Brokerage & buyer representation

01 Where a purchase starts

Private dockside viewing

Complimentary

Reserve dedicated dockside time aboard any vessel in our Annapolis slips or partner marinas. Before you board, the complete specification dossier is prepared: engine and generator hours, the last bottom-paint and zinc replacement dates, electronics upgrades and service invoices. Engine hatches, lazarettes and bilge compartments are opened so you can evaluate the deck layout, staterooms, helm electronics and engine-room access properly, with the broker who holds the listing aboard to answer questions as they come up rather than afterwards.

Best for a first look at a vessel, including an undecided one.

Included

• An unhurried inspection aboard, with hatches, lazarettes and bilges opened
• Engine and generator hours, service invoices and maintenance logs, shown during the visit
• The specification dossier: bottom-paint and zinc dates, electronics upgrades, known items due

Not included

No boat goes underway at a viewing; the sea trial follows an accepted written offer.

Timing

A 90-minute reserved marina appointment.

Listing, survey & closing

• 02

  Full-service yacht brokerage

  10% commission, paid at closing

  Designed to present a yacht cleanly to serious national and international buyers. Before the listing goes live, a pre-listing ABYC systems check is carried out to catch survey deal-breakers early. Underway drone video and natural-light cabin photography follow, and the listing is syndicated across YachtWorld, BoatWizard and co-brokerage networks. The listing broker accompanies every showing and sea trial, and negotiates a clean YBAA Purchase & Sale contract through to closing. The standard 10% commission is tiered on yachts of US$1M and above, and nothing is payable until the sale closes.

  Best for an owner selling a sail or power boat between 24 and 62 feet.

  Included

  • A pre-listing ABYC systems check, with survey deal-breakers flagged early
  • Underway drone video, cabin photography and YachtWorld and BoatWizard syndication
  • Every showing and sea trial attended, and a YBAA Purchase & Sale contract negotiated

  Not included

  No sale date is promised; yard, lift, berth and insurance charges remain the owner's.

  Timing

  The listing runs until the sale closes, and is reviewed with the owner at three months.

• 03

  Buyer yacht acquisition

  No upfront buyer fee

  Walking onto a listing broker's dock alone leaves a buyer represented, in practice, by the seller's agent. As a dedicated buyer broker, Ashwell Foyle Yachts searches listed and quiet boatyard inventory that matches the buyer's cruising range and draft limits, checks asking prices against SoldBoats closing benchmarks, and vets engine histories before a shortlist is drawn up. When a boat is chosen, the offer is drafted with protective survey and sea-trial contingencies, and any haul-out repair allowance is negotiated on the buyer's behalf. The buyer pays no fee: the broker is compensated through the standard co-brokerage split set in the seller's listing agreement.

  Best for a buyer who wants an advocate on their side of the deal, from shortlist to closing.

  Included

  • A search of listed and quiet boatyard inventory, matched to cruising range and draft
  • SoldBoats price benchmarks and engine-history vetting on every shortlisted boat
  • Survey and sea-trial contingencies drafted, and repair allowances negotiated after haul-out

  Not included

  Surveyor, yard and lift charges are paid directly to those providers.

  Timing

  Agreed with the buyer at the start, and reviewed as the shortlist takes shape.

• 04

  Haul-out survey & sea trial coordination

  US$350 flat fee, credited at closing

  Bringing a boatyard Travelift slot, a licensed trial captain, an accredited SAMS or NAMS hull surveyor and a certified diesel or outboard technician together on the same tide window can easily stall a deal. Ashwell Foyle Yachts coordinates the whole survey day while strictly preserving the surveyor's independence: the surveyor works for the buyer, not for the brokerage. Afloat, the captained sea trial records wide-open-throttle (WOT) rpm and operating temperatures under load; ashore, moisture-meter readings are taken across the hull and fluid samples are drawn for oil analysis, so every finding is documented properly before any repair or price adjustment is discussed.

  Best for a boat under accepted offer, subject to survey and sea trial.

  Included

  • A Travelift haul-out slot, trial captain, SAMS or NAMS surveyor and engine technician scheduled together
  • A captained sea trial with WOT rpm and operating temperatures recorded
  • Moisture-meter readings and fluid samples for mechanical oil analysis, documented in writing

  Not included

  The surveyor's, technician's and yard's own fees are billed by them, independently of the brokerage.

  Timing

  One survey day, set by the yard slot and the tide; rescheduled rather than run in unsuitable conditions.

• 05

  SoldBoats market appraisal & estate valuation

  Complimentary for sellers; US$450 written appraisal

  Public asking prices on boat portals often sit 15% to 25% away from real closing figures. This appraisal starts from broker-only SoldBoats closing data and BUC condition matrices, then adjusts for the boat's own history: freshwater against saltwater use, engine overhaul hours, rigging age and the generation of her electronics suite. A prospective seller receives a realistic market valuation and an estimate of net proceeds at no charge. Where a formal document is needed for an insurer, a lender or an estate, the same work is written up as a signed appraisal for a flat US$450.

  Best for an owner weighing a sale, an insurance renewal or an estate settlement.

  Included

  • Comparable closed sales from SoldBoats data, not asking prices
  • Adjustments for engine hours, rigging age, refit history and freshwater or saltwater use
  • A market valuation and a net seller proceeds estimate, in writing

  Not included

  An appraisal is not a condition survey; hull and engine findings need a SAMS or NAMS surveyor.

  Timing

  Agreed when the appraisal is requested, after the boat has been seen aboard.

• 06

  USCG documentation, marine financing & bonded escrow

  Included at closing

  Maritime title transfers carry their own federal and state requirements. The closing administrator orders an official USCG Abstract of Title to confirm there are no hidden maritime liens or preferred ship mortgages, coordinates directly with specialised marine lenders and hull insurers, and processes the USCG Certificate of Documentation or the state registration transfer, along with state sales-tax compliance. Every buyer deposit sits in a dedicated maritime trust account until closing. Once the sale completes, new owners can be put in touch with licensed delivery or training captains.

  Best for every sale and purchase handled by the brokerage, through to the day the keys change hands.

  Included

  • A USCG Abstract of Title ordered to verify liens and preferred ship mortgages
  • Marine lender and hull insurer coordination, with documentation or registration transfer
  • Buyer deposits held in a dedicated maritime trust account until closing

  Not included

  Loan terms are set by the lender, and delivery or training captains are referred, not employed.

  Timing

  Runs alongside the sale, from accepted offer to closing.