Pre-Buying Inspections & seatrials
Unbiased yacht inspections and sea trials — trusted insight before you buy
Buying a yacht is one of the biggest decisions an owner will make — and while surveys are essential, they don’t always tell the full story.
Our Pre-Buying Inspection is a captain-led advisory service designed to give owners a practical, real-world understanding of a yacht before committing to purchase.
This service focuses on how the yacht is actually operated, maintained, and lived with — not just whether it meets survey or insurance requirements.
How It Works:
Share details – Tell us the yacht type, location, and inspection goals.
On-site review – Full systems, structural, and operational check.
Sea trial – Real-world performance and handling analysis.
Report & recommendations – Objective feedback, including maintenance or crew advice.
Why Choose Us:
Conducted by experienced captains, not surveyors
Independent and unbiased
Real operational insight beyond technical checklists
Quick turnaround reports
What This Service Is
A practical, experience-based assessment carried out by an experienced captain, often with engineering insight, to help you answer one key question:
Is this the right yacht for you — operationally, financially, and long-term?
We assess the yacht as someone who would realistically run it, crew it, and operate it — not just inspect it.
What We Look At
Depending on the vessel and programme, this may include:
Overall condition and standard of maintenance
How systems are laid out and how they are actually used
Operational complexity and crew requirements
Likely short- and medium-term maintenance costs
Red flags from an operational or ownership perspective
Suitability for your intended use (private, family, charter, cruising plans)
Whether the yacht aligns with your experience level and expectations
What This Service Is Not
To be clear and transparent:
This is not a replacement for a formal marine survey
We do not issue certification, valuation, or insurance reports
We do not replace surveyors, engineers, or classification bodies
Instead, we work alongside the survey process — covering what surveys typically don’t.
How This Fits With a Survey
Most experienced buyers use this service before commissioning a full survey, to avoid:
Spending money surveying the wrong yacht
Discovering operational issues too late
Buying a vessel that looks good on paper but performs poorly in reality
A survey protects contracts and insurers.
A captain-led pre-buy inspection protects the owner.
Who This Is For
First-time yacht buyers
Owners stepping up in size or complexity
Family offices and advisors supporting a purchase
Buyers wanting an independent, experience-based second opinion
Our Role
We don’t sell yachts.
We don’t represent brokers.
We work for you, offering clear, independent guidance so you can make a confident decision.