Yacht brokerage & marine acquisition · Annapolis, Maryland
Buying or selling a vessel takes more than dockside enthusiasm. At Ashwell Foyle Yachts, Certified Professional Yacht Brokers, a licensed captain and a marine-systems specialist guide every listing, sea trial, haul-out survey and USCG title closing on sail and power boats from 24 to 62 feet.
Whether you are stepping up to a twin-diesel coastal cruiser, searching for an offshore centre console or bringing your current boat to market, the brokerage manages every technical and contractual detail and states what each step costs.
An unhurried inspection aboard of deck layout, staterooms, helm electronics, engine-room access and the documented maintenance logs.
Complimentary 90-minute appointment
Underway drone photography, YachtWorld and BoatWizard syndication, vetted buyer showings and full sea-trial representation.
10% commission paid at closing
Dedicated buyer representation across regional and national marinas, engine-history vetting, offer structuring and post-survey negotiation.
No upfront buyer fee co-brokerage split
Boatyard Travelift haul-outs, independent SAMS or NAMS hull surveyors, oil analysis and captained sea trials, scheduled on one tide window.
US$350 flat fee credited at closing
A valuation grounded in actual closed SoldBoats prices, engine-hour adjustments and recent refit schedules.
Complimentary for sellers US$450 written appraisal
Coast Guard Abstract of Title lien checks, marine lender coordination, state sales-tax compliance and delivery captain referrals.
Included at closing maritime trust account
Every yacht looks gleaming tied to the dock on a calm morning. What matters is what sits beneath the waterline, inside the engine room and on the Coast Guard Abstract of Title, so maintenance logs are vetted before a boat is listed and the condition dossier is handed over at the viewing, faults included.
The order after that is fixed. A dockside viewing is complimentary and runs about ninety minutes aboard. A written offer follows on the YBAA Purchase & Sale Agreement with a refundable 10% deposit, and only then is the haul-out survey and captained sea trial scheduled, with a broker attending both in person.
Where a survey finds something that changes the price, Ashwell Foyle Yachts puts that in writing rather than settling it in conversation, and the buyer decides whether to renegotiate or to walk away. Every buyer deposit is held in a dedicated, bonded maritime escrow account until the USCG title is clear, and one broker stays with the sale from the first walk-through to the day the keys change hands.
No boat here is described as an appreciating asset, no date is promised by which one will sell, and no resale figure is given.
The quay where viewings begin, the helm instruments checked on survey day and the Chesapeake water off Annapolis where sea trials are run.
CPYB brokers, a USCG Master captain, an ABYC technician and a maritime closing manager. Whoever shows a boat stays with the sale through survey, offer and handover rather than passing it along.
Principal broker · CPYB, USCG 100-Ton Master
CPYB principal broker and USCG 100-Ton Master Captain with nearly two decades leading motor-yacht transactions, sea trials and offshore deliveries. Takes the first viewing on most listings and runs the sea trials herself.
Senior cruising & sail yacht broker · CPYB
CPYB broker specialising in cruising sailboats, long-range trawlers and liveaboard layouts for coastal and offshore couples. Prepares each listing and represents owners from the first valuation meeting to the closing statement.
Marine systems & survey advisor · ABYC Master Technician
ABYC Master Technician who pre-screens listing systems, translates haul-out survey findings and estimates realistic boatyard refit costs, separating routine maintenance items from the structural and propulsion repairs that carry a real cost.
Closing, escrow & documentation manager
Maritime documentation specialist overseeing USCG Abstracts of Title, lien releases, the bonded escrow account and marine lender closings. Also books viewings and confirms whether a boat is afloat or on the hard before anyone drives out to see it.
They saved us from buying a gorgeous-looking trawler with wet core decks, then found an immaculate sistership and negotiated US$22,000 in aftercooler service credits.
Richard & Pauline W.
The underway drone video and pre-listing systems prep brought a serious cash buyer within twenty-four days, and survey passed without a single renegotiation.
Capt. Martin D.
Tobias understood offshore liveaboard systems better than anyone we talked to, from standing rigging age to lithium house banks.
Gordon & Mei-Ling S.
Nadia caught an unreleased twelve-year-old bank lien on the Coast Guard Abstract of Title and cleared it completely before a dime of our funds moved.
Lawrence T.
We were treated with the same warmth and technical patience on a 31-foot family cruiser as any buyer of a much larger yacht.
Brianna & Cole F.
They handled my late father's classic downeast cruiser with total integrity, from winter yard coordination to the final wire disbursement.
Phillip K.
Not on the first visit. You tour vessels thoroughly dockside at no cost; once you choose one, you submit a written offer with a refundable 10% escrow deposit, and the sea trial and haul-out survey follow acceptance.
Yes. Under the YBAA Purchase & Sale Agreement, acceptance after sea trial and survey is at the buyer's sole discretion. Reject the vessel in writing before the acceptance deadline and the deposit is returned promptly from bonded escrow.
The buyer, directly, so the independent SAMS or NAMS surveyor and engine technician work entirely for the buyer. The seller provides the boat fuelled, insured and with a captain aboard for the trial.
The Certified Professional Yacht Broker designation requires full-time brokerage tenure, a national exam on maritime law, USCG documentation, tax and ABYC standards, continuing education and a strict fiduciary code of ethics.
No. The seller's listing agreement sets one commission, shared between the listing and buyer brokerages at closing, so your own CPYB advocate costs you nothing added.
Usually two to four weeks: roughly 10 to 14 days for haul-out, survey, oil analysis and sea trial, then 5 to 10 business days for lender underwriting, insurance and USCG title clearance.
It is complimentary, it runs about ninety minutes aboard, and it ends either with a vessel worth taking to sea trial or with a plain statement that nothing currently listed suits your cruising plans.