FAQs

You can either sell your boat with Aquavista or selling your boat with an Aquavista authorised broker.

There is also a useful guide to buying and selling boats within our Guides, tips and FAQ pages.

There are no upfront costs. We operate on a no sale, no fee basis. When we successfully sell your boat all costs with be deducted from the sale price of the boat.

If you’re selling your boat with Aquavista we do everything for you. Should you require potential buyers to be accompanied that’s not a problem we’ll handle it. If you would rather do it yourself you can it’s not a problem.

If you use an authorised broker this might be not the same as we all operate differently.

The bill of sales acts as the legally binding document to transfer ownership of watercraft from the seller to the buyer.

You can use this document for transactions involving both new and old water vessels. Besides filling in the required details, the document must contain signatures of the seller, buyer, and witnesses to confirm the transaction took place.

The short answer is yes. But if the new owner wishes to keep the boat at the Waterside & Marina it is moored at, a commission is applied. This is called a sale on berth fee which is a percentage + VAT of the overall sale price of the vessel. 

This fee is applicable as a mooring location adds value to a boat and the ability to transfer this mooring can see purchasers bypass waiting lists for moorings. 

A lot of people prefer to sell their boats through Aquavista, should your location allow, as it is hassle-free.

Also, remember you still have to terminate your mooring contract and give the relevant amount of notice. Log in to your Aquavista account to check your termination period.

Yes. You would still have to pay for your residential mooring. Also bear in mind when we have successfully sold your boat you are still required to terminate your mooring with Aquavista and give the correct amount of notice, which in this case is three months.

If you still want to actively use your boat while we sell it, you will need to continue to pay for your moorings.

But if you want to place your boat on our sales jetty there would be no charge, but remember you won't have the flexibility to use it. Moorings will still need to be terminated appropriately, with the correct notice given as per your contract.

Yes, your boat must remain insured and hold a valid BSC. The boat still belongs to you, meaning you are still responsible for it so it would be within your best interest to have the boat fully insured.

Having a valid BSC makes the boat more appealing to prospective buyers, as they know that it has been inspected and meets the relevant safety guidelines. It is also peace of mind for us knowing we are selling a boat that is safe and up to standard.

Why not start here at Aquavista?

We have a variety of boats for sale, covering a variety of different prices, ages and style.

Apart from the agreed sale price, no, there is nothing else to pay. You might choose to have a marine surveyor perform a survey on your behalf, this would come at an additional cost to yourself.

It would usually go in the following order:

• Make an appointment to view the boat you are interested in
• After your first viewing, you might want to view it again, but if not you can then put an offer in for that boat
• There may be some negotiation on price between yourself and the seller so you might have to wait a little whilst this goes on
• Once an offer has been agreed we would advise you to have a pre-purchase survey. You usually have to diarise this, and securing a time can sometimes take a couple of weeks. Don’t worry though, we can help with this.
• Once the surveyors' report comes back to you, you might decide that you no longer wish to purchase the boat. If this is the case you would walk away from the purchase. Your penalty for doing so is the cost of the surveyor. 
• Dependent on the report you might wish to negotiate further on the price or you might be happy with the agreed price and continue with the purchase.
• Should you continue, we then contact the seller and get the wheels in motion for the final paperwork to be agreed and signed
• The boat is then yours.

This might seem a lot but our experienced team are on hand to help every step of the way!

For further details take a look at our helpful Process to purchasing guide. 

We would advise that you get your insurance in place, check your BSC is up to date and ensure you have a copy. If it is not up to date this must be a priority as soon as you take ownership. Make sure you have your Canal & River Trust license in place. Also, make sure you have a mooring in place to take your boat to. We can help you with all of these things, so don’t worry.

I might be worth looking at our Leisure ownership page. This might answer your questions around insurance and boat safety certificate.  

Well, you’ve come to the right place! Here at Aquavista we have 29 waterside & marina locations nationwide. Click here and see which of our locations is best suits your needs and requirements.

We have a variety of guides that might answer this question for you depending on the level of detail you require:

Leisure ownership

Residential living

Boat maintenance  

Because of the legal tenure and the fact that you will have no interest in the land on which the home is situated, most high street lenders will not provide finance. Other finance options are available.

You will need planning permission to do so. If you have this in place, we can supply a floating home by special negotiation.

Your floating home is a valuable asset. Although you do not own the land upon which it is situated, you still have the right to bequeath it. The law treats a floating home as a chattel—rather like a car or a boat— so it is important that the wording of your will embraces this fact.