In the UK the paperwork that matters most on a used boat is the VAT evidence and the chain of title. Neither is guaranteed by the registration, so check both before you pay.
Part 1 or the Small Ships Register
GOV.UK lists four parts of the UK Ship Register. Two matter for pleasure boats:
| Part 1 | Part 3, Small Ships Register | |
|---|---|---|
| For | Commercial boats, or pleasure boats you make no money from | Pleasure boats under 24 m, owners living in the UK at least 185 days a year, not businesses |
| What it gives | A marine mortgage can be registered against the boat; more than 6 months outside the UK | Proof of the boat's nationality when sailing outside UK waters |
| Cost | £153 for 5 years, £72 to renew | £35 for 5 years |
For a buyer, the difference is title. Part 1 records ownership and mortgages; the SSR doesn't. PBO quotes a broker who sees Part 1 as often a clue that a loan was used to buy the boat, so check with the registry that none is outstanding, and be wary if only photocopies of the papers are shown, because a lender may hold the originals.
Title: five years of bills of sale
PBO quotes broker Chris Ibbotson: a good broker makes sure of at least five years of clear title, shown by one or more bills of sale going back at least five years. A historical transcript from the register can trace ownership on a Part 1 or SSR boat. GOV.UK lists the bill of sale among the documents needed to register on Part 1.
VAT evidence
HMRC is clear that a registration document on its own doesn't prove the UK VAT status of a boat, because there's no link in the UK between registration and the payment of VAT. The evidence it accepts:
- The original invoice or receipt, showing the VAT separately if bought from a VAT-registered business.
- Evidence that VAT was paid when the boat was imported.
- For a home-built boat, invoices for the materials.
Boats in Great Britain with VAT paid or deemed VAT status at 31 December 2020 keep it. HMRC accepts a mooring receipt, harbour dues or dry dock records as evidence of where the boat was on that date. Owners should carry the evidence on board at all times.
PBO warns that buyers may treat a boat without VAT evidence as a financial risk and walk away, and that a boat bought in the EU and brought to the UK pays UK VAT again, even with a UK VAT invoice. HMRC puts the import charge at usually 20% of the boat's customs value.
Build paperwork
PBO says boats built or imported after June 1998 need a Declaration of Conformity under the Recreational Craft Directive and a builder's plate, and calls it arguably the most important document, because without it a broker may not be able to sell the boat legally. See the RCD for what the plate and declaration show.
Inland waterways
GOV.UK says you usually need to register or licence a boat kept or used on inland waterways, renewed each year with the navigation authority, and that this can require insurance and a Boat Safety Scheme certificate. The penalty for not doing so can be a fine of up to £1,000 or removal of the boat.
The contract and the survey
PBO recommends an industry-approved contract, such as ABYA's, signed by both sides before any survey, and never making an offer on a boat you haven't seen. For the survey it advises talking to several surveyors, asking for sample reports, and looking for members of YDSA, IIMS or SCMS. See how to become a yacht surveyor in the UK for what those memberships mean, and the pre-purchase yacht survey guide for what the survey covers.
UK insurers set their own survey rules: see Craftinsure, GJW Direct and Pantaenius UK.