Re: Key things to listen for when buying a used boat
It's one thing for someone that doesn't realize what they have or what it's worth to sell something cheap, but another when they just bought it new and give it away for a fraction of what they just paid as part of a deal. For me, I'd rather cut up the boat and sell the trailer separate. But to be honest, I've not had to cut up many, there always seems to be a taker for even bare hulls. A few really surprised me.
What I've been seeing a lot of lately is no show sellers on CL. I've answered at least a dozen ads over the past few weeks for boats, motors, or trailers that were of interest, some were super cheap, a few were just OK, but I was interested in some part of the deal. One seller emailed me back, send more pics, I told the guy what time I'd be there, I arrived 10 minutes early, and no one was home, the boat was in the back yard, I called back the same phone number I had called before, heard the phone ring from outside the guys house, yet no one answered. I left after nearly 20 minutes. I called later got no answer, drove by and the boat still sat there, and the ad remained, and later was renewed at a lower price several times with ad text complaining about how buyers never show up. I even had a few buddies call and try to meet with the guy and they got the same deal. One guy called and watched the guy answer the phone in the front yard, he told the guy he was on his way, he was told no problem, "I'm out back", and he watched the guy hop on a bike and ride away. The phone number matches the address, the boat is in the yard, and its not a too good to be true type deal. I don't get it. He can keep the boat as far as I am concerned but why keep running an ad like that? I've had a few of these cases lately. One for a trailer, another for a welder, and one for a complete boat, motor, trailer, package. The first time I just figured it sold and the guy was trying to cover all his bases, but this seems to be a trend lately. I had one guy tell me he changed his mind about selling an item after I drove nearly 2 hours to see it. It was an outboard motor, which ran and was pretty clean, he only wanted $300 for it and it was turn key. I drove up there, listened to it run, then asked the guy what his best price was, his reply was that he wasn't sure, he had to check with his father in law to see if he really wanted to sell it first. He then said he'd call me later in the week. I replied that I had driven 2 hours and was not coming back again, he then said that he wasn't sure if he could sell it but put the ad up just in case. I had at least 4 emails back and forth and three calls in to this guy about coming to see it and told him that if we could strike a deal he'd have it sold. He made it clear that he'd take less, he even said numerous times that he had some room to give a bit on the price. After I saw there was no way he was selling the motor, I pretty much told him where he could put his motor and left. He continued to run the ad for two more months before I finally saw a few nasty counter posts referring to his ads. Apparently he did the same to a few others.
I had another boat ad I replied to on CL, it was also about 2hrs away, the boat pictured was not the boat that I was shown, he pictured a mint clean aluminum Starcraft SS, when i got there he had a brush painted and well weathered Bayliner Capri which he swore was the same boat. His directions were bad, he refused to come out of the house and would only communicate from an upstairs window while on a cell phone. He was loud, obnoxious, and an outright liar. He swore the battered Bayliner was the boat in the add, which turned out to be a stock pic from another ad, and then swore up and down that the boat in front of me was aluminum not fiberglass. I snapped a pic of the junk boat he had there, he got belligerent and called the police, they came, told me it was the fourth of fifth time he's done that in two days. I left while they argued with the idiot through a closed door. He insisted that they take my camera from me and I was trying to steal his new boat. I used the pic to put up a follow up ad explaining what I found to save the next guy the trip.
The local PD apparently knew him well. My guess was that he was off his meds or something.
I've answered a few that just seemed wrong, one boat had no keys, no paperwork and the seller didn't have access to the house where the boat sat. My guess was that he was trying to sell someone else's boat for quick cash. I emailed one ad where the guy would only meet in a local parking lot, the ad was for a near new motor that was too cheap. I passed on it. A while later I read where a guy was stealing outboards in that area. There was another ad for a late model boat, sans it's engine for $200. When I went to look, the boat had its motor cut off, the cables were cut, the steering was cut, and the transom bolts cut off with a grinder. It was behind a house in a higher end neighborhood, the boat trailer had hitch lock, for which the seller had no key, he said he couldn't find the title, and there was no key to the motor controls in the boat. The boat and trailer were less than 4 years old. He insisted that he lost the title in a move, and that the tongue lock key was with the title. The coupler was drilled though with a bolt and chain attached as if it was towed with a chain wrapped around a bumper or something. None of the guys vehicles had a hitch of any sort. The boat was in the back yard, completely covered behind a vinyl stockade fence. The boat looked mint other than the cut damage to the cables and bolts. He claimed that he had removed and sold the motor with the intention of buying a new motor but had bought a new boat in the meantime. I saw no new boat in the yard. I kept asking where the Hull Id numbers were, and he kept insisting that the only way to register it was to get a home made boat title. I walked away. Something just didn't sound right to me.
