A boat bill of sale should record who is selling, who is buying, exactly which boat is changing hands (its HIN and registration number), what comes with it, the price, and both signatures. That's the core of it. Everything else in this guide is about getting those details right.
Skip the checklist: use our boat bill of sale template →
01 What is a boat bill of sale?
A boat bill of sale is a signed record that ownership of a boat has passed from one person to another for an agreed price. It names both parties, identifies the vessel and sets out the terms of the sale. You don't lodge it anywhere, but you keep it, and state transport authorities can ask for proof of purchase when the registration is transferred.
02 What to include in a boat bill of sale: the checklist
Work through these in order. Most arguments after a private sale trace back to something that was vague or left off the page.
Seller and buyer details
Full legal names as they appear on ID, residential addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Add an ID reference too, such as a driver licence number. If the boat is jointly owned, name every registered owner and have each of them sign. Before anyone signs, check that the seller's name matches the registration certificate.
Boat details
Make, model, year, length, hull colour and hull material, plus the registration number and the Hull Identification Number (HIN). The HIN is the one that really counts. It's the boat's fingerprint, usually plated on the transom, and it should match the rego papers and the hull itself. Some older NSW boats carry a Boatcode number instead, so record whichever the boat has.
Engine details
Outboards are often a big slice of the price, and they get stolen separately from boats. Record the make, model, horsepower and serial number of every engine. If there's an hour meter, write down the hours on the day of sale.
Trailer details (if it's sold with the boat)
Trailer registration number, VIN, make and ATM (aggregate trailer mass). The trailer has its own rego, so it needs its own line on the document.
What's included
Lifejackets, flares, EPIRB, anchor, GPS, sounder, VHF radio, covers, fishing gear. Be specific. "All accessories" is an argument waiting to happen. If something visible on the boat is not part of the sale, say so.
Price and payment
Write the total price in figures and words, any deposit already paid, the balance, how it's being paid and when. A private seller doesn't charge GST. If the seller is a GST-registered business selling in the course of that business, state whether the price includes GST, and the buyer should ask for a tax invoice. Practical tip for sellers: don't hand over the boat or the signed transfer papers until the funds have cleared.
Condition and "as is" wording
In a private sale, the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law don't apply, because they cover businesses selling in trade or commerce. That's why most private bills of sale say the boat is sold "as is, where is". It's worth adding that the buyer has had the chance to inspect (or survey) the boat. The clause won't protect a seller who lies about a known defect, so list anything you know about.
Ownership statement
The seller should declare that they own the boat outright and that there's no finance or other security interest over it. Buyers shouldn't take that on trust. Search the HIN, and the trailer VIN, on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) before paying. If a lender has a registered interest, it may be able to take the boat back.
Date, handover and both signatures
Record the date of sale and the date and time of handover. That moment matters, because it's when risk (and the need for insurance) moves to the buyer. Both parties sign and print their names. Make two identical copies so each of you keeps a signed original.
All of this is already set out in our boat bill of sale template.
03 Selling a boat and trailer together: one bill of sale or two?
One document is fine. List the trailer under its own heading, with its rego number and VIN, and ideally show how much of the price relates to it.
The catch is that the trailer is registered as a vehicle, not a vessel. Its rego transfer is a separate step, handled on the road-vehicle side of your state's transport authority, and it runs to its own deadline. In Queensland, for example, a trailer with an ATM over 750 kg also needs a current safety certificate when it's sold.
Selling the trailer on its own? Use our vehicle bill of sale template instead.
04 Does a boat bill of sale need to be notarised or witnessed?
No. No Australian state requires a private boat bill of sale to be notarised, and a witness is optional. The notary advice you'll see online mostly comes from American forms, where some vessel transfers do need a notarised bill of sale.
A witness still has value here: an independent adult, or a free JP, makes it much harder for either side to later claim they never signed. It doesn't make the document any more valid, just harder to argue with.
05 Can you write a boat bill of sale by hand?
Yes. There's no prescribed form for a private boat sale, so a handwritten or homemade bill of sale is legally fine as long as it covers everything in the checklist.
The risk is what gets left out. Handwritten versions tend to skip the HIN, the engine serial number or the ownership statement, and those are exactly the details you need if something goes wrong. Legibility matters too: whoever processes the rego transfer has to be able to read a 12-character HIN without guessing.
If you'd rather not start from a blank page, our boat bill of sale template prompts you for each detail.
06 After you sign: transferring the boat rego in NSW, QLD and WA
The bill of sale doesn't transfer the registration. That's a separate step with the state, and both buyer and seller have deadlines.
| State | Seller | Buyer |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Lodge a notice of disposal within 14 days (online, in person or by post) | Transfer the rego in person at a service centre within 14 days |
| QLD | Start the transfer online or in person; rego must be transferred within 14 days of sale | Complete the transfer within 14 days and pay the transfer fee |
| WA | Lodge the seller's copy of the boat transfer form in person within 7 days | Lodge the purchaser's copy within 15 days |
One detail from NSW shows why the paperwork matters: the government tells sellers to keep copies of the bill of sale and receipts, because the seller stays on the vessel's record until the buyer registers it. In every state, a trailer sold with the boat needs its own rego transfer.
In another state or territory? Check your local transport or maritime authority, as the forms and deadlines differ.