Like New – Excellent Condition – Clean Title – TOTAL LOSS!

$40 saved this boat buyer $45,000

The Craigslist ad makes this boat sound perfect – it’s like new, low hours, in excellent condition, and has a clean title! It’s the boat of your dreams! Or is it…

In May 2018, this boat was an insurance comprehensive total loss due to the vessel sinking in saltwater.

After the insurance claim, the boat was sold to someone in Florida in November 2019, then sold again in August 2020, and sold a third time in June 2021, with each owner owning the boat less than a year. Although the current owner may be unaware of its history, it’s also very unusual for a boat to be sold 4 times in 4 years. Someone doing their research might question why the rapid turnover for such a boat, especially during those COVID years when boating was at an all-time high!

The most important takeaway with this listing is the “Clean Title” comment – a clean title for boats does not indicate a clean history with no damage. There are currently only 4 states that issue any sort of nationally recognized negative brand for boats, and Florida is not one of them (although it’s worth mentioning that Florida will begin issuing “hull damaged” brands in July 2023 for boats damaged from that point on). Oftentimes, deceitful sellers will advertise a boat as having a clean title in the hopes that a potential buyer does not realize boats are not titled in the same way cars are and that a “clean title” means next to nothing in the boating world. Please take a few extra minutes, spend a few extra dollars, and get that extra peace of mind by running a report from Boat History Report and verifying the history before you end up with a $45,000 mistake! #BoatsCantTalk #BoatHistoryReport