Please see our easy to follow and transparent buying process below which has been in place for decades and helped 1000’s of buyers and sellers.
British Marine.
We are members of the British Marine and we have to follow a strict code of practice regards our processes.
When you see a boat you like either on our website or in one of our magazine adverts then call us to on 01889 881960 to arrange an accompanied viewing of the vessel at a date and time that is convenient for you.
You can view our boats via our amazing Virtual 3d tours to have a look around any potential boats. There is also a measuring tool to measure heights, widths etc. This will help you to get a feel for the boats and to narrow it down (Excuse the pun) to which boat fits your criteria,budget, layout etc. Our boats are located Nationwide so it’s important to have a wish list so you know exactly what you want regards length, layout, type of toilet, number of berths, electrical systems, type of stern etc. Please take a look at our Guide to boating
Sellers choose us as there preferred broker for many reasons but one of them is because we only show people there boat who have the funds in place and can complete within 4 weeks.
We will also answer any questions that you may have regarding the vessel. Its important that you have the funds in place or your finance approved before you view any boats as the majority of boats are bespoke and they more than likely will not be available after a few weeks.
Unlike with a car, you buy a boat based on the condition and quality of the hull and the interior rather than the age of the boat. We will also ask you a few questions to ascertain exactly what type of boat that you are looking for because we may have another suitable boat for you that we have just signed up on brokerage that you would not be aware of.
If you view any boats that we have for sale we will need your name and address for insurance purposes and a contact number in case the boat that you want to view is offsite or it had been sold before you had viewed the vessel. We would not want you to have a wasted journey.
We take a minimum of a £1000.00 deposit and we then take the boat off sale. If you decide to make an offer and your offer is accepted you will need to be in a position to pay a minimum of a £1000.00 deposit.
If you need finance for the boat then you will need to have your finance approved before making any offers or for us to take your deposit. If you require a survey to be carried out then this can be done at one of the marinas or the nearest location to where the boat is lying.
We can supply you with a list of independent surveyors or you can source a surveyor of your choice. We will need to see your surveyors qualification and insurance cover before the survey takes place. If you would like any systems testing on the sellers boat before you purchase it then whoever you want to check it must be fully qualified and fully insured. We always recommend that you have a boat surveyed regardless of how new or old it is. You are making sure that you will be aware of any potential issues with the vessel. Would you buy a house without having it surveyed?
Only a qualified fully insured surveyor could survey the boat. We cannot allow an unqualified and uninsured person on any of our client’s boats.
If the survey reveals any issues or any recommendations of any work that needs to be carried out, you can obtain a quote from the workshop based on the independent factual survey and we will then go back to the sellers and try to renegotiate the price once we have received a full copy of the survey.
You will need to deal direct with the workshop if you require any additional work carried out and pay them directly. We will need a full copy of the survey detailing any faults found with the vessel. You can then get the work carried out once you become the legal owner of the vessel.
If you had made an offer of £2000.00 less than the asking price and there was £500.00 of work required you would not get any more money reduced off the price because you have already had £2000.00 off the price of the vessel. If you decided to withdraw from the purchase based on the fact that the seller would not reduce the cost of their vessel by £2500 for £500 of work required then your deposit would not be returned. If it was your vessel would you reduce the cost of it by £3000 for just £500 of work required? The majority of sensible buyers appreciate this and would continue the purchase as it makes financial sense. You have had more money reduced off the cost of the vessel than the actual cost of the work required. Why would you want to invest several more hundreds of pounds to have another vessel surveyed that could also have similar issues? If you still decided to withdraw from the purchase then we would as a gesture of good will let you use the deposit against any other vessel that we have for sale for a period of 3 months from the date of withdrawing from the purchase.
There is nothing that can’t be repaired, fixed or replaced. The same process as if you were buying a house. You normally would not pull out of a house sale because of the outcome of a survey. You have now invested several hundred pounds on the vessel for a survey and to have the boat lifted out of the water.
Providing the work is carried out on the vessel and the price has been renegotiated then you still have your dream boat and there is no need for you to spend another several hundred pounds on getting another vessel surveyed that could also bring up more issues and your costs just keep increasing.
You are welcome to meet your surveyor on the day of the survey but please do not enter any of the workshop areas or any docks or gain entry to the vessel regardless if it would be with or without the surveyor.
This depends. But prices can range from £400 to £600 plus the cost of getting the boat out of the water.
If you are happy with the survey and the hull needs blacking, providing that the workshop that you have asked to carry out the work has not already got bookings for blacking etc, you can pay them to black the hull. We do this because it will save you £100’s. If they put the boat back in the water before it is blacked you would have to pay to get it out of the water again. If you withdraw from the sale you will be liable for the cost of the blacking and any other costs incurred if you have instructed any other work to be carried out on the vessel.
Once the survey has been carried out and any issues addressed then we will draw up the sales contract for you and the current owner to sign. This specifies the conditions of the sale and how, where and when the balance of the purchase price has to be paid (final payment is normally required within 4 weeks, this may vary based on individual cases). We will then arrange to hand the boat over to you. You sign to accept the boat and you are now the legal owner.
Final payments can be paid by cheque or electronic transfer preferably CHAPS which ensures cleared funds on the same day or Internet Banking if enough time is allowed for the transfer to take place before completion day. The vessel will only be handed over when the funds have cleared in our Clients Trust Account and all the relevant paperwork has been signed.
We can offer you a permanent mooring at one of the many marinas that we operate from subject to availability, if you are going to move the boat to another location you can pay to moor the vessel on a temporary basis. (This only applies after the boat has been handed over to you and it is legally yours).
Please note: No guarantee is given or implied with regards to specification but descriptions are given in good faith. All vessels are sold without warranty or condition as to the fitness either expressed or implied by status or otherwise. No appliances or systems have been tested. All measurements stated are approximate. These details are not intended to, and do not, form any part of any current or future contract. In this transaction we are acting as Brokers only. All sales subject to contract. We are relying on information supplied solely by the seller and the Company cannot be held responsible or liable if information is proven to be inaccurate. All information is given as a guide. Plating thickness cannot be measured during our visit while the boat is in the water and is based on information supplied by the owner. A prospective buyer is strongly advised to check the particulars and where appropriate at their own expense to employ a qualified insured Marine Surveyor to carry out a survey of the vessel. It is ultimately the reasonability of the buyer to ensure that all the particulars are accurate prior or during the purchase of the boat. We advise that a qualified independent surveyor carries out a full out of water survey for every vessel.
Deposits are refundable if the vessel has a full out of water survey carried out by an independent surveyor and faults are found with the hull or the engine that exceed more than 5% of the asking price of the vessel (within 4 weeks of giving deposit). We will need to see the full survey detailing any faults for the hull or the engine that equates to the 5% as listed above. Otherwise, deposits are not refundable if a buyer pulls out of the sale, nor are deposits given to the seller. There is no point in taking a deposit if a buyer can just take it back. Deposits go towards covering a companies costs. Vessels must be paid for in full with in 4 weeks from paying your deposit. We can sometimes extend the 4 weeks for final payment based on individual requirements and subject to terms and conditions.
If for what ever reason a buyer decides to withdraw from the purchase we will as a gesture of good will let them use their deposit against any of the vessels that we have for sale for a 3 month period from the date of withdrawing from the purchase.
We are members of the British Marine and we operate under their code of conduct and we have to follow a strict code of practice, which we do. This also includes a protected client account for customer’s funds.
You can also seek free advice regarding deposits by contacting your local Citizen’s Advice.
Thank you.
The team