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Buying or selling a boat or yacht: where, how, who and why

“We buy any boat” is a promise you will see from dealers and online buyers. Whether it suits you depends on what matters more to you, speed or price. This page brings together what owners and buyers should know when a boat or yacht changes hands: where boats are listed, who buys them, what yours is worth, how buying and selling works safely, and why timing makes a difference.

Each step has its own page with templates, calculators and checklists. Here you get the overview. Buying and selling boats is not complicated, but it is a deal over a lot of money between people who usually have never met.

The key points

A private sale usually gets the best price. A dealer or cash buyer pays faster but less. A yacht broker finds the buyer for a commission.
Get a first figure from the boat value calculator and check an asking price with the used boat price check.
No keys without money, no money without the boat: payment and handover belong together, recorded in a boat sale contract and a handover report.
In many countries hull cover passes to the buyer with ownership, while liability cover ends. Buyers need their own liability cover from handover.
Private sellers can exclude warranty in most of Europe, but not for defects they knew about and kept quiet.
NAMMERT does not buy boats. We are a boat insurance underwriting agency.

Where boats and yachts change hands

There is no single marketplace. Sellers reach most buyers by combining several channels; buyers compare best across several sources, including across borders.

Online boat portals and classified ads: the widest choice, including from abroad. They also attract most of the fraudsters, see online boat sale scams.
Dealers and boatyards: sell new and used boats, often take your old boat in part exchange and, as businesses, owe consumers a warranty.
Yacht brokers: find buyers for larger boats and yachts, handle viewings and paperwork for a commission.
Boat shows such as boot Düsseldorf in January or the Southampton International Boat Show in September: good for comparing, with used boats mostly on dealer stands.
Marina, club and boatyard: a notice on the pontoon reaches buyers who already know the area.
Auctions by authorities and insolvency administrators: sometimes cheap, but sold as seen, usually without a sea trial.

How many boats are listed where, and in which countries they are offered for less, is shown in our used boat market report: every night we analyse boat portals across Europe, currently 19,166 matching offers.

Who will buy my boat? Four routes compared

Sellers have four basic options. They differ mainly in how much money you keep and how much work you do yourself.

Private to private: usually the best price. In return you write the ad, show the boat, do the sea trial and handle contract and payment yourself.
Dealer or cash buyer: quick and without endless viewings. The buyer prices in reconditioning, time on the stand and their own warranty, so the offer is below the private price.
Part exchange when buying a new boat: convenient, everything in one place. Check what the old boat would fetch on its own, so the discount on the new one is not hidden in the price of the old.
Yacht broker on commission: worthwhile mainly for larger yachts. Get commission, term, exclusivity and costs for berth and viewings in writing first.

Does NAMMERT buy boats?

No. NAMMERT does not buy boats and does not broker sales. We are an underwriting agency for boat and yacht insurance. What we offer buyers and sellers is the sale contract, checklists, a value check and the papers you need on the day of handover.

What is the boat worth?

Price depends on model, year, engine and engine hours, equipment, condition and cruising area. A boat that has been looked after, comes with invoices and is ready to go in the water in spring sells faster and for more than the same model under a cover.

Work out a first figure with the boat value calculator. The used boat price check shows whether a listing fits the market, and the price ranges per model are in the used boat price tables. For valuable yachts a survey by an independent surveyor protects both sides from disputes about condition.

How to sell your boat, step by step

Gather the papers: proof of ownership or bill of sale, Declaration of Conformity (CE), registration, service and repair invoices, proof that VAT has been paid. The boat papers checklist helps.
Advertise honestly: good daylight photos, year, engine, engine hours, known defects. Anything you conceal can undo a warranty exclusion later.
Viewing and sea trial: who drives, who is liable, what happens if something breaks? Put it in a sea trial agreement. More under sea trial: who is liable?.
Sign the contract: fill in the boat sale contract with hull number, engine and trailer serials, inventory and the warranty clause.
Payment before handover: a transfer that has actually reached your account, or cash against a receipt. For large sums an escrow account with a notary or lawyer makes sense.
Handover with a report: condition, inventory, keys, papers and time, all in the handover report.
Deregister and tell your insurer: cancel or transfer the registration, report the sale to your insurer. What usually happens next is explained under selling a boat: what happens to the insurance.

How to buy safely

With a used boat you buy what you see, and often what you do not. These checks cost little and save a lot:

A viewing on land and a sea trial in the water, with the used boat checklist in hand.
Compare the hull identification number (HIN) with the papers and decode the HIN; check the boat against the list of stolen boats and engines.
Check that the engine hours are plausible: engine hours tampering.
Match the seller to their ID and the ownership papers. Paying in advance to strangers and “a shipping company will deliver the boat” are the most common scams, see online boat sale scams.
For registered ships ask for a current registry extract: it shows the owner and any mortgage on the vessel.
For boats from another EU country ask for proof that VAT has been paid; without it, tax can be claimed later.

Buying new? Read buying a new boat: deposit, delays, handover first.

Papers, registration and tax

Registration belongs to the owner, not the boat. The seller deregisters, the buyer registers the boat in their own name with the flag state or the local authority.
The Declaration of Conformity under the Recreational Craft Directive and the owner's manual go with the boat.
Within the EU, a new boat over 7.5 metres bought in another member state (up to three months after first use or 100 engine hours) is taxed in the buyer's country.

What happens to the insurance when ownership changes

In Germany, hull insurance passes to the buyer by law with ownership (§ 95 VVG); buyer and insurer may then cancel within a month. Spain and Austria have similar rules. Liability cover usually stays with the person and ends with the sale.

For you as a buyer that means: arrange liability cover from the day of handover, and before a sea trial agree who is liable for damage. As a seller, report the sale to your insurer promptly with date and buyer. Then check whether the hull policy you take over suits you: sum insured, cruising area, excess. More in buying a boat and insurance.

Warranty: private seller or dealer

Under EU consumer law a dealer selling to a consumer is liable for defects for at least two years; for used goods many countries allow one year if agreed. Private sales are usually “sold as seen”. That does not protect a seller who knew about a defect and kept quiet, or who promised a feature the boat does not have.

If a defect appears after the sale, read defects after buying a boat; a ready-made letter is among the boat sample letters.

Why sell, why buy, and when

The reasons vary as much as the owners: a bigger boat for a growing family, a smaller one because the crew is gone, a new cruising area, a move, age, an inheritance, or the realisation that chartering suits two weeks a year better. Knowing why you sell tells you whether to wait for the best price or close quickly.

Timing matters. In spring buyers have the season ahead and a boat in the water can be shown. Selling in autumn saves winter storage but meets fewer buyers. Buyers have more time to negotiate in winter, but rarely see the boat afloat.

Just bought a boat?

Liability from day one, hull cover for the new boat, or a check of the policy you took over: compare what policies on the market cover and what to look for in yours.

Boat insurance explained

More on buying and selling

This page gives a general overview and refers to German law where stated. It is not legal advice for your individual case. Last updated: November 2026.