So, what do you think the forum should have done in reply to your post? Share your moral outrage? Mount a vigilante group and chase down this villain? Or what?
Most folks looking for older and lower priced boats will expect to do a personal
inspection of a prospect and make their own valuation. Few would anticipate that the seller would "tell it all, brother", either through duplicity or ignorance. The chap you describe sounds like a scumbag, and I'd not like to do business with him myself, but I'd likely make that judgement upon meeting him and seeing the boat. If it is in such bad shape that you turned it down at 1250$, I'd likely not be tempted at 7000, no matter what the seller said about it.
I don't think you did anything wrong with your post, apparently other CFers felt differently. Sometimes that happens on this forum: a post is taken in a different light than the author intended and feelings get hurt. This is a factor that one needs to understand if one is gonna participate here, and roll with the punch when it happens.
Life on the
Internet...
Jim