Preparing your yacht for sale

The best way to maximize your sale price and minimize the length of time on the market is to prepare the boat so that a prospective purchaser and their surveyor will walk aboard and be immediately impressed. If there are obvious defects, a surveyor will assume that there are likely to be numerous hidden defects also. It is hard for a seller to support top value these days with so many boats available on the market. You’ll have a quicker sale and sell for the most money if your boat is clean and competes well against other boats of similar size, age, style in your geographical area.

Ongoing maintenance during the term of your ownership and a little remedial work when you’re ready to sell will help your boat present best and bring the best results.

• Assemble all ownership materials, including Registration Documents, Customs or Port Control check-in papers, Maintenance Records, General Arrangement or Layout diagram, Builder’s Certificate, Options List, Condition Surveys that you or a previous owner may have had conducted. Assemble maintenance records in a 3-ring binder for easy inspection.
• Provide us with the registration and any surveys and we can then research comparable market data and establish ideal market positioning to ensure that the boat competes favorably.
• Remove unnecessary items from the vessel including personal effects and clutter.
The boat should be staged like a new boat would be, with clean linens on the beds and beds made, towels in place in the heads and galley, and some nice (but spare) touches that make the boat attractive and appealing to someone coming aboard who is trying to imagine showing the boat proudly to their friends & family.
• Fix items that are not operational, as an extended inventory of non-operable items can cause a 
buyer to have second thoughts.
• Conduct your own sea trial, preferably with a qualified engineer who will test all systems for full operation and supply a written report. Engines should be able to reach their rated RPM’s at wide open throttle (WOT) and not overheat.
• Correctly state the vessel’s cruising speed with fuel consumption & top speed with fuel consumption data. Calculate range in n.m. with a full tank of fuel.
• Sailing vessels should have the rig inspected and a report provided by a rigger. Make any necessary sail and canvas repairs.
• Only list safety items that are within the expiry date.
• Conduct minor cosmetic repairs.
• Clean the boat thoroughly inside & out, scheduling regular wash downs and airings to keep the boat in top shape.
• Have the topsides and superstructure polished.
• Have the interior hull sides and bottom cleaned in the engine room and ideally, painted.
• Replace all burned out light bulbs and ensure all heads, sumps, drains, bilge pumps, appliances, etc. are cleaned and operable.
• Consider employing a qualified marine surveyor to conduct a “General Condition Assessment” to reveal possible maintenance items that should be addressed so that the vessel presents better in a full Pre-purchase Condition Survey.

For more inside secrets to yacht purchasing, sales and ownership, contact us at: daniel@aurorayachtsales.com or call +12064076411 or +393470485433.