berths when selling boat privately

[orangerabbit]

hi - just wondered what the usual procedure is when buying a boat (private sale) that already has a berth. Is the new owner expected to pay the remaining term for the season or is it generally transferred as part of the sale price? Any comments / views would be greatly appreciated

 

[Steve Clayton]

Does the seller own the berth; and if so he is selling it on to you? - or - is it on rental in a marina? on monthly terms, on yearly terms? Check out the marina terms and conditions for boat sale on their premises (if this is what it is) and of berth transfer. If the berth can be transferred to you then on exchange the berthing fees will be yours to pay (IMHO). You might find that the moment you own the boat you have a set number of days to move her.

 

[rickp]

I think it depends completely on the existing contract for the berth. You may be able to take on the berth at a pro-rata annual rate. Or you may be charged visitor rates until the next "season". You may not be able to take on the berth at all - though it'd be pretty churlish of them to turf you out.

If you don't want to take the berth, then there is nothing forcing you - you have no contract with the marina presumably, so you could just turn up and take the boat on the day of sale.

If you name the marina - then someone on here may have direct experience...

Rick

 

[BrokerBen]

The contract will be between the current owner and marina in 99% of cases. They may be required to keep the berth until year end, or they may be able to give it up.

Most monthly marina charges are just for convenience, the agreement is signed for 12 months.

You can of course do a deal with the current owner to include it, but he will have to do some arranging with the yard.

I would also be careful telling a marina about boat sales, as some like to charge everybody a 1% yard fee on the sale of the boat because they can.

Good luck with the purchase, make sure to get all the paperwork completed, evidence of VAT, Declaration of Conformity to RCD, Bill of sale, boats history, Builders certificate and owners manual as a minimum.

 

[gjgm]

and the contract for 12 months is usually at a splendid discount to the monthly rate. So, when you cancel mid term, you now revert to the monthly rate for the time you have already been there, and so end up with no change!
you know they ll catch you one way or the other /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Yes, and from my direct personal experience - don't expect any flexibility at all from the marina. When I sold my T37 I had two months to go on my annual - but the marina insisted that because I had sold the boat my contract with them was void; no refund, and no ability to transfer to the new owner, who they promptly charged visitors rates for the month that he kept the boat in my old berth.

Another way of putting this is that if the seller is promising you some berthing time as part of the deal - check with the marina before signing anything.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[DAVIDO]

Quite the opposite experience at Penarth Marina. When we nearly sold our boat a couple of months back the marina agreed to transfer the agreement to the new owner and give us a refund. Just a shame the sale fell through /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[BrokerBen]

It does depend alot on the marina, but the tales of woe are not uncommon...

What type of boat are you trying to sell Davido?

Ben.

 

[Sneds]

Why not sell the boat and not tell the marina untill near the end of your contract?
Or just ask them, hypothetically(?) of course? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[DAVIDO]

The same one i pm d you about yesterday /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[orangerabbit]

thanks for your views - I wanted to get an idea if there was a protocol but it sounds like it varies from marina to marina / deal to deal. I naively assumed that when buying a boat with a berth, it meant that the mooring fees were paid and that I wouldn’t get a bill until next April. I looked at a couple of boats and the owners for these boats said that this would be the case. The boat that I eventually bought had a berth but I’ve just received an invoice for £1000 from the marina to cover the rest of the season. My mistake, as I didn’t check this with the seller, I just assumed. I am guessing that the seller has applied for a refund which they are, as I understand it, entitled to as it was not a condition of the sale.