Minimising Risk

To reduce the chance of losing boat and/or money, always get the full name, address, telephone number/s and email address of a prospective buyer, and check them out as best you can before agreeing to anything. For instance, find a reason to send an email that needs a reply, and yet another reason to telephone the prospect and check how the telephone is answered.

If the purchaser lives near you, carry out a 'drive by' to see if the car that they drove to come view your boat is the one in the driveway. And if they're buying your boat 'blind' ­ that is, they've never been to view your boat ­ alarm bells should be ringing loudly. Have you ever bought a boat blind? Would you ever? If you wouldn't, why should they? Exactly.