Random broker listed my boat

A hell I've had brokers list my vessels before - when they weren't for sale. Even had a realtor list my home - co-opted from another realtor and posted on Zillow.

It isn't ethical, but is it illegal?

Don't know about boat brokers, but once upon a blue moon I had a realtors license and I can think of at least two hands full of (State) rules and regulations that I would have broken with a fake listing...... Last I checked braking State regulations is considered "illegal". But, an attorney I am not and maybe nowadays that's considered insensitive of crook's feelings... Hell if I know.

Real Estate brokers do a similar thing all the time....They put their sign on your building to sell it...and they will leave that sign there until the colors fade to white... In this caase the building owner sort of knows about it...

Not around here. Your butt would be kicked out of the Board of Realtors in a nano second and they OWN the MLS.

I know of a real estate brokerage here that was recently threatened with loss of MLS privileges and given one week to clean up their act. They were leaving houses listed long after they sold and leaving listings of homes that had switched to other brokers. The complaints came from other agents who would have interest in the homes to find out they were no longer available. You see that on boats a lot when one is listed two or three times and still listed by the broker who lost the listing. When confronted, they just claim "we forgot to delete it."

We see a lot of that in the rental market. Listings that have long expired. Hot Pads is infamous for it.

I see this all the time and I too get very irritated with the stealing of pictures and information that a listing broker has to put out in time and money to get a boat on the market.. I have even seen boats on ebay that were listed by a ding dong and then find the same boat on yacht world or craigslist.. there are schemers in every aspect of sales... always ask for the listing broker if they will not let you have that information research until you find him. your deal will be better also because he is not splitting commission with another brokerage.