When it's time to sell a beloved boat, you deserve smooth

sailing.

Whether you're making room for new adventures on a bigger boat or shifting priorities for more shore-bound pursuits, selling a boat can be bittersweet. It is an exciting time of opportunity and excitement for adventures to come, but it can also be a time of reflection and gratitude for all the memories you’ve shared aboard. From our own experience, we know a yacht is more than an object to those who share passion for this lifestyle. Our team is made up of boat owners, cruisers, sailors, and offshore anglers. We know the lifestyle and share your passion, applying our knowledge to ensure the selling process runs smoothly for our clients. Through our years of on-the-water experience, we know how to maximize the ups and minimize the downs, so you can focus on what awaits you on the horizon. With David Walters Yachts working for you, we will sell your boat as quickly as possible and at the best price.

A Legacy of Honest Excellence

Since David Walters first started selling boats in the early 1980s, the David Walters Yachts brand has been synonymous with honesty, hard work, and personalized service, beginning with David himself, who was known for working long hours, valuing the relationships he had with clients and his team (including most of all his wife Betsy), and possessing a wealth of knowledge from his time spent building boats with Shannon Yachts in the 70s and 80s. We've come a long way since those early days, but the foundational elements of honesty, hard work, and personalized service remain core to all our operations. Here's how we do it:

1.We're a team.

Camaraderie and cooperation are the names of the game at David Walters Yachts. From the way we work together for our clients, you'd never guess that we were in competition with each other, because that's just not how we really see it. Plus, we all like each other. Our friendly, cooperative approach to our clients and each other allows us to achieve better outcomes for everyone, by making better connections, sharing resources, and supporting each other.

2. We take a personalized approach to listings.

All our brokers take great pains with each new listing to ensure that everything is correct—inaccuracies can cause major problems in closing a deal, so professional, accurate boat details are a minimum requirement for our listings. In most cases, our brokers visit boats in person to assess them; wherever an in-person visit is infeasible, we tap into our global network to coordinate with local connections to aid in the process. Once we have all the facts, we put our hard-earned expertise to work positioning your boat in the best light possible, highlighting the qualities we know buyers are looking for, and setting a price that fits your goals and the market. Every listing is different, and we treat them that way.

3. We value our reputation.

With David Walters' legacy of honest, hardworking service as our true north, the entire David Walters Yachts crew is aligned in our commitment to bolstering that reputation in everything we do. We know it takes ten positive interactions to balance out one negative one, and we strive for 100% client satisfaction to keep our positive tally high. We all take pride in the David Walters Yachts name and work hard to protect David's legacy and our company's integrity. That means we do what we say, follow up on promises, and exceed expectations time and again.

4. We go above and beyond.

Whether it's buying throw pillows for staging interior photo shoots or connecting a client with a boatyard manager we know mid-cruise halfway around the world, our brokers don't drop off the face of the earth the minute a transaction is completed. We consider all of our clients extensions of the DWY family and we won't leave you stranded when you have questions or need advice. In keeping with our emphasis on honesty, we will give you our straightforward, informed opinions on what we think will best meet your needs, even when that means giving a little "tough love." We are invested in your success well beyond the closing table.

5. We have a vast network of connections.

In some things, there are really just no substitutes for time and experience. With over 40 years in the business under our belts, our contact lists are extensive. New listings get distributed to these lists in addition to the usual postings on Yacht World, meaning your boat gets shown and sold to interested buyers faster. With a team distributed in all the major yachting destinations around North America and in St. Martin in the Caribbean, and with connections around the world, we have access to a pool of potential buyers that stretches far and wide.

6. We're social.

Yachting is a social affair, and we embrace that aspect more so than most. While our approach remains old school in many respects, we have modernized our outreach and engagement in multiple new ways. We stay in tune and connected with the boating community through our various social media channels, our on-topic and informative articles, and our CHANNELS Newsletter delivering monthly recaps, events, and topics of interest to our subscribers. Our team also stays heavily involved with local yachting communities through participation in local yacht clubs, cruising events, social gatherings, and youth programs. Our brokers are on committees, engage in professional organizations, and dedicate their time to grow and share the benefits of the on-the-water lifestyle with others.

7. We share your passion.

Every single member of the David Walters Yachts crew has at one time or another owned their own boat, with many of us actively participating in sailing regattas and other bluewater adventures. We all have our own backgrounds and stories that differ in many ways, but the one thing we all share with each other and our clients? Our absolute passion for the boating lifestyle. We are blessed to work in an industry we love and spend our days talking about that love with likeminded folks. So whether you're looking to buy, sell, or just get an update on the yachting world, you can pick up the phone and call a David Walters Yachts broker and know that you'll be chatting like old sailor buddies in no time.

How It Works:

When you're ready to list with a David Walters Yachts broker, these are the steps we usually take to get you set up

1.Discovery Call and Visit

Your broker will first take the time to get to know you, your boat, and your goals. If the boat isn't local for the broker, they'll either get photos from you or someone else on the ground, or if feasible, take a trip to your home dock. After an initial visit, your broker will make suggestions and advise you on any work that needs to be completed in order to make your yacht as marketable as possible and attractive to prospective buyers. The costs associated with these improvements are often well outweighed by the shortened sales cycles and increased values achieved as a result. In most cases, cleanliness is priority #1, with other cosmetic improvements a close second. Additionally, ensuring that necessary systems are functional and in good working order will eliminate headaches at survey, or if there are issues, heading them off early with a buyer is always best. With the state of the yacht evaluated, your broker will collect the necessary market data and recently sold comps, and combine them with his or her personal knowledge to recommend a realistic pricing strategy that is in line with your objectives.

2. Photo Shoot and Documentation

After you sign a listing agreement with your broker, they'll set up a professional photo shoot and potentially a video shoot. Larger boats often benefit from having a Matterport 3D tour available, so if applicable, your broker will get that situated, too. This is when your broker will collect all the boat documentation as well. Maintenance records, equipment information, past listings, etc.—all of that will be invaluable for ensuring that your listing is as thorough and accurate as possible.

3. Marketing and Showing

Once the boat is ready to be listed, we put our aforementioned network to work and distribute the listing far and wide throughout Yacht World, our extensive mailing list, social media platforms, and phone calls to folks we think will be most interested in your boat. Our approach is truly proactive. We do not sit back and wait for the phone to ring. Our brokers are always interacting with buyers and taking notes on the yachts they are looking for so that when the right boat comes around, our team knows exactly who to call first.

Our results speak for themselves. We have a track record of consistently beating the market in terms of average time to sell and profitability for our sellers. We are ready to get to work for you. Are you ready to get started? Drop us a line and let's make your yacht the next one we sell.