I checked out the site and read the terms and conditions . . . Interesting that there is no mention of transfer of ownership, ie documentation or state title with the "sale". From past experience, generally ONLY Federal Marshal's auctions start a NEW title out from day of sale. Any and all liens on the property being sold are negated and the item is issued with a brand new title if applicable. Whereas a local law enforcement auction, like one I attended in King County Washington calls for the sale of the item, in this case boats, but any and all liens that may be assigned to the boat are still in affect. In the case of the boat I bought, a 34' Monk powerboat, the only lien that the Sheriff's office knew about was the lien for the moorage since the Sheriff's office had been in possession of the boat, about $400.00. I had already researched the circumstances surrounding the boat's being offered for auction, it was repossessed by the seller due the the buyer's not making his payments. I KNEW there were no liens on the boat as I had been in contact with the original owner, but the Sheriff's office made it clear the the boat might have liens on it that they didn't know about. I asked them LOUDLY, after they announced the terms of the auction, and BEFORE the bidding started if that meant that someone might appear with a lien for many boat units after the winning bidder claimed his boat, and they said "yes, that is the case."
Needless to say, the bidding was not what it might have been
. I got the boat for a steal! The last bidder before me, the only one who was really serious after the issue of possible liens was brought up, came up to me, congratulated me on my new boat, and stated "For your sake, I hope it doesn't have any other liens on it except for the $400 moorage lien!" I told him it didn't. He asked how I knew that . . . I told him that I had researched the circumstances that led to the boat being offered at auction and I was completely sure there weren't any liens. His comment was "I really wish I had known that, you wouldn't have got the boat!" My comment was "I'm really glad that you DIDN'T know that!" The previous owner even told me that if I got the boat, he would give me a BUNCH of stuff for the boat that the buyer hadn't picked up . . . probably because he had no intention of paying for the boat since it was basically sold with a handshake. Extra props, some radios, and LOTS of other stuff. I offered to pay him for it all, but he wouldn't take any money, just was glad that it went to someone who would respect her and treat her right. Great boat, many years of enjoyment out of it until I went into the military.
Fast forward a few years, I attended an auction with a friend for another boat being offered for sale by the King County Sheriff's office. It was an Erickson sailboat, a 39 if my memory serves me correctly. The winning bidder got the boat for about 2/3 of it's legitimate value. After signing all the papers, a gentleman approached him and congratulated him on his new boat, then served papers on him for a lien against for boat for almost $70,000.00 for multiple sales, canvas work, rigging work, etc. The new owner's reply was, but it doesn't even HAVE any sails . . It didn't matter, the lien was against the BOAT, not the sails . . .
The morale of this somewhat long winded story, is that I wouldn't touch one of these boats for ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY, unless there is some documentation somewhere that I missed stating that the sellers/auctioneers had a bond or some such that said they had the right to sell the property, and that CLEAR title passed with the sale . . . which I found conspicuously absent anywhere on the site, although much mention was made that they were just the auctioneers, and couldn't be held liable for much of ANYTHING.
Fair winds and following seas all!
