Buying a consignment boat

[StevenF01]

Anyone have any experience buying a consignment boat from a dealer.

[Tidewater Bass]

Yes, I purchased a one year old boat this way. I dealt directly with the dealership. They transferred all warranty information to me from the previous owner. It was painless for me.

[06 SB]

There can be some tax implications. If purchased from the dealer, you may have to pay sales tax. If purchased from an individual, no sales tax. It depends on the state.

[StevenF01]

Thanks for your input and prompt replies.

[brushsjigs]

Indiana WILL make you pay sales tax when you register the boat. Have the dealer only list the hull. If the motor or anything else in on an invoice to you, they will add taxes on everything. Anytime I got a boat from the factory, they had to do it this way

[StevenF01]

Will I have to pay Indiana sales tax if purchased out of state?

[fishinarc]

.

[jc1234]

Just to be clear, if you purchase from an out of state dealer, you will pay that state's sales tax. If that state has a lower sales tax than Indiana, then you pay the difference when you register your boat. I bought my boat in Cincinnati and paid 6% Ohio sales tax. I then had to pay 1% to Indiana when I registered the boat.

[TexomaDan]

I recommend that you ask how they will transfer the title and the warranty. I purchased a consignment boat from a dealer, took possession of the boat and then had to wait six weeks for the title. Might have just been the dealer, but I believe that they had to pay off the boat lien before the title transfer. They did not let me know that beforehand. I also had to make the warranty transfers.

[StevenF01]

Thanks guys for all the information.

[Somata]

As mentioned, make sure the dealer has the title. I bought a boat from a dealer that I didn’t know was a repo...it took 9 MONTHS to get the info I needed to register/ plate it. They sent me temporary plates every 2 weeks. It was ridiculous. Prob a rare occurrence, but if I can save someone else a headache...

[StevenF01]

Thanks Somata, dealer has title in hand. Boat is in Kentucky. Going to pick-up when weather allows.

[Squire]

I have bought two, one from Roland Martin and one from the Fishers of Men. The Roland Martin boat was my baptism of fire. I learned that pro's can really really be hard on boats and the 2005 was the year they came out of the Triton X series and put a Verado on it (both new. The hull was actually one of the first hulls produced for the 21"X" boats. I got a great price, but the Verado was too heavy for the boat and it was new kit as well. At the time there was 1 mechanic in Virginia certified to work on them. The second boat was a Skeeter FX21, 2011, yep, same pattern. New hull and new motor (yamaha SHO). Great hull and motor (lucky I didn't have mine blow up if you know the recall etc), but the fit and finish was hugely disappointing. Skeeter is great now, but the 2011 was a learning experience for them and Yamaha. So, my learnings? Consignment boats are a great way to get a deal. If you buy a new model with a new engine, well, there are teething pains. The out of state paperwork and such is a pain as I had to stand in line at DMV for hours and get sent away a few times by clerks that didn't understand the process (I only thought I did), and in one case I had to wait for the title for like 3 months from Skeeter. The last "learning" is make sure there is a dealer near you. The closest Skeeter dealer to me at the time was 220 miles which meant I just paid to have things fixed a couple times instead of driving it off. The last boat I bought was one I ordered, got kitted out the way I like with a great dealer, and a lot of local dealers and good mechanics nearby.