Boat sale agreement, 5.2 m runabout and trailer
Boat sale agreement template with the hull ID, trailer and an as is clause
A private boat sale moves three things at once: a hull, a motor and a trailer, each with its own number and its own way of carrying a debt. This agreement lists all three in a specification table, gives the buyer a sea trial and a search before the balance moves, then sets out exactly what changes hands on the day.
The document, page by page
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Section by section
What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.
- Parties and key facts
- Both people, a statement that neither is a dealer, and the price, deposit, engine hours and handover date.
- 1. What is being sold
- The specification table with hull, identification number, outboard, trailer and inclusions.
- 2. Price and payment
- The deposit and balance in cleared funds, and what happens if either party walks away.
- 3. Inspection, sea trial and condition
- The inspection window with its $900 threshold, and the four faults the seller has disclosed.
- 4. What the seller promises
- Five numbered promises about title, finance, theft, hours and collision history, plus the search.
- 5. Handover
- What changes hands on the day, and when risk, insurance and ownership pass.
- Signatures
- A block for the seller and one for the buyer.
Clauses in this document
How to adapt this agreement
For a sale that includes a mooring or a marina berth, add a clause dealing with the berth licence, because a berth usually cannot be transferred without the marina agreeing and the buyer discovers that after the money has moved. For a boat with an outstanding loan, add a payout clause naming the financier, the payout figure and the date, and pay the balance to the financier directly rather than to the seller, with the seller receiving only the surplus. For a survey rather than a mechanical inspection, replace the $900 threshold with a right to end the agreement on any survey finding the buyer reasonably relies on, since a full survey on an older vessel usually finds something and a fixed figure stops working.
Who this suits
Two private parties selling a trailerable boat as one package. It is not written for a dealer sale, where statutory obligations and a different set of consumer protections apply, and it is not written for a vessel large enough to need a marine survey, a registration on a commercial vessel register or a berth transfer. The test is whether the whole transaction can be completed in a driveway on a Saturday morning with a bank transfer and a set of keys. Once a broker, a marina or a financier joins the deal, the document needs clauses about who holds the deposit and in whose account, and those belong in a longer agreement than this one.
What makes this document work
Three serial numbers, because there are three things
The hull identification number, the outboard serial and the trailer identification number all appear in the specification table, and clause 4.1 sends the buyer to search all three before the balance is paid. A boat sale that records only the hull number misses the two items most likely to carry finance.
The inspection clause has a dollar threshold
A sea trial and a mechanical inspection before the handover date, and if an undisclosed fault costs more than $900 to repair the buyer walks and the deposit comes back. Naming a figure turns a vague right to inspect into something both parties can act on without arguing about materiality.
The disclosure list is specific enough to be useful
A repaired gelcoat chip on the starboard bow, an intermittent trim gauge, bearings repacked in June 2027, and a life in salt water with a flush after every trip. Clause 3.2 puts those in writing so they cannot later be described as hidden.
Questions people ask
What should a boat sale agreement include?
The hull, motor and trailer with their identification numbers, what is included and excluded, the price, the deposit and how the balance is paid, an inspection or sea trial right, the faults the seller has disclosed, the seller promises about title and history, and what happens at handover.
What is a hull identification number?
A unique number assigned to a boat hull, usually moulded or fixed to the transom. It is the equivalent of a vehicle identification number and it is what a buyer uses to search for money owed, check that the boat matches its papers, and confirm that the number has not been altered.
Should a buyer search for money owed on a boat?
Yes, and against all three items. Clause 4.1 covers the hull, the motor serial and the trailer number, because finance is often registered against the motor or the trailer rather than the hull. Where a search shows money owed, the seller pays it out and proves the release before handover.
What does sold as is mean?
That the boat comes with no warranty from the seller and the buyer accepts it in its present condition after handover. It does not excuse a false statement about ownership, theft, write off history or engine hours, which is why those sit in clause 4 as promises that survive the handover.
When does risk pass to the buyer?
When the balance is paid and the keys are handed over, not before. Clause 5.2 keeps the seller insurance in place until that moment and requires the buyer to have cover from it, which closes the gap where a boat is damaged between the transfer and the trailer reaching home.
Is a deposit refundable on a boat sale?
It depends why the sale fell over. Under clause 2.2 the seller keeps the deposit where the buyer simply walks away, and refunds it within two business days plus up to $450 of inspection costs where the seller is the one who does not proceed. A failed inspection under clause 3.1 also returns it in full.
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