There are some "brokers" brokering boats that they don't even have under
contract. Perhaps that is what happened here. Did you ever talk to the
seller and ask how he got tied in with the broker?

Here's a cut and paste from a fishing forum in Florida:

"blank is the biggest burnout, loser there is, (allegedly ) At least 90%
of the "listings" on his website are not his and the owners don't even know
the boat is on his site. He fishes for people looking for a certain boat,
then contacts private sellers to "list" their boats, trying to get referral
fees. He allegedly specializes in Intrepids, call Intrepid in Dania and ask
them what they think of him. I would run, not walk from any contact with
him. BTW, your boat is probably already on his site as a "listing". The Blue
Conch on his site is a friend of mine's who never had any contact with him
at all. "

http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=402914



"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
Well, let's put it this way - right from the git-go, it was a learning
experience.

1 - When flying Southwest Airlines, get the A ticket boarding pass.

2 - Fly another airline.

3 - , If you are buying out-of-state, spend some time on the phone
calling marina managers and check on the rep of the broker and his
company.

3a - I did this with a surveyor - I didn't do it with the broker.

3b - If anybody needs the name of a really good NC surveyor who, as
the day went on, was more than understanding and eventually provided
me with some good prospects for similar boats, let me know.

4 - Get details - LOTS of details - make a list of questions - the
more questions you ask, the better off you will be. And don't, ever,
take the word of the broker - get a picture of things like the boat
registration, hull ID numbers, etc.

5 - Insist on pictures of the details - it's not like you can't get
good quality pictures of the details.

6 - Before you leave for an out-of-state survey and sea trial make
sure the boat will actually be where they say it's going to be.

6a - Ensure that the owner understands that he/she will actually be
selling the boat if the survey and sea trial are acceptable to the
purchaser - not as a method to find out "how much the boat is worth".

7 - Did I mention check the rep of the broker and his company?

8 - Did I mention never, ever fly Southwest Airlines?

Well, at least I did get to see a couple of my kids along the way - a
positive thing.

And I rented Hummer just for yuck's - man, that was fun. :)