Know the yachtbefore you sign.
NAVI is an independent yacht consultancy. Our Team surveys a vessel from its architecture down to its last system. You decide on evidence, not assumptions.
What the listing might not say
You can read a listing closely and still miss what matters.
A yacht is sold on its finish: teak, joinery, a photograph taken in the right light. You can study the listing, walk the vessel twice, ask every sensible question. You will still know very little about the condition that decides what the next five years cost you.
In a brokered sale the information sits with the seller. Everyone you meet in the transaction is paid only when it completes. That is the structure of the market, not a criticism of the people in it. It does mean the condition of the vessel reaches you already interpreted.
Moisture held in a laminate does not announce itself. Neither does a gearbox near the end of its life. Nor wiring added over the years without proper fusing at source. Nor a refit invoiced as structural that went no deeper than the surfaces. An engineer with instruments and time will find these. A walkthrough will not.
Most surveys answer a single question: does the vessel meet a standard today? We begin from a different one. What will this yacht cost to own and to run over the next five years? That answer is aboard already, in the condition of what nobody has looked at.
Every vessel carries a second account of itself, below the waterline and behind the joinery. The only question is whether you read it before you sign or pay for it afterwards. How we establish it is set out in The Frame.
How it works
A single survey, two possible outcomes. Each protects your position.
The vessel is inspected once, thoroughly. The fee for the survey is agreed in advance. What follows depends on what the inspection finds.
Agreed in writing before anyone steps aboard. The cost of finding out is known to you from the start.
Hull and structure, machinery, the condition of the equipment, the planned maintenance records, the state of the interiors. Every finding is measured against the seller's listing.
What gets reported is what bears on value. Routine upkeep is not a finding.
The written record of what the survey concluded. It states whether the vessel matches its listing. It is issued whatever the answer is.
The vessel corresponds to its listing. You hold written proof of that before you sign. The engagement ends here.
The statement records that defects bearing on value were found. It does not name them. The full picture is released with the Stage 2 report, under a separate engagement.
Each defect documented with photographs and measurements. The cost of putting it right comes from quotations obtained from the yards and contractors who would carry out the work.
The document the price of the vessel is argued from. Every figure in it is a quotation, not an estimate. Our fee for this stage is paid from what you save.
Terms are discussed privately, before any commitment.
We report what bears on the value of the vessel: structure, machinery near the end of its life, systems altered without record, work invoiced as capital that went no deeper than the surfaces. It is the difference between what a yacht costs to run and what a yacht is worth. Only the second is being negotiated.
The measure is the repair cost. What a defect is worth is what it costs to put right. That figure is what comes off the price.
A survey fee, a long list of faults, the negotiation left entirely to you.
The fee agreed in advance. Only what bears on value. A definitive answer either way. Where there is money to recover, our fee comes from the saving.
The NAVI lens
At every stage, two disciplines: the engineer's and the architect's.
The vessel as a machine
- Hull & structure, moisture, keel, through-hulls
- Engines, gearboxes, shafts: hours against actual wear
- Electrical systems, batteries, wiring integrity
- Plumbing, fuel, bilge, safety systems, rig
The vessel as a design
- Design pedigree and build-yard reputation
- Structural build quality and refit history
- Layout, ergonomics, joinery quality
- Documentation, class records, service history
Evidence you can use
Findings graded by their bearing on value, photographed and costed. Routine upkeep is left out. A report written to be read. When needed, it goes across the negotiating table.
Why NAVI
Built by people who have spent their careers inside ships.
Engine rooms and machinery spaces, shipyards and new-build deliveries, sea trials, dry docks and technical management ashore. We have stood on the yard floor while vessels were built. We know where builders cut corners and where problems hide.
FAQ
Questions buyers ask us.
What does a full pre-purchase yacht inspection cover?
An inspection performed for the buyer, covering both the technical condition of the vessel (hull, machinery, electrical systems, rig) and its architectural quality: design pedigree, structural build quality, layout and refit history. It ends in an evidence-backed condition report you can rely on before committing.
How is NAVI different from a standard surveyor?
We act for the buyer only: no yacht sales, no brokerage, no referral fees. The engagement is structured in two stages. The initial survey has a fee agreed in advance. Where defects are found, we prepare a full documented report. The fee for that report is paid from the saving it produces.
Do you report every fault on the vessel?
No. A yacht in use always has consumable items needing attention. A report that lists them beside structural findings obscures the decision rather than informing it. We report what bears on the value of the vessel: structure, machinery approaching the end of its life, systems altered without record, work invoiced but not carried out. Routine upkeep is the cost of owning a yacht rather than a reason to reopen a price.
Can an inspection really change the price?
Yes. Standard sale agreements, including the widely used MYBA Memorandum of Agreement, contain a survey clause. After survey, the buyer may accept, reject or renegotiate on the basis of documented defects. A rigorous report is the leverage that clause was written for. The number argued is the cost of putting the defects right, quoted by the trade rather than estimated by us.
When do you launch?
Commercial operations begin in 2027, serving the UK and Europe. Until then we are publishing what we know and building our network. Write to us to be notified at launch.
Where do you operate?
Based in London; inspections planned across the UK and the European yachting hubs of the Mediterranean.
Contact
Buying a yacht in 2027?
Start the conversation now.
Tell us what you are considering. We will tell you when we can examine it with you.