Here in Florida, there are more brokers per square mile than tourists.
Personally I agree with Jack and would use yachtworld and maybe pick up a
copy of Sailboat Trader magazine (I don't think Trader online carries all
the listings in the magazine) and save myself 10% off the purchase price.

Aha. Just in time for the Easter Bunny.
Most private sellers (who don't list through brokers) aren't ging through the
hassle of selling privately so they can
offer the boat ten percent cheaper.....they hope to get just as much as anybody
else and put that ten percent in their pocket. :-)

Meanwhile, nobody has done any legwork at all to see whether the boat has a
legitimate, unencumbered document or title before the prospective buyer begins
spending big dough for sureys, etc. Nobody, (certainly not the private seller),
has fear of any recourse from regulatory agencies for any "whoppers" that get
told during the sales process.

To say, "never buy from a private party" makes no more sense than "never buy
from a broker." In the final analysis a good boat and a good deal is where you
find it- whether private or brokered, and there are as many horror stories
involving deception or ignorance by private sellers as with brokers.

One thing we can be absolutely sure of, however: If a private seller intended
to take 10 percent less for his boat he would most likely have *already* listed
it with a broker.
:-)