A word about yacht brokers Pt. 2

By now most of my followers, you know who you are, know that we have purchased a new to us 2001 Searay 400 Sedan Bridge. This boat will replace our current Searay 310 Sundance as Calypso II and allow us to continue our adventures cruising the southeast of New England farther and longer. In an earlier post, I did not hide my disappointment in the yacht brokers I encountered as we searched for a new boat. I scoffed at their inability to return my call or follow up after an initial call when I was showing interest in a boat they were listing. I felt like saying, “Come on guys, I have money to spend and want to buy a boat” In a world of commission only sales, I would think that should get some interest. But that was not the case until we stumbled on the boat we eventually bought. 

As mentioned, the boat we found was located in Grasonville MD on the Chesapeake and listed by Knot10 Yacht Sales. Knot10 is a play on words that means they charge a lower commission to sellers than most brokerage houses do, which is typically 10%. This does not mean that they skimp on service, however. The listing broker, Todd Whittman, went above and beyond, I made two trips down to Grasonville, one to see the boat for the first time and the second to be present for the survey and sea trial. Todd helped with both trips. After the survey, several defects were identified and Todd oversaw the repairs on my behalf as I did not want to make another trip. He personally retested the items that needed repair and sent a video back for my confirmation. In fact, the after-sales continues to be top-notch. Todd helped coordinate the name change and is helping with our return trip planning. 

I also want to say a word about the office staff at Knot 10. They handled the sale documents, Coast Guard documentation, and wire transfers professionally and promptly. It really was quite easy. I should say that I do not have a lot to compare to in that we bought Calypso I off of Craigslist and handled all the paperwork ourselves. Not as easy. Lastly, I should point out that I am not being compensated by Knot 10 in any way for this shout-out but I believe in speaking up when someone does a great job. 

Currently, the listing broker for Calypso I is Oyster Harbors Marine, out of their Marion office. So far, they have been excellent to work with and I am looking forward to a quick sale.