Buying or Selling Privately
Everything you need to know about buying and selling a boat
Our Step by Step Guide to Buying and Selling a Boat provides you with some detailed information on the process and documentation involved in the transaction including buyer’s and seller’s obligations. We also provide a template Agreement for the Sale and Purchase of a Second hand Boat which is a standard form Agreement that lays down the common terms relating to the sale and purchase of a boat, which members can use as a platform to build an Agreement tailored to their needs. Where members edit or amend the RYA standard form Agreement, we ask that they make it clear on the Agreement that it has been edited or amended.
On completion of the transaction, the seller should execute a Bill of Sale in favour of the purchaser. If the boat you are buying or selling is unregistered or registered on Part III (Small Ships Register (SSR)) of the UK Ships Register then you can use the RYA Bill of Sale. This Bill of Sale may not be used if the boat concerned is registered on Part I of the UK Ships Register. In this circumstance the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Bill of Sale is should be used and is obtainable either from the MCA website.
Once you have looked at this part of the site we would also suggest that you look at the Boat Registration Section and the Boat Insurance Section.
If you have any queries or comments, please contact the Legal Team on 023 8060 4223 Email: legal@rya.org.uk.
RYA Sale and Purchase Pack
- Step by Step Guide to Buying and Selling a Boat
- Agreement for the Sale and Purchase of a secondhand boat
- RYA Bill of Sale (SSR/Unregistered)
- RYA VAT Guide for Boats
- RYA RCR and RCD Guide for Boats
- Joint or Co-ownership