buying used

4 from private individuals

1 from a dealer.
 
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2 used boats...
One with owner...
One with a broker... would never do it without my broker again...
 
1 from Craigs List (240)
1 from Ebay (600)
1 new from dealer ( 1985 Fisher Marine Marsh hawk)
several from newspaper ads
all good experiences
 
2 from dealers: Cobia and the Whaler

Both Sea Rays from private individuals

All went very well.
 
10 boats, 1 from a dealer (actual boat dealership), 3 from brokers and 6 from private owners. As the boats got more expensive there were "professionals" involved. Actually the last sale there was a broker but he had little involvement other than connecting buyer and seller.
 
Two used boats: 1 privately and 1 with a broker.

Private deal was good, but with the broker, I think we let our guard down a little and assumed he was going to take care of us. We did our due dilligence and are happy with the boat, but had an ugly surprise when the fridge didn't work and the previous owner took off the life jackets!
 
Wow, I hate to hear about all the crummy brokers... if anyone in my neck of the woods needs one I will I will gladely recomend mine... he is phenominal and took care of all the paperwork twice(long story) and walked me through the process and made sure that I was very happy with his service and recomend him any chance I get.
 
After looking at boats with serious problems that were touted by brokers as great boats, we bought our 260 DA from an individual owner. The boat is just what he said it was. He knew the boat inside and out, the way she operates and handles, as well as mechanically. The brokers didn't know jack s**t. I'm not saying all brokers are like that, but the majority of them do not know what they are selling. In the end I was glad we looked at all the boats that didn't work out. I learned alot from looking at messed up boats, most importantly, that properly maintaining a boat is the secret that sucessful boat owners know. When the right one came along we felt we had made the right decision.
 
Three used boats. Two 330 Sundancers, one from a private party, the other through a brokerage. The one we have now from a broker.

I love to negotiate so buying from either private party or through a broker I did all the negotiating myself. Long story about buying one of the 330's through a broker but the condensed version is the negotiations stalled. I got the owners name from the USCG Documentation Registry and sent him a letter with pictures of my 11 year old bowrider. I knew he was old and getting out of boating and played on what I felt would be his willingness to take a lower price for his boat knowing that it was going to go to someone who would appreciate it and care for it as he did.

My letter worked, he called me and we settled the deal over the phone. Saved me $10K over what his last offer was through the selling broker. That pissed off the broker because I went behind his back and because he lost some commission. The way I felt was that the selling broker was working for the seller of the boat not for me. He wasn't too interested in taking my low offer to the seller and I'm sure when I insisted he do it, he did it with the recommedation that the seller reject my offer...which he did. It was after that rejection that I sent him the letter and photos and we had the phone conversation.
 
GFC, That broker must have had a poorly constructed contract not to still get paid and if he was so inept as to not be able to protect himself, how could he ever be sucessful representing others?

MM
 
I have bought 1 new from a dealer, 2 through brokers and 1 from a private party.
All were good experiences.

The trick is to look long enough to know the market, push to the price point that you believe is fair and get qualified surveyors to determine the boats true condition.
 
A broker should offer advice as to what to do with an offer but never not present it to the seller. Whenever I present an offer to a client I will send along sold boat info along with what else is on the market. If he wants to accept something lower, thats his decision. The difference in commission on the sale price should be of no concern to the selling broker, although you would be surprised how many people bicker over a few hundred dollars.

Also, if the broker does not know the boat inside and out there is a problem. I call these guys commission picture takers, a pretty easy way to judge how well a broker knows the boat is to look at his write up online. If it is very short or stock information from the manufacturer you know he spent as little time as possible on the boat. You will notice there is a direct correllation between how well they know the boat and how extensive the write up is.

A good idea to keep in mind, if you are looking online on your own and you see a boat with minimal pictures and information its a good idea to equip yourself with a buyers broker on that deal. After all, using a buyers broker costs the buyer ZERO and can eliminate a ton of leg work prior to a sale. I do not say this because I am one, I say this because I have saved a significant amount of people from spending money on surveys on boats that I had prior knowledge of or seen with my own eyes. The key is hiring one that you are comfortable with and has your interests at his core.
 
4 boats; 2 new, 2 from individuals. In the future, it will be definitely used. If there's a selling broker involved I can deal with it.

If you're a buyer, the most important thing you can do is let the seller(s) know is that you are a "qualified" buyer. If you're a seller, the best thing you can do is clean up your da*n boat. I've looked at so many dirty boats, it's not funny.
Don
 
3 used boats. Two were dealer owned and had problems. The Sea Ray was brokered through the dealer who worked out a buy sell for my boat with the seller. It was a great deal for a great boat.
 
My first 3 boats were under 3K each. The very first one I bought at an auction, and sold it the next year as an outboard with a free boat and trailer due to a rotten transom for more than I bought it for. The next 2 were from private owners, and I did OK on one and made money on the next one. The last one I bought from a dealer, and they were great to deal with and in fact this year were rated the number dealer in the country by Boating Industry Magazine.

Mike
 
Not only dirty boats. How about the ones where the pictures are taken with all the personal belongings in the picture. Like water toys and the little touches such personal as nick nacks that have been put on the boat. One of the boats in a broker's lot had all sorts of added handles and latches that were not even made for a boat. If some one is going to personalize a boat make sure it fits in with the boat also that it improves the boat not take away from it.
 
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