so make sure your VIN is printed somewhere on your trailer Mine was just a tiny little sticker:


Once you have your REG 31 form complete they no longer need to look at anything on the trailer so feel free to park anywhere far away to find a spot and enter to get a number and wait.  When at the counter they will ask for all the forms I mentioned as well as your drivers license then type some stuff into the computer and after a little while you'll walk out with a permanent plate that I was told never needs to be renewed.


What I did instead was go to the counter first then I was told I had to go do the inspection and come back to wait through the entire line again, but she said since I was polite she'd freeze my current number in the queue and when I'm done just come right back to her counter to finish the process phew.  Another tip is when they do the inspection you can tell them the trailer is a multi-use trailer, so it will be legally registered to carry anything from boats to bikes to hauling stuff around.  Hope someone finds this useful!  Once it stops raining I'll make another post with the mods I did to the trailer

Yep, CA requires some extra stuff.

I went through this with a harbor freight utility trailer, in 2020. Assembled the trailer, went to DMV, waited 2 hours for them to tell me it needed a VIN inspection, but because COVID, they couldn't inspect then and there. Had to go to third party to get inspected, which cost me an additional $40. Then, take that document back to DMV, where they took my ~$50 and gave me a plate.

BTW, the plate doesn't expire, but the reg does. It's only like $10 every 5 years, so not really a big deal, but make sure you don't miss the reminder slip they mail out. 

Thanks, this information would have helped me when I registered my utility trailer a couple years ago.  The only difference was i bought the trailer from out of state, so they wanted to have the vin verification done prior to letting me register it.  I went through the same hassle you experienced. 

Thanks for the tips, and would love to see the trailer. My mom is looking for a light trailer for a kayak and this one caught my eye. Curious as to why you picked it over the Malone microsport lowbed (besides the price).  

I bought a Malone Eco Light trailer from Amazon and assembled it last weekend, today I went to the DMV with an appointment to get it registered and thought it would be useful to post some info about it.

What you'll need to bring:
- Bill of sale or receipt that shows you paid sales tax ideally with the VIN on it
- Manufacturer's certificate of origin that shows the VIN, make, and year
- REG 343 (APPLICATION FOR TITLE OR REGISTRATION) filled out as best as you can https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/uploads/2020/06/reg343.pdf
- Valid drivers license
- Approximately $53 to pay for the fees

What I should have done when arriving is pull over to the side of the DMV and look for a sign that says "Inspections", you'll want to park there and when approached let them know you need a VIN verification done.  They will fill out a REG 31 form https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/verification-of-vehicle-reg-31-pdf/ (this is done by the DMV, you don't need to bring this form or fill it out yourself) to make sure the VIN on your manufacturer's cert of origin matches the VIN on your trailer, so make sure your VIN is printed somewhere on your trailer Mine was just a tiny little sticker:


Once you have your REG 31 form complete they no longer need to look at anything on the trailer so feel free to park anywhere far away to find a spot and enter to get a number and wait.  When at the counter they will ask for all the forms I mentioned as well as your drivers license then type some stuff into the computer and after a little while you'll walk out with a permanent plate that I was told never needs to be renewed.


What I did instead was go to the counter first then I was told I had to go do the inspection and come back to wait through the entire line again, but she said since I was polite she'd freeze my current number in the queue and when I'm done just come right back to her counter to finish the process phew.  Another tip is when they do the inspection you can tell them the trailer is a multi-use trailer, so it will be legally registered to carry anything from boats to bikes to hauling stuff around.  Hope someone finds this useful!  Once it stops raining I'll make another post with the mods I did to the trailer

Honest reason for not choosing the microsport lowbed instead of the ecolight was just that I didn't notice the lowbed option while shopping online  I'm towing the kayak with an EV, so I was hoping to choose the trailer that would give the best fuel economy, but couldn't find a straight answer on 8in vs 12in wheels being better.

I've got a trailer that came "free" with my HobieCat, with no license or registration.  Prior owner said he had tried contacting prior owner but was never able too.  Would anyone have advice on how to remedy this, I'm not even sure I can read numbers off the trailer or not (will check next time I visit it).

I've got a trailer that came "free" with my HobieCat, with no license or registration.  Prior owner said he had tried contacting prior owner but was never able too.  Would anyone have advice on how to remedy this, I'm not even sure I can read numbers off the trailer or not (will check next time I visit it).

Had this same issue with my boat trailer. The previous owner did not have any documentation on the trailer, and told me it was "registered with the boat" which I knew was false. It did have a plate and VIN placard tho.

DMV had me go through the lost title process. Apparently it hadn't been registered since the '90s.  I am pretty sure I am the 3rd owner, 1986 model boat, engine, and trailer.

DMV had me mail a lost title form to the previous owner, who filled in his info and signed, then sent it back to me so I could take it to the DMV.  They never checked the VIN on the trailer, but I needed to grab it from the placard so I could put it on the forms.

Not a difficult or expensive process, but definitely a bit of back and forth. Doing this again, I would go right off the bat with the lost title form. Honestly, I probably would just tell DMV that I didn't have an address or contact info for the previous owner also, just to save some time mailing stuff back and forth. But, to keep it all above board, I mailed it back and forth anyway, just for a signature. All in, I think I was less than $75 for the trailer reg with lost title, and a couple weeks of wait time.

You're situation might be a little different without a plate though - if no plate or VIN might be easiest to tell them it was custom made.

At the Stoneridge mall DMV in Pleasanton. The inspector told the clerk that because it was a certified kit and had never been registered it did not require an inspection. She pulled up the exemption on the dmv computer. I did need a bill of sale a certificate of origin and a mfg issued Vin. I also got them to issue me a title so that resale would be easy.

... if no plate or VIN might be easiest to tell them it was custom made.

Any idea what happens in that case. Coincidentally, I'm building a trailer for my Hobie AI, and it should be done any day now (I've been saying for a couple of months, but this time I mean it!)

... if no plate or VIN might be easiest to tell them it was custom made.

Any idea what happens in that case. Coincidentally, I'm building a trailer for my Hobie AI, and it should be done any day now (I've been saying for a couple of months, but this time I mean it!)

I don't know exactly. Probably not all that different than a lost title application, honestly. They will probably issue you some sort of VIN, for the documentation. With the lost title, they seemed pretty adamant that I get in contact with the previous owner. 

Yeah, I can see that happening, really hard for me to get an understanding of the size of a trailer without seeing them in person. Does anyone know of a shop around Sacramento that has some of these on display?

Honest reason for not choosing the microsport lowbed instead of the ecolight was just that I didn't notice the lowbed option while shopping online  I'm towing the kayak with an EV, so I was hoping to choose the trailer that would give the best fuel economy, but couldn't find a straight answer on 8in vs 12in wheels being better.