What Happens To My Boat If I Get Divorced In Oregon? 

Spouses bring their property into marriage and may acquire additional property during the marriage. In an Oregon divorce, the court must receive a list of the spouses’ property to determine how to distribute it to each spouse. The assets list may include land, buildings, the residential home, automobiles and other vehicles, benefits, stocks, and personal items (ex. jewelry, clothing, furniture). The divorcing couple may agree to divide the property. However, if they do not, the court determines the property distribution.

The court will categorize the property as separate property or marital property. Separate property is acquired before marriage, by gift to one spouse, by inheritance, or through a will. Marital property is property a couple acquires during the marriage. The spouse who owns the separate property gets to keep the property. A judge divides marital by equitable distribution, which is not always a 50/50 division, but a split that fair by assessing certain deciding factors. A boat that a spouse owned before marriage is separate property. If it was purchased after marriage, it is marital property. A pre-marital boat may be changed into marital property if the boat becomes commingled in support of the marriage. Commingled property is created when marital assets are used to pay for, maintain, or improve a separate property.