Scubadoo
Well-Known Member
So you transfers your money by e.g. Chaps, how do you ensure you have title over the boat, couldn't the seller just walk away once they have received your money.
That's what I did, but there was a broker in the chain. Banker's draft seems like the most secure method from the POV of the seller; your bank will charge a small fee (around £20) to issue you one, but once issued they are as good as cash.
A very interesting thread, as I am in the middle of buying a boat.
As a young man, I carried half a million in cash from one City solicitor's office to another. Our Greek client was buying a ship.
I was, exceptionally, allowed to flag a taxi, as the suitcase was quite heavy.
A very interesting thread, as I am in the middle of buying a boat.
As a young man, I carried half a million in cash from one City solicitor's office to another. Our Greek client was buying a ship.
I was, exceptionally, allowed to flag a taxi, as the suitcase was quite heavy.
The payment is too large to be sent in one go via my online bank transfer and I don’t plan on involving a 3rd party such as via broker or Escrow.
Was this question ever answered?So you transfers your money by e.g. Chaps, how do you ensure you have title over the boat, couldn't the seller just walk away once they have received your money.
Was this question ever answered?

This is how we do it with ships:
We use a contract called the Norwegian Saleform.* The YBDSA/RYA yacht form is a simplified version of this.
There is a closing meeting, at which the buyer and the seller, with their lawyers and brokers and with representatives from each bank, are present. There are mobile phones now but in the old days we had phone links to the two registers, to the sellers’ bank and to the ship.
1. The documents (Bill of Sale, Transcript of Register, Certificate of Class Maintained and the trading certificates) are inspected by the buyer and his lawyer and/or broker.
2. A call to the ship is made to make sure the buyer’s crew are all on board and are all happy and ready to go. (It is not unknown for the sellers to nick stuff off the inventory, etc.)
3. The money transfer is initiated.
4. A call to the Seller’s bank is made to confirm that the money has arrived.
5. A call to the Seller’s Register is made instructing then to delete the registry of the ship and to furnish a Certificate of Deletion.
6. Seller hands over the pre-checked, agreed, documents
7. A call is put in to the ship to tell the Seller’s crew that they can disembark and to tell the Buyer’s crew that she is theirs.
8. Calls are made to the respective insurers to tell them that they are on risk and off risk.
9. A call to the buyer’s Register to say that the ship is now with them and the original Bill of Sale will be provided to them with the Certificate of Deletion.
10. There may be other documents, eg I once handed over $40M for a big tanker and received, in addition to the above, detailed instructions on the care of the pot plants in the wheelhouse and the tropical fish in the aquarium in the officer’s bar.
* Link to .pdf of the Norwegian Saleform:
https://www.fff-legal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/saleform_2012.pdf
** complete with pot plants and aquarium:
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