You inspect the boat, sign at our delivered price, and meet it at your home marina eight to ten weeks later. Here's the full path from inquiry to handover, and everything we handle in between.
Every boat is sourced from a major fleet phase-out (Moorings, Sunsail, Dream Yacht). We've reviewed the logbook, confirmed engine hours, and pre-negotiated the acquisition contract on your behalf, subject to your inspection.
Two paths: fly to the boat for an in-person sea trial with our BVI surveyor (recommended for 6-figure purchases), or schedule a live video walkthrough — our surveyor walks the hull on a 90-minute call, full engine compartment, every cabin, sail unfurl. Survey report belongs to you either way.
Inspection clean? You sign at our listed delivered price — duty paid, USCG documented, delivered to your home marina. No closing-day add-ons, no broker fees layered on at signing. The number on the boat page is the wire amount.
Your wire goes to a third-party maritime escrow at signing. Funds disburse to each vendor only when their milestone clears — bill of sale, duty payment, delivery captain, customs broker, USCG filing. Single-wire or staged (40/40/20 — signing / customs / handover) at your preference. We never hold your principal.
Acquisition close, ocean delivery, US customs entry, duty payment, USCG documentation, state registration — all on your behalf over the following eight to ten weeks. Weekly written update with current location, weather posture, and revised ETA. Five workstreams, one wire, one timeline.
Final wire on arrival. USCG documentation packet and state registration delivered with the hull. Walkthrough at your slip with the delivery captain. You get our cell number — keep it.
Five workstreams that most US buyers don't want to assemble themselves — institutional vendor relationships, in-country surveyor coordination, customs broker familiarity with vessel-class entries, USCG-licensed delivery captains with Caribbean experience. We've already built the stack.
In-person sea trial at the BVI hull with our surveyor, OR a scheduled live video walkthrough. Compression checks, engine hour verification, hull/rig inspection. Independent survey report belongs to you.
Maritime attorney drafts the bill of sale. Title transfer, lien release, and BVI Customs export paperwork. Acquisition contract pre-negotiated with the source broker subject to your inspection.
US Customs & Border Protection entry filing. 20% import duty paid on transaction value (acquisition price). Customs broker fees, harbor maintenance fee, and CBP-7501 entry summary all handled.
USCG-licensed delivery captain with crew of 2-3. Insurance binder in place for transit. Typical passage BVI → Florida: 7-10 days direct, or staged via Bahamas if weather windows tighten.
USCG vessel documentation packet filed. State registration where applicable (FL, NC, SC). Final delivery to your home marina. Walkthrough at your slip. You sign one document at handover and you're done.
Your wire sits in Yachtworld Escrow — an independent, YBAA-affiliated maritime escrow agent — from signing through handover. Funds disburse to each vendor only when their milestone clears: bill of sale, duty payment, delivery captain, customs broker, USCG filing. Trade Wind never holds your principal, and we never acquire a hull without a signed buyer behind it. Your deposit is what authorizes the close; your handover signature is what releases our service fee.
Yes. The delivered list is what wires to escrow. No buyer-side broker fees at closing, no surprise customs adjustments, no fuel surcharge tacked on at handover. What you see is what wires.
The survey report is yours. If material defects show up — engine compression, rigging integrity, structural — you walk and any deposit refunds in full. We don't acquire a boat you've passed on; the deposit only releases to acquisition after you sign off post-inspection.
We don't originate loans, but we work routinely with the major marine finance specialists on import-style closes. Most buyers have a pre-approval in 5–7 business days. We provide the survey report and the purchase contract directly to your lender so the underwrite doesn't slow the close.
Eight to ten weeks for a Caribbean → Florida route. Two to three weeks for the close and export paperwork, seven to ten days for the ocean delivery, three to five days for CBP entry in Fort Lauderdale, and a few days at the yard before we ferry to your home marina. You'll have a weekly written update through the entire window with current location, weather posture, and revised ETA.
Yes — that's exactly what the inspection step is for. We schedule the survey before deposit, then deposit only after you sign off on the report. The order is: browse → inspect → sign → deposit → execute → deliver.
You can. Many DIY importers do — and most quit halfway. The work is real: a vetted surveyor in Road Town, a customs broker familiar with CBP-7501 for vessels, a USCG-licensed delivery captain with Caribbean experience and current TWIC, a maritime attorney who handles BVI Ships Registry filings, transit insurance bound 48 hours before departure. Building that stack takes 12–18 months. We've already built it.