How to buy a boat from a seller in another state?

[High altitude]

Anybody ever try get a refund from Paypal? I "bought" a used acme prop from out of state using Paypal. The buyer never sent anything. Talked to Paypal numerous times and didn't get jack sh1t back. I reported it to the Internet Crime Commission (FBI, I believe) and the local authorities (I had the person's cell number) but I never heard back as to whether or not the individual was caught. I suspect nothing ever happened. I never use Paypal if not associated with another site that guarantees the purchase (such as Ebay).
Be very wary of any deal that requires Paypal. A credit card is completely different as you have recourse with the CC company. -Marc

[HS]

I bought my first boat from a private seller in CA. He advertised it here, in fact. After talking with him on the phone, I flew down and looked at the boat and agreed to the purchase. Next day, we went to my bank and I had a cashier's check drawn, and he signed over the title(s) (no lienholder involved) and he prepared a bill of sale for the boat and the trailer. I had pre-arranged with a transport Co (Bill Mann Transport, owner / operatror) to arrive at the seller's place at noon to tow the boat up to WA. I caught a 3 pm flight home. I a couple days the boat was in my garage.

I bought my second boat from an out of state dealer and we agreed to a trade-in plus cash for the new (pre-owned) boat. This was a bit more tricky conceptually, and going in I thought it would be a long shot to pull off cost wise, but the dealer in my view was very reputable, and had completed a large number of similar transactions and it worked out just fine. I was also aware that the PO is a PN member and the boat was new and well maintained. In that deal, I sent the dealer a check for the (very reasonable) cash difference along with a signed purchase agreement he had drawn up. They handled all the transportation / delivery. Brought me the new boat and took away my old one. Final paper work followed. Very pleased with how it worked out, and the boat had every feature, option and color I wanted.