Between a listing you like and a boat that is yours, things happen in a set order: search, viewing, offer, survey, payment and handover. Each step rests on the one before. Once you know the order, you also know what you will be deciding at each stage.
We start by working out what you need
The first conversation is about how you will use the boat. Where will you keep it, how many people will be on board, how often will you go out? Will you run it yourself or with a captain? Your answers set the length, the number of cabins and the budget. Then we go through the market and bring you a shortlist of boats that fit.
For every boat on that list we ask the seller's broker the same things. Is it still for sale? What is the current price? How many hours are on the engines? Listings are not always up to date, and we won't send you off to see a boat we haven't confirmed.
You see the boat for yourself
Photographs give you an idea, but you can't decide from them. You go and walk round the boat you like. If you can't get there, we set up a live video call and go through the boat together.
At this stage you are looking at general upkeep, the layout and whether the boat suits you. The technical inspection comes at a later stage.
The offer and the sale agreement
If you like the boat, we put a written offer to the seller. Once the price is agreed, the sale agreement is signed. It states the price, the deposit, the time allowed for the survey, the handover date and the equipment included in the sale.
After signing, you pay the deposit. The boat is now reserved for you.
Survey and sea trial
With the deposit paid, an independent surveyor inspects the boat. It is hauled out, and the hull, engines and systems are checked. On the sea trial the boat is taken out to sea. The surveyor sets out the findings in a written report.
Every pre-owned boat turns up something, and most of it is routine maintenance. If a significant defect appears, we go back to the seller to discuss a repair or the price. If the boat is not what you expected, you can withdraw under the right the agreement gives you.
Payment, transfer and registration
Once you have accepted the boat, you pay the balance. The seller signs the bill of sale, the boat is deleted from its old register and it is registered in your name. We prepare the documents and follow them through.
Handover
The boat is insured in your name and handed over. It can stay where it is, come to you under its own power or be shipped. We plan together which of these makes sense for the distance and the season.
The order hardly changes from one boat to the next. What changes is how long each step takes.
