Services and scope

01 Where a purchase starts

Showroom viewing

no charge

An appointed walk-through of one boat, or of two or three if they lie on the same pontoon, with the broker who holds the listing. Hatches and lockers are opened, the engine is started on the mooring and left to come up to temperature, and the boat is looked at the way a buyer looks at one: topsides and gelcoat, the deck underfoot around cleats and stanchion bases, the state of the teak or the non-skid, the age of the standing rigging, the sail wardrobe and how it has been stored, upholstery, tankage, and the tidiness of the wiring behind the panel. Engine hours, service records and the ownership history are on the table during the visit rather than produced afterwards.

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

Included

• A walk-through of the boat afloat, with the engine started on the mooring
• Engine hours, service history and the ownership record, shown during the visit
• A written note of what the broker already knows to be due: rigging age, sails, antifoul

Not included

No boat leaves the berth at a viewing, and no survey opinion or valuation is given.

Timing

60 minutes, by appointment on the showroom pontoon.

The five that follow

• 02

  Sea trial

  US$475

  The boat comes off the berth and is put through everything a static viewing cannot show. The engine is started cold and watched for smoke, charging and oil pressure; temperature is held under load; the gearbox is engaged ahead and astern and checked for slip or judder; cruising and full-throttle rpm are measured against the figures that engine should make, because an engine that will not reach its rated revs is telling a story about the propeller, the bottom or itself. Steering, autopilot, instruments, VHF, windlass and heads are run. Under sail the boat is put on the wind to see how she points, how the sails set at their age, and how she behaves with a reef tied in. The skipper's notes go to the buyer in writing afterwards, whether or not an offer follows.

  Best for a shortlisted boat, once a viewing has already happened.

  Included

  • Three to four hours afloat with a broker and a skipper aboard
  • The engine run under load, with rpm, temperature and smoke noted against the expected figures
  • A written record of what was run, what was not, and what did not work

  Not included

  No lift, haul-out or survey forms part of a sea trial, and no opinion on value is given.

  Timing

  3 to 4 hours, weather dependent; rescheduled rather than run in unsuitable conditions.

• 03

  Condition appraisal

  US$850

  A structured condition report on one vessel, written after she has been looked at both afloat and ashore. Moisture readings are taken across the hull bottom and the deck, and blistering or any early sign of osmosis is logged and photographed rather than described from memory. Keel bolts, the keel-to-hull joint and the hull-to-deck joint are examined; rudder bearings and stern gear are checked for play; and the standing rigging, chainplates and swages are recorded with their ages where a record exists, since wire over roughly ten to twelve years old is a replacement item whatever it looks like. On the engine: hours against service intervals, seawater pump and impeller, anodes, exhaust elbow and mounts. Gas, through-hulls, seacocks, wiring and fire equipment are checked against current practice. Findings are graded now, this season, or noted, so a buyer can tell a real defect from ordinary wear for the age of the boat.

  Best for a boat about to be offered on, or one already under offer subject to survey.

  Included

  • Moisture readings and photographs of the hull bottom, deck and any blistering
  • Standing rigging, chainplates and keel-bolt condition, with ages where a record exists
  • Findings graded now, this season, or noted, in one written report

  Not included

  No engine strip-down, no rig removal and no tank pressure testing; lift and yard charges are raised by the yard.

  Timing

  Ten working days from the lift being booked.

• 04

  Owner representation (brokerage listing)

  8% of the agreed sale price

  Representation of an owner selling a boat. The vessel is measured, photographed afloat and ashore, and written up with an honest inventory: sails and their age, electronics by generation rather than by brochure, engine hours, tankage, canvas, ground tackle, and the tender or trailer if either comes with her. The listing goes onto the brokerage floor and the usual listing channels, enquiries are qualified before anyone steps aboard, and viewings and sea trials are attended by the broker rather than left to the owner. Offers are put in writing, deposits are held in a client account, and the paperwork is run through to bill of sale, duty or excise status, lien checks and berth transfer. The asking price is set with the owner from comparable boats that have actually sold; no value is predicted, and no date is promised by which a boat will be sold.

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

  Included

  • Measurement, photography and a written inventory of the boat as she stands
  • Qualified enquiries, with viewings and sea trials attended by the broker
  • Deposits held in a client account and the sale run through to bill of sale and berth transfer

  Not included

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

  Timing

  3 to 6 months is usual, and the listing is reviewed with the owner at three months.

• 05

  Delivery and commissioning

  US$165 per hour

  The work between a completed sale and a boat that is genuinely ready to use. Ashore: antifoul and anodes, engine service with a new impeller and filters, gearbox and saildrive oil, seacocks eased and greased, and the rig tuned, or stepped and tuned where the mast has been down for transport. Afloat: instruments and compass checked, autopilot calibrated, safety gear made up to the intended use, and the boat named and registered as the new owner wants her. Delivery is either by road on a low-loader or on her own bottom with a skipper, decided by draught, air draught, distance and the season rather than by whichever is cheaper on paper. A berth is arranged with the marina in advance so the boat has somewhere to lie on arrival, and the new owner is walked through the systems aboard, from seacocks and gas to bilge pumps, battery isolation and the winterising points, before the keys change hands.

  Best for a boat bought at a distance, or one needing commissioning before first use.

  Included

  • Engine service, anodes, seacock check and a rig tune on commissioning
  • Delivery by road or on her own bottom, with a skipper where she is sailed
  • A systems walk-through aboard, and a berth arranged with the marina for arrival

  Not included

  No structural repair, no osmosis treatment and no electronics installation beyond calibration.

  Timing

  Two days to two weeks, depending on distance and the yard slot.

• 06

  Winter lay-up and storage coordination

  US$390 coordination fee

  Coordination of a boat's winter, booked with the yard rather than carried out by the brokerage. A lift and pressure wash are scheduled while the growth is still soft, and the boat is cradled or chocked to her own hull shape so that a season ashore does not distort her. Winterisation is then specified in writing: engine and saildrive oil changed warm so the acids come out with it, coolant strength tested rather than assumed, fuel treated and filters renewed, the freshwater system and the heads drained or filled with non-toxic antifreeze, seacocks left open or closed as the yard requires, batteries removed or kept on charge, and sails, canvas and running rigging bagged and stored dry ashore. Shrink-wrap and a fitted frame cover are quoted both ways, with the vents a covered boat needs so that trapped condensation does not do more harm over the winter than the weather would have. Winter checks after blows are logged and passed to the owner.

  Best for a boat laid up over a Chesapeake winter, whether or not she is for sale.

  Included

  • Lift, pressure wash and a cradle or chocks booked with the yard
  • A written winterisation specification: engine, water systems, batteries, sails and canvas
  • Shrink-wrap or a frame cover quoted both ways, with ventilation specified

  Not included

  Yard, lift, storage and shrink-wrap charges are the yard's own and are billed by the yard.

  Timing

  Seasonal: booked from September, with lifts from late October.