My first craigslist boat was a pile! Took the sellers word on condition and found out stuff the hard way. I even went on a test run and just by the way they drove the boat, I should of steered away. It was an open bow 21 and after 30 min of easy run time, the motor let go. I paid 7K for it and put probably another 7K into it. It was a fun family boat after that but I did learn my craiglist lesson. I think the key is to hang out with alot of people and buy a boat that you are somewhat familiar with and know how its been treated! If I was in the market, I sure as hell would check here on scjb first before going to craigslist!