Seller Tips:

When selling your boat, here are a few tips that we have gained from our experience over the years:

1. Find a good broker to represent you in the sale of your vessel. A good broker will be able to give you a good idea as to what the best asking price of your boat should be, taking into account current selling prices of your model, the condition of your boat, the current market, how to get your boat ready for a sale etc. If you would like to contact us regarding the sale of your catamaran, we would be more than happy to discuss this with you.
2. Be very sure to include or exclude anything in the specification sheet that you do or do not want to sell with the boat.
3. Make sure that you remove anything off your boat that you do not want to sell with the boat. Be sure to do this before any buyer sees the boat. Too many times, a seller leaves an item onboard (not listed in the specification sheet), a buyer sees the item and when it comes to the closing is heartbroken that this particular item is not going with the boat. To avoid any confusion, remove any, and all, items not to be sold with the boat.
4. Do not liveaboard when trying to sell. A buyer needs to be able to picture themselves in your boat and sometimes that is difficult to do if it's crowded with your 'stuff' -even if it's neat.
5. Make sure that the boat is in its best condition before selling. Used boats are sold, as is, but it is in your best interest that the surveyor finds as many systems operational as possible. For assistance in this area contact Kent Grimbeek. To read more about what the Service Department can offer you please take a look at our Service Department page.
6. It is very useful if your boat is located in an area where there is large traffic of clients specifically looking for multihulls. Fort Lauderdale is one of those hubs.

MORE TIPS TO BE ADDED....

Importation:

At the time of listing, there are various issues which need to be addressed such as the importation if your vessel if it is a foreign registered vessel. It is good to know what to expect before you bring your boat into the country. The importation process does not take too long, and there are a few pre-requisites for the importation:

1. If the vessel is older than 6 months, a valuation survey will be required from which the importation fee will be calculated (this figure also depends on which country the vessel is being imported from).  The valuation survey is an in-the-water survey so you do not have to haul the boat. Please be aware that it is very important that your vessel meet US Coast Guard regulations - one of the most common issues for foreign vessel is the absence of holding tanks with a deck pumpout system - if your boat does not have this, it will need to be installed (our Service Department can help you out there if need be) before importation can occur.
2. The Registration/Documentation Paperwork for the vessel.
3. The Entry Form from Customs.
4. A Power of Attorney given to the Import Company to allow them to import the boat on your behalf (this form is provided by the Import Company).
5. Payment of Import Duties to the Import Company prior to importation.

For a small administrative fee we will help facilitate the importation of your vessel for sale.

If your vessel is a foreign registered vessel and you choose not to import your vessel, we are obligated by the law not to offer your boat for sale in US Waters and we will need to state as much in all our advertising. What that means, in essence, is that we are only able to show your boat to Non-US Residents (this limits the people we are able to show your boat to quite dramatically).

Customs:

Here is some information to help you once you arrive in the United States:

On arrival into the United States from any other destination, you will need to clear Customs and Immigration. If you are arriving into Fort Lauderdale you will need to clear in with the Port Everglades Offices:

1800 Eller Drive, Port Everglades, FL 33316

On arrival you will need to call 954-356-7241 to make formal entry (the customs official will take down all relevant information regarding your vessel for their records). All crew need to then immediately proceed to report to the offices in person to clear Customs as well as Immigration. Both Customs and Immigration are in the same building (remember to take your passports).

You will be provided with a pink entry form from Customs which will cost you $25.00. Please keep this form with the vessel papers.

If you have a foreign registered vessel and you mention that your vessel is coming into the country to be sold, the customs official will keep the original vessel paperwork and provide you with certified copies. The importation agents will be able to contact customs directly for any original paperwork that they need in order to import your vessel. Once your boat is sold, and the vessel leaves the United States, the customs official will want proof of sale etc. to accompany the new owner when he clears out of the country. This is to gain control of vessel dealings within the United States and to ensure that correct import procedures are followed.

If you plan to still sail your vessel within the United States before selling the vessel, then you will want to apply for a Cruising License.

If you do not qualify for a Cruising License you will need to apply for an annual User Fee Decal which will cost you $25.00. This can be done when you are in the Customs office, or you can apply online. This is a non-transferable decal. (If you want us to take care of applying for this decal for you we will charge an administrative fee of $25.00, and upon renewal of the decal the same fee would be charged to renew the decal if necessary)

To read more about the above please refer to Reporting Requirements for Pleasure Boat Operators on the US Customs & Border Protection website. On this page, you will also find the various forms you may need to fill out for yourself and crew to take with you in to Customs.

For further information please visit the USCG National Vessel Movement Center website. Here you will read about an Advanced Notice of Arrival form which can be filled out online (you will need to register online as a new member) to give the Coast Guard advanced notice of your arrival to whichever port you plan to report to. You will, however, still need to follow regular entry procedures as described above.

Captains:

Sea Trial Captain
Once we have an accepted offer on your vessel your only responsibility in the purchase process will be to captain the vessel on its sea trial. If you are not available or would prefer not to be present, then Kent Grimbeek will be able to assist you with this task as he has done on innumerable surveys on catamarans within the last seven years. The Sea Trial/Survey usually takes up a whole day. For a flat fee of $300.00, Kent will strive to make the survey and sea trial as smooth as possible for all involved. With his extensive knowledge of marine systems etc. many times he is able to sort out minor (and sometimes major) problems as they arise during the course of a survey thereby eliminating various issues from a survey report.

Delivery Captain
If you would like to bring your boat to Fort Lauderdale in order to sell it, but you just can't break away from work to do so, we can help put you together with a few captains who can give you their estimates for the delivery.

Service Department:

We run a Service Department managed by Kent Grimbeek. It is always beneficial if the systems onboard your boat are in operating order and if there are any unsightly repairs needed, that it gets taken care of in order that your boat shows well - and it makes for better surveys. To read more about what the Service Department can do for you please click on the Service Department page.

Dockage:

If you decide to bring your boat to Fort Lauderdale will endeavor to find you a dock space. There will be a finder's fee involved, but once arranged, you can opt to pay the dockage directly to the dock owner, or we can manage the dockage for you for a small administrative fee ($1.00/ft/month). You will also need to give us at least two week's notice before arriving in Fort Lauderdale. Dock space is usually rented out on a monthly, and not on a day-to-day, basis. Dockage rates in Fort Lauderdale range from $10 to $20 per month. Live aboard dockage is becoming more and more difficult to come by, especially in the winter months. When first arriving into Fort Lauderdale we recommend that you do the following while you spend the time to settle down after your trip, pack up your belongings, clean the boat to your satisfaction etc.:
1. Anchor for a night or two, at no cost, in Lake Sylvia.
2. Pick up a mooring ball at the city docks at the Las Olas City Docks for $20 a night.
3. Arrange dockage at the City Docks for however long you need to stay to prepare your boat for sale.

Once you are ready to leave the boat it can be moved to its arranged dockspace. If you need our Service Department to move the boat for you this can be done at an hourly rate.

Maintenance:

In a perfect world, we would sell your boat within the first week. Unfortunately, more often than not, it takes a little longer to sell a boat (3 - 6 months can be considered the average). While the boat sits waiting to be sold it needs constant attention. If your boat is located in Fort Lauderdale, we would recommend making arrangements with our Service Department to schedule regular maintenance for your boat. The engines need starting, bilges need checking, leaks need to be checked and repaired etc. as well as dealing with those unexpected issues that are noticed on routine checkups or when the boat is shown. We would like to keep your boat in the best possible showing condition. Again, this would require a charge per visit to the boat and we can arrange the checkups as often as you would like them to be done.
 

Cleaning:

As with maintenance, cleaning is another one of those routine duties a boat needs to keep it in shape and to help it to show better. We will arrange for your boat to be cleaned on a regular basis if you are unable to do so yourself.