On 8 Nov 2006 15:09:18 -0800, "Capt. Rob" wrote:

Have you ever shopped for a boat. There are many small brokers that
don't offer a sea trial at all.

It is not up to the broker to offer a sea trial. It is up to the
buyer to include a satifactory sea trial and survey as a contingency
in the purchase agreement, along with other possible contingincies
such as financing and insurance.

Many brokers will try to push a standard agreement which has very
little protection for the buyer and a *lot* of protection for the
broker. Some standard agreements are better than others, but all of
them should be viewed as a starting point only.

It is of utmost importance to the buyer that the agreement ccontain a
well defined acceptance period where the boat can be surveyed, sea
trialed, etc. with no further obligation and a full refund of deposit
if rejected.