Your comparison iwth the dot.com stocks is interesting.

There are two factors to consider whenever we buy anything. Market, and
value.

When the dot.com craze was in full swing, many people wondered whether
fledgling companies with no history of profitability could really be
worth 10 times their assets right out of the gate and whether those
prices should be doubling every few weeks (or faster). That was
certainly a legitimate question about the "value" of those stocks.

However, if the same people wondering about the value of dot.com stocks
actually wanted to own any, they would ultimately be forced to do so at
the market price, whether that price was in line with the subjective
values they assigned to the stocks, or not.

Fortunately the market for used boats isn't as rigid and uniform as the
market for securities.
The principle remains much the same, however. Market values are
established by what the boats actually bring in the marketplace, even
when a good case can be made that the boat *shouldn't* be worth that
much.

If it's any comfort to you, realize that the broker will usually be
grinding on the seller to come down to a number closer to your price at
least as hard as he or she will be grinding on you to come up to a
number closer to the seller's asking price.

As far as sending earnest money to out of state brokers you have never
met and for boats you have never seen.......don't do it, please. See if
you can find one local broker you like and trust, even if that party
doesn't have a listing right now that matches your want list. (In most
areas of the country, 10-year-old 30-foot cruisers are likely to be
somewhat scarce at the $30,000 level). Use the local broker you like
and trust to represent your offers. If you make a deposit on an out of
state boat through your local broker your money goes into the trust
account of the
local guy you like and know- not some guy 1000 miles away who may be
doing business out of the phone booth at the back of a waterfront bar.
Your broker will share the sales commission with the listing broker, so
it won't cost the seller any more and shoudn't cost you an extra dime.