Florida Boat Bill of Sale Form

What a Boat Bill of Sale Should Include in Florida

Florida vessel titling guidance asks for a bill of sale that shows the purchase of the boat and/or trailer.^[1] A Florida title application made in connection with a sale asks for the seller's name and address, the sales price and the date of the transfer. It also asks for the boat's hull identification number (HIN).^[2.1][2.2] A complete boat bill of sale in Florida records all of them in one place.

Boat Sale Rules in Florida at a Glance

Our boat bill of sale form template records these details and more:

• The seller's and the buyer's names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses
• The boat's make, title number, year, color and HIN
• Any trailer and motors that are part of the sale
• The purchase date, the price and how it is paid
• Whether taxes are included in the price
• Signature lines and an acknowledgment section

Transferring a Boat Title in Florida

When a boat is sold in Florida, the seller signs the certificate of title and delivers it to the buyer. The buyer then applies to the state for a title in their own name, and the application is due within 30 days of the transfer.^[2.4] The bill of sale is the record of the sale. The title is what moves ownership on the state's books.

For a written certificate of title that notes the seller's interest, the statute says:

If the certificate is a written certificate of title and the transferor's interest is noted on the certificate, the transferor shall promptly sign the certificate and deliver it to the transferee.

In plain words, the seller (the transferor) must sign the title promptly and hand it to the buyer (the transferee).^[2.6] Florida law also addresses a seller who transfers a vessel that needs a title without delivering to the buyer a certificate of title duly assigned to the buyer.^[2.5]

The buyer's application must come with the certificate of title signed by the owner shown on it.^[2.3] The 30 days run from the later of two dates:

• The date of the transfer of ownership
• The date Florida becomes the boat's state of principal use^[2.4]

You can count the days with our deadline calculator.

Which boats need a title? Each vessel operated, used or stored on Florida waters must be titled by the state, except as subsections (2) and (3) of the same section provide.^[3] For current title and registration procedures, see the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles vessel titling information.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles creates vessel certificates of title. Under Section 328.09(1) of the Florida Statutes, unless it rejects the application, the department must create the certificate not later than 30 days after it receives an application that complies with Section 328.01.^[5.1]

Registration is a separate step from the title. Under Section 328.48 of the Florida Statutes, each vessel operated, used or stored on Florida waters must be registered as a commercial or recreational vessel unless it is a vessel operated, used and stored only on private lakes and ponds, a vessel owned by the United States Government, a vessel used only as a ship's lifeboat, or a non-motor-powered vessel less than 16 feet long or a non-motor-powered canoe, kayak, racing shell or rowing scull of any length.^[4.1]

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How to Write a Boat Bill of Sale in Florida

To fill out our boat bill of sale Florida template, work through it in 14 short steps. They cover the date, the parties, the boat, any trailer or motors, the price, taxes, signatures and the acknowledgment block. Fill in the template on screen with our PDF editor or print it and write by hand.

The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Florida boat bill of sale template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.

1. Date of the bill of sale. Write the date of the transaction on the date line at the top of the template.

   

2. Seller's information (Section 1). Enter the seller's name, street address, city, state and zip code, phone number and email address.

   

3. Buyer's information (Section 2). Enter the buyer's name, street address, city, state and zip code, phone number and email address.

   

4. Seller and buyer names in the boat description (Section 3). Under the heading Boat or Watercraft Description, write the seller's name on the first line and the buyer's name on the second.

   

5. Check Boat and describe it. Check Boat, then enter the make, title number, year, color and Hull Identification Number (HIN).

   

6. Boat hours and value. Next, enter the hours shown on the boat's meter and the boat's value in U.S. dollars.

   

7. Trailer and motors. Check Trailer and fill in its make, license plate number, color, VIN, year and value. Check Motor and enter the make, horsepower, serial number and value. Use the second Motor line for another motor, and leave unchecked anything that is not part of the sale.

   

8. Purchase date and total purchase price (Section 4). Write the purchase date and the total purchase price in U.S. dollars.

   

9. How the price is to be paid. Check one option: the full price at once on the purchase date, a deposit with the balance due on a later date, or a gift with no price paid. For a deposit, fill in the deposit amount, the deposit date and the balance date.

   

10. Payment method. Select one: cash, check, cashier's check or money order. For a check, add the check number.

    

11. Taxes. Near the end of the template, check whether all applicable taxes (state, local, municipal and sales) are included in the purchase price or are not included.

    

12. Signatures (Section 6). Section 5, Miscellaneous Provisions, sits just above the signature block and says the boat is sold as is, with no warranties. Read it, then have the seller, the buyer and the witness each sign, print their name and add the date on their own line.

    

13. Acknowledgment: county, date, officer and signer. The last part of the template is the acknowledgment block. Whoever takes the acknowledgment fills in the county, the date, their own name and title, and the name of the person who appeared before them.

    

14. Acknowledgment: officer's signature and seal. The acknowledgment block ends with a line for the officer's signature and seal. The officer completes this part.

    

Checks Before You Finalize a Boat Bill of Sale

Before you finalize the paperwork, take a few minutes to check the paperwork against the boat itself. A small mismatch between the bill of sale and the title is easy to fix before signing and harder to fix afterwards. These checks are practical habits for any bill of sale template, not legal requirements.

• Compare the hull identification number on the boat with the HIN on the title and on the bill of sale
• Check that the seller's name on the bill of sale matches the name on the certificate of title
• List any trailer or motor in the sale by its make and serial number or VIN so it is clearly included
• Write the price, the payment method and any deposit exactly as agreed
• Print each name clearly and date every signature
• Make two copies, so the buyer keeps the original with the title paperwork and the seller keeps a copy

Frequently Asked Questions

These are common questions about a boat bill of sale in Florida. Each answer rests on a Florida statute or on state vessel titling guidance, and each one points to its source.

Do you need a bill of sale for a boat in Florida?

Florida vessel titling guidance asks for a bill of sale that shows the purchase of the boat and/or trailer.^[1] So a bill of sale belongs in the paperwork for your sale. Our free template records the seller, the buyer, the boat, the price and the date.

Can I write my own bill of sale in Florida?

Start from the details the title application asks for: the seller's name and address, the sales price, the date of the transfer and the boat's HIN.^[2.1][2.2] Then add the buyer's information and a short description of the boat. Our Florida vessel bill of sale template covers all of these, and you can fill it out online or download the PDF.

What paperwork is needed to sell a boat in Florida?

Two documents come up in Florida's rules:

• A bill of sale that shows the purchase of the boat and/or trailer^[1]
• The certificate of title, which the buyer's title application must include once the owner has signed it^[2.3]

How do I transfer ownership of a used boat in Florida?

Transferring a used boat takes two moves. First, the seller signs the certificate of title and delivers it to the buyer.^[2.6] Second, the buyer delivers a title application and the fee within 30 days after the later of the transfer or the date Florida becomes the boat's state of principal use.^[2.4]

General information, not legal or tax advice.

Sources

1. Florida vessel bill of sale.
2. Florida Statutes §§ 328.01(2)(c) to 328.22(1)(a).
   • 2.1 § 328.01(2)(c)
   • 2.2 § 328.01(2)(j)
   • 2.3 § 328.01(4)(a)
   • 2.4 § 328.03(1)
   • 2.5 § 328.21(1)
   • 2.6 § 328.22(1)(a)
3. Florida Statutes § 328.03(1).
4. Florida Statutes § 328.48
   • 4.1 § 328.48
5. Florida Statutes Chapter 328. Accessed October 18, 2026.
   • 5.1 § 328.09(1)

Mara Erlach

Writer & Attorney

Mara has been practicing estate planning and trust law in California since 2003, taking pride in helping clients of all backgrounds and asset profiles form a complete and customized estate plan. Her specialties are: estate planning, wills and trusts, trust and probate administration.