What is YachtSite?
YachtSite is an online marketplace and enthusiast community. We curate every boat that we list and present them transparently, without superlatives or dubious claims. Buyers and sellers alike are supported and educated by the extensive information posted on ads and our library of articles and interviews across the industry. Our closing services help buyers and sellers transact with confidence.
What makes us different?
- We represent each boat in a thorough and straightforward fashion using comprehensive information, photo galleries, and videos provided by sellers. We have standards that submissions must comply with in order to be published.
- Each seller works with a team dedicated to their listing, who provide continual support throughout the sale process.
- We have numerous tools to help sellers quickly and thoroughly compose the necessary information including tools to tidy up formating, sort photos into categories, and generate listing highlights. We provide suggestions on how ads can be improved.
- We follow up on inquiries to ensure spam filters and cruising itineraries do not disrupt a buyer-seller connection.
- We provide sold and market trending data to help sellers set prices and understand performance expectations. We provide ongoing analytics to help sellers understand how their ad is performing.
How do I list my boat for sale on this website?
- Follow the directions on our listing page to list your boat.
- There are 3 levels of service available there to choose from: Basic, Premium, and VIP
- Have your sales description, specifications and inventory ready.
- You will be asked for a password. This will allow you to login into the website at any time and make changes to your advertisement.
How the listing process work?
- After providing the starter information and paying for a package on the Submission Page, sellers will be able to login to provide the rest of the information required into our system.
- We work with the seller to gather all necessary information such as photos, videos, equipment lists, engine hours. Once a seller is finished uploading photos, adding videos, and filling in their inventory, then they will submit for our final review.
- Our listing standards team will do a final review and provide instructions with any required missing information or feedback on ways to improve the display of the ad. If we can fix issues, we will do ourself and email the seller back to review our changes before going live. We proactively work to craft a thorough and information rich listing for each boat.
- Once a listing is accepted, then we go live as well as blast out to our mailing list, social, and other distribution points.
What happens after publishing?
- Every listing goes live with an informational listing, photo gallery, and additional seller features that help ensure a great result.
- Inquiries are delivered primarily by email, but we also send SMS and WhatsApp notifications to sellers.
- Due to the unreliability of spam filters and network connections while cruising, we send 72 hour follow up emails to ensure connections between buyers and sellers have been made. We will also follow up on an urgent request if say a buyer is asking for a late notice showing with limited flexibility.
- After publishing, sellers can log back in to edit their listing anytime, upload photos, adjust their price. In the dashboard area, there is sold data available to help sellers evaluate their pricing.
- Also in the dashboard, they can review how their ad is performing in terms of view and engagement ( inquiries, watchers, and shares ) as well as benchmark where they are in the sale process compared to market trending metrics ( # of inquiries prior to sale, days to sale, market discounts, etc ).
How to handle offers?
- Offers can be submitted directly to the seller or via our Start Escrow page if professional help is desired. Our escrow services are available to all types of sellers whether novice or veteran. We provide customized plans and engage with different partners to provide different tiers of closing services.
- Private sellers can also DIY their transaction. A review of our Sales Forms page is typically helpful.
- We encourage all potential buyers to read the listing and review the entirety before making an offer. It is important that buyers carry out their due diligence to understand all the details of the boat.
What happens once you have a deal?
- Once you have a deal, typically the buyer places a 10% deposit with an escrow service and then proceeds to inspections, surveys, and seatrials.
- If financing is involved, we encourage both the seller and buyer to make sure the financing is firm before proceeding to the expense of a survey and seatrial.
- There are additional details available about this part of the process on our Sales Forms page.
- The buyer and seller then work together to complete the transaction. In general, buyers are responsible for survey, seatrial, applicable taxes, registration fees, insurance, and other costs associated with ownership.
- Sellers are responsible for dockage, fuel, captain, and other operations of the vessel. Sellers are also responsible for foreign deregistration costs.
- Our closing service arranges many of these aspects of the transaction between two private party sellers. Staff are also happy to provide assistance or answer questions during the transaction.
- We encourage buyers to take advantage of our closing service on eligible listings, each of which is clearly marked above the sales description box. This digital transaction service enables buyers and sellers to quickly and securely handle title transfer, payments. These features are beneficial to both buyers and sellers in helping to complete smooth and organized transactions.
- Our Customer Service team is happy to provide assistance or answer questions during this part of the process, whether it is carried out using our closing services or not.
How do I know if the boat is still available?
- Sellers pay to be listed here. If the boat is on the website, she is still for sale. If under contract, she will be marked as a ‘Pending Sale’. When sold, the listing is removed.
- Note that we mark listings sold immediately upon be advised by the seller. If the seller does not tell us that they sold, we will not catch it until our monthly verification.
- Please contact us and report a boat we have listed that has sold.
Why should I buy a boat which is for sale on YachtSite?
- Buyers and sellers save money here as our listing and closing fees are the lowest anywhere. In addition the closing fees are an optional value added service.
- These boats come with lots of cruising gear. It’s important not to sell the cruising gear short, as in some cases it represents considerable value. It’s the reason why we broke out the inventory in each listing. People tend to focus on the purchase price and not realize how much value cruising gear add or that when purchasing any boat. The gear will have to be purchased eventually.
- Lastly, each boat listed here has provided its’ owner with years of dependable service and is her pride and joy. All the owners want to find the right home for their baby.
What about offer forms and bill of sale forms?
- We offer blank copies of the Coast Guard Bill of Sale and the standard Yacht Broker offer forms. Help yourself to copies found on our Sales Forms Page to download them.
- We also offer inexpensive contract to closing services including escrowing funds and documentation paperwork. You can inquire to us here.
The boat I am interested in shows as “Sale Pending”?
- This website disables the ability to send emails to any boat currently under contract.
- If the sale closes, the boat is then removed from the website.
- If the sale fails to close, the ability to contact the owner is restored.
Does this website earn a commission on a sale?
- No. YachtSite.com is not paid a commission on the sale of any of these boats. This website offers inexpensive listing services as a courtesy to sailors world wide.
- We offer professional contract to closing services including escrow and documentation transfer at a low price guaranteed fixed price. Please see more details and inquire about our rates and availability here.
Is this website familiar with the boats listed here?
- Every now and then there will be an exception, but as a rule … No … we have no personal knowledge of these boats.
How do I begin the purchase process?
- Find a boat you like. Join our mailing list to be the first to hear about new boats for sale.
- Use the “Contact Owner” or “Contact Broker” button found both at the top and bottom of each advertisement, and ask the seller questions about the boat. If you don’t receive an answer in a couple of days, please email us and let us know.
- If the boat appears to fit your requirements, arrange to do a walk through.
- Make an offer pending an inspection / survey / sea trail.
- If you are an experienced sailor, do your own inspection. If not then hire someone. This is a sizeable investment, and you should consider contracting a professional if you are unable to evaluate systems such as engines, steering / throttle controls, electrical, electronics, refrigeration, fuel lines / tankage, hull delamination, running gear, plumbing, deck hardware, standing rigging / chainplates, air conditioning, sails.
Do you have any advise for getting insurance?
- For coastal USA cruising, we recommend you inquire to common carriers like State Farm and Progressive.
- For international cruising, we recommend you use an marine insurance broker who can search multiple underwriters and also know how to best present your information and the survey results. We have an educational article with an insurance specialist here who explains more details.
How do I contact an owner?
- Each advertisement has a “contact” link at the top and at the bottom of each listing page. By clicking the link and filling out the form, your inquiry will find it’s way to the owner. Some of these owners are actually cruising with their boats right now. It may take a few days to receive a response. Please read our privacy policy to learn how buyer and seller contact information is protected.
- Please do not send an email to a seller asking if their boat is still for sale. Every boat on this website is a paid listing.
- Unless the boat is cruising, please do not ask where the boat is located as this information is in the advertisement.
- Please do not send an email to a seller asking if the owner will accept a trade. Unless stated otherwise in the advertisement, every owner desires cash.
What if the boat is 1/2 way around the world?
- If you’re not prepared to fly to the listing location, or hire professionals to act on your behalf, move on to another boat closer to home.
What does “not for sale in US waters to a US resident” mean?
- This is a common yet complicated phrase that restricts who can purchase a boat in US waters that has not be imported yet. We have an educational interview with a customs broker explaining more.
Will owners consider a trade in?
- Unless the advertisement specifically says trades are acceptable, owners want cash at closing.
Will owners give financing terms?
- Well, if it was your boat … and it could disappear over the horizon at any time, would you offer terms? You can obtain marine financing or borrow against stocks or real estate.
Are there broker listed boats on this site?
- Broker may list their boats for sale on the site. In those cases, the advertisement clearly says that the boat is for sale By Broker and the contact button will say “Contact Broker.” We also include a notification that there the sale may include broker fees.
- If you inquire and get a response from a broker on an advertisement marked “For Sale By Owner,” please let us know. It is hard for us to monitor whether owners list their boats with brokers. We do our best to make sure all boats for sale are listed here accurately.