You can trawl the internet looking for the best tips and advice on how to sell a boat; but we like to keep things simple here. This is our minimalist guide to selling a boat.

1) Know your dealers from your brokers

A dealer will often represent a specific brand but an independent boat broker is not attached to any particular boat manufacturer. There are trading differences between the two types of businesses. A broker only makes money if your boat sells, and at Boatshed we work on a no sale, no fee basis.

2) Choose an international group

Being part of a global network means we have some quite slick technical systems in place to display your boat across dozens of websites internationally. A listing includes up to 80 photos (and sometimes a video) presented in a professional way and accessed by our up to date search technology. We like to maintain a high profile across the internet – you may like to follow us socially on Facebook and Twitter.

3) Don’t break the law

You need to follow the correct legal steps and provide accurate paperwork when selling your boat. The important one is a bill of sale; the recognised legal document for the transfer of ownership. It records the deal made between buyer and seller and is proof of ownership. It can be regarded as the receipt for money transferred and will be needed when obtaining title or insurance of the vessel.

In its simplest form I have seen a bill of sale written by hand on a piece of paper, but at Boatshed we use the Department of Transport Bill of Sale. You can see what it looks like here: DoT Bill of Sale Regardless of the document layout, any bill of sale will contain the same information, such as the name and address of both vendor and buyer, the agreed purchase price and the size of the boat.

4) Choose a friendly human being, offering a personal service

Your local Essex broker is Steve (pictured). He has always liked water based sports including sailing and canoeing. He started off dinghy sailing, and his first ‘proper’ boat was a Hurley 22. Steve’s been a Boatshed broker for seven years now and loves the people you meet through boats and boating. Read a day in the life of yacht broker Steve. He’ll come to your boat, take lots of photos and complete the listing agreement with you, gathering all of the important details and getting to know you a bit.

Keep it Simple

We want to make it easy for you to sell your boat as soon as possible so that you can get on and enjoy the rest of the summer. Click here to contact Steve now.

Peggy

You may also like:
Free ebook: Boating in Essex / Thinking about selling your boat? / Our top blog posts of 2013 / A slideshow of our boat of the moment. / Don’t miss: The Boatshed Essex Daily/ More news articles and stories.

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