Services
Documentation & Title Research
An Abstract of Title is a report of what has been recorded against a documented vessel: ownership filings, mortgages, and claims of lien. Reading it carefully — including the entries nobody expected — is how problems get found early.
We pair federal research with the state record, then compare both against the deal documents in front of you.
What research covers
- USCG Abstracts of Title
- Ownership history
- Recorded mortgages
- Recorded claims of lien
- State vessel record research
- Title-chain review
- Documentation discrepancies
- Comparison against Bills of Sale and closing documents
What research typically turns up
- Mortgages never satisfied of record
- Owners of record who are not the parties at the table
- Vessels transferred to an LLC without updating federal records
- Dissolved entities and changed LLC membership
- Deceased owners and estate transfers
- HIN and dimension mismatches
- Gaps in the chain of Bills of Sale
- Builder documentation inconsistencies
When to order it
Ideally before a deposit is at risk, and always before a closing date is promised. Research after funding tells you what went wrong instead of preventing it.
Official sources
- U.S. Coast Guard National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC)
- U.S. Coast Guard NVDC eStorefront
- U.S. Coast Guard Port State Information Exchange (PSIX) — Vessel Search
- Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Requirements change. Confirm current requirements with the applicable agency or a qualified professional for your specific transaction.
Official U.S. Coast Guard vessel resources
Want to Do a Little Digging Yourself?
Agency home
National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC)
The official U.S. Coast Guard NVDC website: current NVDC information, instructions and forms, processing information, the fee schedule, contact information, and links to eStorefront.
Visit the National Vessel Documentation CenterOnline filing
NVDC eStorefront
The Coast Guard's secure online system for submitting many vessel documentation applications and requests directly to the NVDC — initial documentation, exchanges and reinstatements, renewals, Abstracts of Title, mortgage and satisfaction filings, Bills of Sale, deletions, and other documentation products.
Open the Official NVDC eStorefrontPublic vessel search
USCG PSIX Vessel Search
Search the Coast Guard's public vessel database by USCG Official Number, Hull Identification Number (HIN), vessel name, and other vessel information. PSIX is updated regularly, but a search returning no result does not necessarily establish that a vessel has never been documented.
Search Your Vessel on USCG PSIXSearching PSIX: which field to use
- Have the Official Number? Enter it under Primary Vessel Number.
- Have the HIN? Enter it under Hull Identification Number (HIN).
No result? Don't panic. A search returning no result simply means the system was unable to locate a vessel using the information entered. That's when we may need to dig a little deeper.
Check your vessel. Check NVDC processing information. Visit eStorefront. And if what you find creates more questions than you started with — well, that's kind of how boat paperwork works. Send it to me.
Why eStorefront matters more now
The Coast Guard states that as of October 1, 2025, the NVDC transitioned eligible application and submission processing to its electronic request system, and current 2026 NVDC instructions direct eligible instrument filings through eStorefront. Confirm current requirements with the NVDC for your specific filing.
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