Sailing yacht finance
Funding for cruising and racing yachts, from a first coastal boat to a blue water cruiser bought abroad and sailed home.
- FCA regulatedAppointed Representative, FRN 1031964
- 60+ lendersWhole-of-market panel, not one bank
- 5.0 from 19 Google reviews
- No credit checkEnquiring leaves no mark on your file
Yes. A sailing yacht is funded as a marine asset, most often on a marine loan or hire purchase secured on the yacht. Used boats are fully fundable and form the bulk of what we place, including European imports. The trap is paperwork rather than condition: VAT status has to be proven for a yacht that has been cruised or bought abroad, ownership is evidenced by bills of sale rather than a registration document, and a rig and hull survey is normally required. Any existing marine mortgage, wherever it was registered, has to be traced and discharged at completion.
Who finances this
Commonly an experienced sailor moving up from a club boat after a few seasons of chartering, or a couple who have finished raising a family and are buying the boat they intend to cruise in retirement. The trigger is often a boat spotted at a broker in Hamble, Largs or Plymouth, or one found in the Mediterranean at the end of a charter season. Business owners buying personally are frequent, and so are joint purchases between two friends.
How lenders see it
Sail is a specialist corner of an already specialist market, and a yacht bought abroad narrows the panel further because the funder has to be comfortable taking security over an asset that may be lying in Palma or La Rochelle. Expect a full survey including rig and keel bolts, and expect the funder to ask for proof of VAT paid status along with the ownership chain, because a yacht with unclear VAT history is harder to resell and every lender knows it. Where the yacht is bought by an individual for pleasure the agreement may be regulated. Marina berthing, lift-out and winter storage sit under separate contracts and cannot be funded with the boat.
Buying used
Yes, used is the norm, and quality cruising hulls of twenty to thirty years place well where the survey, rig age and sail inventory are documented.
Also in boat and marine finance
See everything we fund in boat and marine finance →
Machines we have funded
| Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 | Cruising sailing yacht |
|---|---|
| Beneteau First 36 | Performance cruiser racer |
| Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 410 | Family cruising yacht |
| Bavaria Cruiser 46 | Volume cruising yacht |
| Dufour 41 | Blue water cruising yacht |
| Hallberg-Rassy 40C | Centre cockpit offshore cruiser |
| Westerly Konsort | Classic British bilge keel cruiser |
| Moody 38 | Used British cruising yacht |
| Volvo Penta D1-30 saildrive | Auxiliary diesel and saildrive leg |
| Yanmar 3YM30 saildrive | Replacement yacht auxiliary engine |
Can I finance a yacht lying in the Mediterranean?
Often yes, but fewer funders will do it. The lender has to be satisfied it can enforce against a boat outside the UK, so expect questions about where the yacht will be kept, who is delivering it and whether VAT paid status is properly evidenced before any funds move.
What does the survey need to cover on a sailing yacht?
More than a motor boat. Alongside hull moisture readings and osmosis checks, a funder wants the rig assessed, the keel bolts inspected and the standing rigging age noted. Rigging has a working life, and a survey flagging a rig past its recommended replacement window affects what a lender will do.
Is VAT paid status really that important?
Yes. A yacht without evidence of VAT having been accounted for is worth materially less and is harder to sell on, so funders treat missing VAT paperwork as a valuation problem. Original invoices, a T2L or earlier bills of sale usually resolve it. Missing paperwork is far easier to chase before you buy than afterwards.
Can two people buy a yacht together on finance?
Yes, joint ownership is common. The funder will assess both parties and both names appear on the agreement and the registration, which matters because shared boats change hands between the owners more often than people expect. Get the exit arrangement agreed between you in writing at the outset.
Does a racing yacht get treated differently?
Usually yes, and less favourably. A stripped-out race boat has a narrow buyer pool and carries harder use, so funders lean towards cruiser-racers with accommodation rather than pure grand prix designs. Regatta history and a recent structural survey help the case considerably. Expect a funder to ask how the boat will be used and where it will be kept.
Tell us what you need
About a minute of plain questions, and no documents to dig out.
Prime is established and profitable with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining, the asset carries part of the risk, so finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Illustrative only, not a quote, a flat rate is not an APR, so the APR on a given agreement will be higher. VAT and fees excluded.
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One adviser from your first enquiry to the money in your account. No call centres.
Your adviser
Conor HullMon to Fri, 9am–6pm
5.0 from 19 Google reviews
Thinking about sailing yacht finance?
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