Buying, Selling, Chartering Vessels
Boat Sales and Maritime Liens
If you are like most boating people, buying or selling a vessel is a momentous occasion. Whether the vessel in question is a pleasure boat or your source of livelihood, it is important to know there can be many pitfalls in the process. A maritime lien is just one of them. If the boat is not a new boat, you have no way of knowing what might have happened on it in the past. Generally, maritime liens are secret clients, which may encumber a vessel without filing, registration, or notice.
At John Hughes Cooper, P.C. in Charleston, South Carolina, we offer legal counsel and representation to assist individuals and businesses in the buying, selling and chartering of vessels.
To talk to a lawyer who can help you to avoid the pitfalls in the process, please contact our law firm by phone or e-mail to arrange a free and confidential consultation.
Prompt. Professional. Effective.
Free Consultation · Call 1-843-883-9099, 1-800-883-9099 (Toll Free) or E-mail
We help clients to navigate such matters as:
- Checking for liens or mortgages
- Assessing the financial solvency of the seller
- Obtaining title insurance
- Assisting with closing
- Buy sell agreements
- Making sure the vessel is property documented
- Recommending good documentation services
- Negotiating, drafting and reviewing contracts
- Negotiating price
- Working with brokers
- Inspections
- Due diligence
- Sea trials
Breach of Yacht Manufacturer's Warranty
Yachts and other pleasure boats are consumer goods as defined in the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the federal law pertaining to warranties of consumer goods. Generally, manufacturers of yachts must live up to their warranties, both expressed and implied. A yacht purchaser must give notice of defect or problem and give the manufacturer fair opportunity to cure it. If a court determines that a manufacturer breached its warranty and failed to fix the defect or problem, a yacht purchaser may be entitled to damages and attorneys' fees.
Free Consultation · Call (Toll Free) 1-800-883-9099
To find out more about what our law firm can do to help you avoid the pitfalls in the buying, selling or chartering of a vessel, please contact an attorney at John Hughes Cooper, P.C. on Sullivan's Island. We are boating people, too.
