Government Boat Auction - Miami

[oldsalt_1942]

One thing to remember about buying a boat whether at "auction" or from an owner. A boat is responsible for its own debts. You can buy a boat and then have the boat arrested for back service bills that were accrued by a previous owner and YOU'RE on the hook.

However, if you buy a boat that was arrested by the U.S. Marshal's service, you are buying one with an absolute "clear title." All previous debts are wiped clean.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by oldsalt_1942

National Liquidators does NOT hold real auctions as most people know them. The majority of the boats they have are bank reposessions and the banks set the prices that will result in a winning "bid". Naturally they want to get the most they can. Week after week the "bids" are ALL rejected. That's not to say that you can't occasionally get a bargain, but it's about as likely as getting an honest response from a politician.

Now, how do I know the above to be true? I spent several years doing service work for National Liquidators and know how their system works. Don't get me wrong, these are NOT dishonest people at all, it's just that the system is rigged against you getting a real bargain on most of their inventory.

That is exactly what I figured.
They don't do a very good job of answering contacts through their site either. I guess they knew I was a low-baller.

[BoatRod]

With respect to Oldsalt above National Liquidators doesn't really offer a true auction since the seller has the right once sealed bids are submitted to reject the offers. I have found some absolute or no-reserve
boat auctions at Boat Auctions Direct, which aggregates boat auctions across the U.S.
But again, you have to caution and be aware of the fact that without a thorough trial or inspection its best to leave yourself plenty of room for repairs....especially if no history is available.

[oldsalt_1942]

Originally Posted by BoatRod

With respect to Oldsalt above National Liquidators doesn't really offer a true auction since the seller has the right once sealed bids are submitted to reject the offers. I have found some absolute or no-reserve
boat auctions at Boat Auctions Direct, which aggregates boat auctions across the U.S.
But again, you have to caution and be aware of the fact that without a thorough trial or inspection its best to leave yourself plenty of room for repairs....especially if no history is available.

Apparently you have a problem with reading comprehension. I didn't say that National Liquidators hold real auctions. What I said was: "National Liquidators does NOT hold real auctions as most people know them. The majority of the boats they have are bank reposessions and the banks set the prices that will result in a winning "bid".

[Dallas_Chris]

has anyone ever used boatauctionsdirect.com? I'm curious about it.. think it might be worth the $30 access charge.

[BoatRod]

Chris,
In my opinion it is and I paid $40 several months back.. is it 30 now? I tend to perform a thorough search when searching via. repo boats particularly sailboats. It gives you the ability to search via multiple venues, states, or Govt agencies from one spot.
I would stay clear of car-auction.com or the 'Auction Spot' neither of which have much too offer.

[osirissail]

These auction are not for the timid or weak of heart. As stated the rules are rigid and cut and dry. I had a good friend that made a nice living buying and reselling boats off these government "auctions." He would look through the national auction list and find the "oddball" boat - say an auction with 50 powerboats and one to two sailboats. Then lowball bid on the sailboats and get them. Dealers use these auctions to get boats cheap and then resell them high.
Drug bust boats are the best bet as the owners have tons of drug money and keep up the boat. It is confiscated along with the house and fancy cars then put in the government auctions. Cleaning and fixing up is normally minimal. He would turn around and sell the boats for 2 to 4 times what he paid. But it is a lot of work going through all the listings to find the 1 or 2 real buys each year. But on the high end boats the profits are significant.