HRS §200A-5
Which state's title rules apply to a boat
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗This section says that once a boat gets a title certificate from a state, that state's rules control the title until the boat gets a new title elsewhere or becomes a documented vessel. A boat gets covered when the owner sends the application and fee to the right agency.
buyers
The statute, as written — Law governing vessel covered by certificate of title
A copy, taken August 20, 2026. The version published by the Legislature is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
(a) The local law of the jurisdiction under whose certificate of title a vessel is covered governs all issues relating to the certificate from the time the vessel becomes covered by the certificate until the vessel becomes covered by another certificate or becomes a documented vessel, even if no other relationship exists between the jurisdiction and the vessel or its owner. (b) A vessel becomes covered by a certificate of title when an application for the certificate and the applicable fee are delivered to the department in accordance with this chapter or to the governmental agency that creates a certificate in another jurisdiction in accordance with the law of that jurisdiction.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.