What the vessel is worth, documented for whoever has to accept it.

In Short

What this appraisal is for

Boats and watercraft are appraised on the same asset schedule as vehicles, to the same USPAP standard. We value a vessel from its photographs, its registration, and the documentation that already exists for it — including any survey it has had — for insurers, for the IRS, for a probate court, and for counsel.

When You Need One

Who this is for

A vessel needs an appraisal when its value has to satisfy somebody other than its owner. Clients reach us at these points.

• An insurer or a broker wants a written value before a policy is written or renewed.
• A boat is being donated and the deduction needs a qualified appraisal behind it.
• A vessel forms part of an estate and the probate inventory has to state what it is worth.
• Two parties are dividing marital property and the boat is one of the larger figures in it.
• An existing survey is years old and no longer reflects what the vessel would bring.

The Report

What the report is used for

The standard of value follows the purpose, as it does for a vehicle: replacement or agreed value for an insurer, fair market value for the IRS and for a court. We establish which applies before the work starts, and the report states it.

A marine survey and an appraisal are different documents. A surveyor examines the vessel and reports on its condition; we research the market and report a value. Where a survey already exists, it is some of the best evidence an appraisal can rest on, so send it. Where your insurer or lender requires a current condition survey, a marine surveyor is who performs that.

• The vessel identified by year, builder, model, length, and hull identification number
• The engine or engines, the hours, and the condition the value assumes
• The value, the standard of value applied, and the effective date
• The comparable sales and market data the figure rests on
• The appraiser's certification, qualifications, and signature

How It Works

Four steps, start to signed report

Most assignments are prepared remotely, from photographs and documents. Where an item genuinely has to be seen in person, we say so before you pay rather than issue an opinion we cannot stand behind.

1. You send photographs and an inventory of the items, with any provenance, receipts, or certificates you have
2. We reply with a fixed quote, before any work starts
3. We research comparable sales and market data for each item or asset
4. You receive a signed, USPAP-compliant report you can file

Your Part

What we need from you

• The hull identification number, and the year, builder, model, and length
• The registration or documentation, and the title
• Photographs of both sides, the bow, the stern, the helm, the cabin, and the deck
• Photographs of each engine, and of the hour meter
• Close photographs of damage, blistering, and wear
• Any existing marine survey, however old, and its date
• Service records, repower invoices, and documentation of any refit
• What the appraisal is for, and who is going to read it

Photograph the vessel from both sides, the bow, and the stern, then the helm, the cabin, the deck, the engine or engines, and the hull identification number. Photograph the engine hour meter, and photograph damage, blistering, and wear rather than shooting around them — an appraisal that ignores a known fault is the one nobody accepts.

Price

What this costs

A vessel is quoted per asset, on the same schedule as a vehicle, not on the household per-item schedule. One vessel for insurance, an estate, or your own use starts at $250. One vessel for a donation, a divorce, a claim, or any other IRS or court use starts at $350. A typical single vessel lands between $250 and $500, and further vessels in the same assignment are quoted.

You get a fixed quote before any work starts, and the fee follows the research the assignment takes, not the value we find. If photographs cannot support the value, we say so before you pay — and if the fee would exceed what the property is likely worth, we say that too.

See the full pricing →