2. Make sure the title to your craft stays with you until you have been paid in full by the broker or purchaser. Even if the chap seems nice or that its normal to “look after your money” until they take delivery. The broker earns only up to 10% on the sale price so why do they need to look after 90% of your cash? Check out the number of incidents of dealerships going bust and people losing their savings in the process. It may be a good idea to investigate the financial stability of any broker you are intending to use. In the UK details can be obtained on limited companies on the Companies House website. There is a small charge to access account details but it may be a worthwhile investment if it flags up a company about to go bust and take your boat and/or money with it.
3.If taking a part exchange make absolutely certain that what you are buying is the really the property of the person selling it. Receipts bills of sale, mooring/marina fee receipts can help you with this. If in any doubt check with the police, they have a list of stolen craft. Also see my article about buying a boat.
4.Bankers drafts can be stolen or forged so take them to the bank and allow them to clear before releasing the craft . Ask your bank how long it takes before the bankers draft will be cleared to the point where there is no chance of them being called back or cancelled or discovered to be invalid. The banks sometimes call a draft 'cleared' when they really mean 'provisionally cleared' which means they might turn out to be worthless after all. So get your buyer to agree to wait for this period to expire before agreeing to take delivery of the vessel. Obviously the same concerns apply to cheques or or other paper transactions other than cash. If the buyer offers cash, then meet them at the bank and let them pay the money in - it is not impossible that cash could be counterfeit - it is much less likely to happen if the buyer is paying the money over the counter themselves, where it should be spotted.
5.Arrange for 3 to 4 people to come and view it during the day ( time efficient) at an appropriate place and have a friend with you for company in case you get a no show or as a help if they all turn up at the same time.
6.Make sure you have cleaned it properly. It is often worth getting in a professional valeter they will add hundreds of pounds to your pride and joy and often the boat looks so good after their work you might be disuaded from selling.
7.It is best to use a broker that preferably deals with your brand of vessel as he will know more about it and have possibly a list of potential clients at hand looking for your vessel. Look up the original supplying dealer they will likely get you the best price as the vessel will have a story or history.
8. Take off anything that is not to be sold with the boat as this can cause confusion this in turn creates doubt, also it makes the boat feel and look bigger. Remove those lovely cushions that you have used for 20 years! They might not be to everybody’s taste, don’t take that chance.
9.Open the hatches a day or two before and get the vessel aired and make sure the heads are spotless and pumped out at least 2 hours before any one turns up, but go easy on the chemicals. Smell is a major sense that we use to decide a lot of things.
10.If something’s broken just remove it. Don’t leave dodgy equipment that’s gaffer taped to rails or spars. Think how this would look if you were a buyer .
Hope that the stormy weather isn't spoiling your weekend too much!! Take care of yourselves,
The Captain
