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📩 BUYER'S DUE DILIGENCE:

7 LEGAL TRAPS YOU MUST SECURE BEFORE THE DEPOSIT

(By Stephan Birke – Chairman of B.B.R., Authorized Marine Surveyor & Appointed Ship Inspector)

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 1. 🆔Verify Ownership in Detail:

Never trust a simple sales receipt. Request the vessel's original documents (Builder's Certificate or Bill of Sale) and check the seller's identity against these papers. When buying from a company, you must verify who has signatory rights.

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 2. 💶The VAT Chain of Evidence:

A boat changing hands within the EU must have traceable proof that VAT has been paid. A copy of an old invoice from the 90s is rarely accepted by customs during an audit. You must demand original documentation.

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 3. 🔢HIN/CIN Authenticity:

A common fraud involves cloned boats. Check the molded hull number on the starboard side of the transom. Does it look manipulated? Does it match character by character with the vessel's insurance papers and sales contract?

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 4. 🇪🇺 CE Marking Technical File (PCA):

Is the boat imported from the US or a non-EU country after 1998? A sticker with "CE" is not enough. You must request the complete technical file (Post Construction Assessment) issued by an approved Notified Body.

Want to know more about the CE-marking: Botsurvey.eu/eu-marking

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 5. 🏦International Mortgage Checks:

Vessels, unlike cars, can carry international mortgages. If the seller has borrowed money using the vessel as collateral in a foreign registry, the debt follows the boat – to you. Demand a recently issued *Deletion Certificate* from the ship registry.

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 6. 📝The Conditional Sales Contract:

*Never* sign a contract without a survey clause. The contract must include the text: *"This purchase is conditional upon an Authorized Marine Surveyor (B.B.R.) approving the vessel's condition. If critical defects are discovered, the buyer has the right to cancel the purchase at no cost, or renegotiate the price."*

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 7. 🛡️Transfer of Your Duty of Investigation:

According to Maritime Law, you bear the responsibility for all defects you "ought to" have discovered. Secure your deal and shift the responsibility off your shoulders by hiring the industry's leading experts.

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More information and useful links here, BOATSURVEY.EU/SURVEY

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Purchasing CE-Marked Vessels, Information from Swedish Transportation Agency