1. Courtesy dictates that a buyer not demand to inspect a boat at a specific time, such as noon on a Saturday, when the seller hopes to be using the boat. Many do! But for the seller to demand a deposit to show a boat is absurd. Keep in mind though, if a buyer wants to sea trial a boat, it is reasonable and customary for a seller's broker to ask for a deposit and purchase agreement subject to sea trial and survey to the sole satisfaction of the buyer.
2. Is the boat documented? This could clarify some of the issues concerning clear title. For a reasonable fee, a documentation company will investigate. Frequently, banks will require this to write a loan on a boat.
3. It's important to know that the buyer has every right to conduct whatever unfettered, non-destructive survey processes he wants to assure his satisfaction with the condition of the vessel, but that he does so at his own expense. Normally, the seller is responsible to deliver and operate the boat for the survey. Given the distance the boat would need to be moved to haul it, I would proposed this compromise:
a. A sales agreement is signed, and the buyer makes the customary 10% deposit to the broker's escrow account. The buyer pays for an in water survey where the boat lies and the seller provides a sea trial with all stakeholders aboard.
b. If, after any agreed price adjustments that may result from in water survey findings, the buyer increases his deposit from the customary 10% to 20%. The seller then becomes responsible to deliver the vessel to the haul facility at his own expense.
c. At the end of the out of water survey, the buyer may sign an acceptance of the vessel (with further appropriate price adjustments), or reject the vessel and receive a prompt return of his 20% deposit after the broker has assurance that survey and yard haul out fees have been paid by the buyer. The seller would then be responsible to return the boat to its home port at his sole expense.
d. As for the condition of the boat, there are big and small issues to be considered here. There is a buyer for (almost) every boat, at an appropriate price. If a buyer wants a boat that is yacht club presentable and comes with an inch thick folder of maintenance history, he should be prepared to pay top dollar. He will not reach an agreement with the seller by comparing that boat to the lowest price sister ship on the market! Many try to.
4. A broker earns his commission by honestly presenting a boat in a favorable but honest light in the context of the asking price. That often involves tactfully letting the seller know that his boat is not as well found as the he believes and that price reductions may be needed. I believe that in most cases, a buyer gets what he pays for and a seller receives a fair price for a properly surveyed vessel.