Yacht inventory & safety gear

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Barr Avel

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The surveyor who has just looked over the boat I'm buying has expressed surprise at the fact that the seller has stripped her bare of safety gear and standard accessories such as fenders, mooring lines, boat hook, brush buckets etc...
Now the inventory that was on the advert when I put an offer in, does not actually list these things. I (naively) assumed that that was because they were standard and that one doesn't sell a used boat without them. Do you think I should pursue the matter with the broker or just bear the additional cost and learn the lesson for next time (insist on a detailed inventory)?

Marc.
 
Hi Marc
I'm sorry to say that I believe you need to put this one down to experience - as I understand it, the inventory document prepared by the broker as part of a sale is as legally binding as the "Sale Particulars" prepared by an Estate Agent as part of a house sale...if it's not included on the list, it's not included in the sale.

Generally, I would work on the principle that if its not bolted down, or part of the fabric of the boat, then it may not be included in the sale.

I've just sold my yacht and purchased new - to be delivered in February - and the most important thing in both the sales and purchase process was the inventory documents that detailed what was included in the sale.

As an aside - would I trust the safety gear that someone else put on board a boat (other than as part of a charter inventory on an MCA coded boat) to be fully functional?

No - I think I would prefer to have made an offer based on the premise that I would have to purchase those items myself, than have thrm provided for me.

Best Regards

Nick
 
Yep I agree on safety gear front, I would probably want more than the usual sea-salty anyway (as I'm use to highly equipped club yachts). However I was a bit taken aback by the mooring ropes, bucket and fenders, but then in the grand scale of things there not the most expensive items to replace!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Yep I agree on safety gear front, I would probably want more than the usual sea-salty anyway (as I'm use to highly equipped club yachts). However I was a bit taken aback by the mooring ropes, bucket and fenders, but then in the grand scale of things there not the most expensive items to replace!

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Don't be so sure on minimising the expense you'll actually incur.
We went through the exercise of buying such bits for a new yacht - and you'll be suprised how it adds up.

Would agree however on all the older safety gear / flares etc - best source that yourself and know what you've got works.

Good luck

JOHN
 
Hi

You could say to the broker "my surveyor has brought to my attention the lack of basic equipment such as....... which I thought would be sold with the boat, so I would like to revise my offer after survey to £??,???"

If your seller is buying another boat chances are that they will be included with his next boat, he won't need two sets so might leave them for you, you might have to buy them from him. Price them up for yourself, all the little bits add up to large number quite quickly.
 
well, we were lucky, our boat came with everything that was seen aboard at time of viewing - including fenders, lines, winch handles, buckets, cleaning gear & 6 lifejackets ... we were told - what u see is what u get ... and that suited us fine.
We sold FiLs boat - and were clear about what was included and what wasnt ... basically we just removed personal items & the HandHeld VHF ... we sold it complete with mooring strop & chain !! (just the top gear not the complete mooring!)

Assuming you'd seen these items aboard on first view and it wasn't made clear that they were not in the inventory I would tot up the cost of replacing the missing items and reduce your offer by that margin (assuming nothing else wrong with the boat)
 
I understand from friends who are yacht brokers that this sort of behaviour is not uncommon.

However, I have never done it, nor has anyone done it to me. Since it's 21 years since I bought or sold a boat, and with luck I won't be buying another, as I'm perfectly happy with what I've got, my advice may be out of date.

I would react rather quickly and make it clear that you expect these items to be on board, failing which you will not be proceeding with the sale, or will be reducing your offer by the cost of replacement items.

I'd ring the broker right away.
 
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