Help/Questions buying a used boat out of state

For all of those that have bought a used boat out of state, I know everybody says to have a mechanic look over the engine and perform all tests/diagnostics to ensure it's sound. How do you set that up, and how do you ensure the boat gets looked at when it's located 5-8 hours way? Thanks for the help!

Verify with the shop that looks at it.

I will tell you this...if you are buying a boat out of state, make darned sure you have your paperwork and agreements fully vetted and you are dealing with a legit dealer.

Getting everything transferred is a pain in the rear - get ready to have your trailer weight verified and inspected to be able to register it.

Be careful is all I would say.

Don't

I drove 4 hours each way 2 times to purchase my boat. It was still in Texas, but a ways away. I went and looked, inspected, drove the boat, then had a mechanic completely go through the boat. I liked the boat, left a deposit, got the paperwork going, drove home, came back to pick up when paperwork was done and everything we discussed that was wrong was fixed. After this I would never buy a boat sight unseen. My boat looked perfect in the ad, it had a few small issues that needed attention. My boat was a1owner 2010 Ranger with super low hours. Maybe a newer boat would require less diligence, but better safe than sorry.
This was all 3 weeks ago. Loving my new (to me) Ranger Z520C, but would have been disappointed if it showed up like they were selling it. Speedo did not work, 1 power pole had hydraulic fluid leak, the stern mounted fish finder had a short in it and would cut off when bouncing in waves while driving, 1 gas cap was cracked, the passenger grab handle was missing the rubber grip, and the cover was torn/replaced at my request with a new Ranger Cover, plus I got a spare prop, all fishing boat ropes, anchors and other stuff that the seller would have kept by simply asking "does all this come with the boat too?".
Good Luck with your purchase!

That's really not an option considering the quality of used boats in TX; especially if you're particular about a year/make/model.

Did the original owner inform you of all these issues? He/she must have known about most of them.

Get the proper paper work from the TPWD before you go. I was looking at a boat in Tennessee, they don't have titles to boats or motors there. The owner had no proof that he owned the boat other than a bill of sale, there was no way for me to get a title from the TPWD. So as mentioned above, you better ask the right questions before even looking at a boat out of state. Heck, even boats in the state have plenty of issues.

What kind of boat are you looking for? Price range?

Phoenix 920 or 921, 2014-16. IMO, and from what you'll see on BBC, a 2014-15 920 shouldn't be any higher than 55-57k, so that's my upper range.

I just bought a used Basscat in Mississippi and it took forever to get the paperwork done. I bought it in April and just got my TX numbers 2 weeks ago. Mississippi does not require a title for boat or motor either. The guy I bought it from never even registered it from the original owner. So he had to get it registered in his name then sell it to me. I ran around all summer with MS numbers and a bill of sale hoping that would be enough for the game warden but never got stopped. I financed it with Reclending and they are awesome! They did all the work for me, paid all the taxes and did all the calling to Mississippi. I highly recommend them. I would not buy a boat out of state again if there was any way I could keep from it.

I'm going on Monday to look at a used boat and that man just bought a brand new 921 Phoenix for $58k (ish) from a dealership in Oklahoma. He said Texas dealers were almost $10k more.

The boat was at a dealer, consignment. The owner selling did not tell them about them or did not know, we both (me and salesman) discovered the short in the sonar and the power pole leak on initial test ride, he already ordered the gas cap. I was first to look at the boat when it came up for sale. All very minor issues, but something that could wind up not being fixed had I purchased sight unseen.

I bought my current boat from an owner in Tennessee, and had no problems. The owner should have his state registration card, which has all the required documentation for TPWD.

I found mine on craigslist, and had the owner send me about thirty pictures, then I located a marine shop in a nearby town and had the owner take the boat there. I asked the shop to check ecverything with the motor, compression, bleed down, lower unit grease color, etc. the shop was also affilated with a fiberglass repair guy, so i contracted with them to check over the hull, top cap and transom.

When you have checked out make sure all reports back to you are in writing on their letterhead of shop ticket, pay with a tracable cashiers check. If the boat does not turn out like they said you have better record of payment.

Excellent info! Thank you for the informative response!