Buying boat out of state

Let's say the seller has paid off his boat and has the title in hand, this will be an easy transaction. I hand over the money and he give me the boat and title.

What if the seller still owe bank money and he doesn't have the title in hand? How can I ensure I can get the title? Let's say he owes bank 30K, he sell his boat for 28K, Do I give him 28K and hoping he pay off his boat and transfer the title to me? In this scenario, I won't trust a stranger with that kind of money.

Please tell me about the process.

If its a local bank/credit union that holds the lien and has the title then you and the seller go to the bank. You can pay the bank directly and sometimes they will write up a bill of sale for u and release the title to you. Otherwise if its not local the bank will need to be notified of the sale and would make a bank check /certified check to the lien holder not the seller for the amount.

I have personally purchased 3 bass boats from an out of state dealer. Here's the deal, the current owner is responsible for paying off his lien before the lien holder will release the title. Period! If the title is from out of state it my be notarized along with the trailer. Do not! Allow the seller to take care of the payoff since he/she has no legal obligation to do so( he can take your money and run) my suggestion is if you are using a financial institution they will assist with the transaction legally. The boat sale should go smooth if you have a title, bill of sale and boat Dcr paperwork in orde. The hiccup is usually the trailer the MA registry is terrible with boats make sure you obtain a notarized title, Bill of sale, RMV 1 form stamped by your insurance co. They will not entertain you. Believe me after 3/4 visits trying to register my trailer I found out the hard way. Good luck