Sell your boat with a clear price, a contract and a safe handover

Make it easy for the buyer to check the deal

Set a price you can justify, describe the boat honestly and write down what the buyer gets. In sales between private individuals the Swedish Sale of Goods Act applies, but what you put in the contract carries a lot of weight. List known faults before the sale and plan payment, receipt and handover together. Writing "as is" doesn't remove all liability.

When the ad is ready you can post it among the listings.

Set the price based on condition and documentation

Start from the boat model, engine installation, equipment and any work still outstanding. What people ask in listings is rarely what boats actually sell for. Two engines with the same power are not worth the same if one has a service history and the other has no paperwork.

Get the basic details from the boat catalogue and look up the engine in the engine catalogue. If you're unsure of the year of manufacture, or the installation has been changed, say so. Don't guess in the listing. Write what the buyer needs to take a closer look at instead.

A good ad answers the buyer's questions

• Boat model and identification, preferably with engine and serial number.
• Recent photos of the hull, deck, interior, engine and any damage you know about.
• Service work with dates and receipts.
• Known faults, repairs and anything that doesn't work.
• What's included: instruments, loose gear, trailer and other equipment.
• Where the boat is kept and how viewings, sea trials and any survey will be arranged.

What you write in the ad can affect what the buyer is entitled to expect. Keep the ad and your messages together with the contract.

What should the purchase contract include?

Include the parties, the identity of the boat and engine, price, payment method and when handover takes place. Attach an equipment list, known faults and anything you've agreed to fix. If the sale depends on a survey, financing or a sea trial, write what applies both when the condition is met and when it isn't. A promise to "sort it out later" easily turns into a dispute.

Under the Swedish Sale of Goods Act, a boat sold as seen can still be faulty. That applies if it differs from what you said, or if you held back something significant the buyer should have been told. A standard phrase is not enough. Write out the defects.

Payment and handover at the same time

Find out who the buyer is and make sure you have the right to sell the boat yourself. Any loans or other claims on the boat must be settled before handover. Watch the money arrive in your own bank account. A screenshot or a text from the buyer isn't enough.

Write a dated receipt and hand over the keys, manuals, service records and the equipment you agreed on. A berth and winter storage don't automatically go with the boat, so agree on what applies. Talk to the insurers so your cover ends when the buyer's begins. Go through the boat together so the buyer knows how the engine kill switch, seacocks and other important things work.

Private sales and sales by businesses

This guide covers private sales between individuals. When a business sells to a consumer, mandatory consumer protection rules apply. The Swedish Consumer Agency's industry agreement on boat contracts is written for dealers and is not required in private sales. If the buyer wants to inspect the boat first, read about pre-purchase surveys.

Frequently asked questions