My past 2 boats where sold through a broker. I listed my hustler myself on one site and only had a few calls. I'm wondering if I should just give it to a broker. Do people feel safer buying from a reputable broker ?

Does not make a difference to me!

Dealers make it easier for the financing end of it if they don't have all the funds. For those real brokers that are not just list it types.

Without it you can be back and fourth a few times to get payments and clear tiles. Thanks to all the scumbags that pass fake bank checks. Balance transfers only.

Last broker I spoke with didn't have any useful info on the boat, kept playing the telephone game with the seller. Seemed like more of a headache than anything else...for both of us. Boat ended up not even being where the broker listed it at. That being said, you probably get better security thru a broker than a private seller. No reassurances when it comes to private seller, just hope they are honorable ppl.

Private party...

Private party all the way!

Couldn't care one way or the other, I'm buying a boat, not looking for a new friend.

Dealers are not necessarily dearer, the price is determined by the seller and he has the final say regarding offers. A dealer isn't greatly effected by selling price, as long as it sells, he gets his commission. Dealers sometimes work harder on the vendor by presenting a very low offer. Buyers feel less embarrassed lo-balling because it won't offend the dealer. (Buyers like the anonymity)

Dealers promote better than private buyers, through their advertising and websites they can reach a bigger potential market.

Even with no warranty, buying/selling through a dealer offers some security for handling paperwork, titles, escrow, deposits etc. that's their job.

As a buyer, I do my own homework about the boat, take my own risks and buy from anyone.
As a seller, I prefer to list with a dealer, taking advantage of his advertising and let him deal with the wankers.

RR

prefer a dealer that actually owns the used boat. seems more motivated.

Broker all the way from the selling side. From the buying side either way. Since you're selling, I'd give it to the broker, never deal with it again until you sign the papers.

I'm a broker, with a smaller brokerage and trying to expand the performance boat end of it. If someone calls me on a boat that one of our coworkers listed I try to get every bit of info I'd want to know if I was buying in one shot. If I'm listing a boat for a client, I don't put up the listing until I have as much information as I can think I will need for a buyer. Every situation is different, and every buyer has specific questions but things like hours, last service, etc should be known by the broker.