A Question for the Brilliant Minds here:

[Bob23]

  Do any of you fellers out there know how to find and boat owners name by using the registration numbers on the hull? Not the hull number but the numbers issued by the state when the boat is registered. There is an old sad and neglected Compac 16 sitting on a very neglected trailer and I'd like to buy it. Actually, I'd like to rescue it from her present owner who obviously is not worthy to own such a fine yacht as a 16. More truthfully, I'd like to steal it at a basement price. Thanks in advance,
bob23

[BobK]

I would go to the NJ DMV office in Tom's River and tell them you are trying to find the owner of a possibally abandoned boat.  I have done this in SC and they helped me.  I had better luck doing this in person than over the phone.
BobK

[JTMeissner]

Bob, not sure how it is in the other states, but Georgia maintains a database with the folks who run boat registrations, the Department of Natural Resources.  You can download each county's registrations or the whole database, which is a huge file. 

I'd assume that since it is a public record, it must be available from the records office of some government agency, but may require an in-office visit versus an online search.

-Justin

[crazycarl]

Bob,

I did this in Illinois also.  I had purchased a boat from a storage company for $75 because of non payment of fees.  The deal seamed too good to be true, so I wanted to contact the owners.  The IDNR gave me their address from the registration numbers that had expired 14 years prior.
As it turned out, the owners had been looking for the boat after the storage company moved, but gave up hope.  The owners tried to give me $300 for my troubles but I would only except $100. (the cost of cleaning and thawing years of ice and leaves from the cabin)

carl

[bmiller]

So that's where I left it. Thanks Bob. Now if you could drive it out to CO I'll reimburse half your fuel cost.