Some mistakes are caught and corrected immediately. Some take years to discover and a lot of time and effort to fix. This brings us to the story of Robert Riggs and his recent purchase of a 2000 Wellcraft 330 Martinique.
The vessel Mr. Riggs purchased has a history, as all used vessel do, if only
they could talk! This history became the path of discovery for a Hull of a Mistake.
The first owner purchased the vessel from a new boat dealer and took ownership
with a State of Florida Title. The boat was traded to a dealer, sold to the
second owner who chose to document the vessel with the US Coast Guard. Another
dealership took the boat in on trade and resold it to owner number three, who
once again titled the vessel with the State of Florida. Mr. Riggs purchased
the vessel directly from owner number three and again, the vessel would be documented
with the US Coast Guard.
At the time of purchase, a certified marine surveyor was hired to perform a
survey on the vessel. To Mr. Riggs surprise, the hull identification number
the surveyor verified was not the same as the hull identification number on
the Florida title. The last four digits on the hull number engraved in the transom
were D000 and the last four digits listed on the title were E000.
Having a background in the purchase and resale of Harley Davidson’s, the
motorcycle of choice for thieves and chop shops, Mr. Riggs was immediately concerned
about the hull number discrepancy, as this may have been a sign of possible
fraud. He immediately alerted Maritime Finance and the Documentation Company
of the situation. Initially, it was thought that there was a typographical error
in the hull number on the first Florida title that was submitted to the Coast
Guard. In order to investigate this possibility, it was necessary to go all
the way back in the chain of ownership and verify the hull number with the builder,
Wellcraft.
Wellcraft keeps excellent records and was extremely helpful in solving this
problem. A hull tracing was performed and submitted to the factory for research
purposes. It turns out that at the time the vessel was built the hull number
with D000 was imprinted in the transom and the hull number with E000 was entered
incorrectly into the computer which caused the original Builder’s Certificate
and MSO to be printed with the wrong hull number.
Once the mistake had been investigated, Wellcraft issued the paperwork as required
by the US Coast Guard to correct the hull number on the ownership document to
match the hull number engraved on the hull. The hull number on this vessel was
incorrect from the time of production and remained undetected for over four
years, through three owners and two dealerships! The moral to the story: Always
obtain a pencil tracing or digital photo of the hull identification number on
both NEW and USED vessels, prior to purchase.
Our special thanks to Robert Riggs, current Maritime customer, for his willingness
to share his story with our readers.