What precautions or plan of action should I take if my plans are to drive 5 hours, purchase a boat that has a lien from an individual in order to haul the boat home that same day? Would you be safe in taking boat home, paying him the money, and trust seller enough that he will follow up with creditor to satisfy his loan, then release the lien? Is there a lien release that protects you that you can have the seller sign?

Who is the lien with, a bank or credit union?

Hell no either way. You go to the bank with him and do it all there. Why would you ever consider doing it any other way? Forget that nonsense... good grief

The only used boat Ive bought was through a dealer, I did go with a buddy to buy a used boat from an individual. It went surprisingly smooth. Here is what he did, he worked it out with their banks, and they handled all the money transfer. The man had the money before we got there, but the bank was able to withdraw it, if it turned out it wasn't what he was saying it was. Unless he has the title, it may be difficult since both parties have to sign the title I believe before it can be transferred. That was the only problem he had, luckily since the seller lived 5 hours away, they were able to discuss a little over the phone power of attorney between themselves to get both signatures on there.

I plan to write him a check. Why do I need to go to a bank? My concern is that it will take a while to get the title, lien release done, etc....I still will pick up the boat and have it in my possession when I write him a check.

Not for sure....

This

If it were me Tom, I would want to talk to his lender before I made the drive. Could save you a whole lotta heartache down the road. If he is legit & has nothing to hide, he won't mind.

You do what ever you want to do, but if your talking over $10,000, theres no way Im writing a personal check. Just me though.

I would think you would want to pay ALL the money to the lien holder. They can then release the title to you, and then they can pay any balance to the seller (if there is any). I would be dealing strictly with the lien holder. I would also make sure the boat was thoroughly checked out by a top-notch mechanic prior to the deal being finalized.

Nothing wrong with buying used, just be careful and thorough and do not rush the process.

What kinda boat?

this +1000. you need to do this at the bank where he owes the money. at least have a conversation with the bank. you can make arrangements to have the money transferred to his bank so the cash is never in his hands, pay off the note, and make sure you can get the title.
i've even opened an account at the bank i was going to have to deal with in the amount agreed on so the funds were on deposit to be used to pay off a note. the seller has to show up at the bank with the boat to finish the deal, but if you get there and the boat isn't what you expected you can walk from the deal and your money is safe. not that i don't trust anybody with my money but....i don't trust anybody with my money!!

if you cant meet him at the lienholder to make sure funds go to clear the lien then no matter what kind of great deal it is find another boat this advice will save you a lot of heartache.

Contact his lending institution. Get payoff and overnight a Cashiers Check for that amount. Once the note is paid off, usually takes 2-3 days, they will release the title to you. You MUST put an instructional letter in the mail with the Cashiers Check giving the exact instructions to send you the title. Once the pay off is verified you can write a check for the difference to the seller, get a Bill of Sale and drive off with the boat. Once you get the titles you will have to meet up with him and have him sign the Front and the Back of the title. Once this is done you can go to the tax office and get everything switched over.

It's a pain but deal with the lending institution. Don't rely on seller to make the transaction! Hope this helps.