Gets messing about in boats (7)
I believe the answer is:
obtains
'gets' is the definition.
(obtaining is a kind of getting)
'messing about in boats' is the wordplay.
'messing about' indicates an anagram.
'in'+'boats'='inboats'
'inboats' anagrammed gives 'OBTAINS'.
(Other definitions for obtains that I've seen before include "Authority" , "Gets" .)
I've seen this clue in The Guardian and The Telegraph.
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