How do I bid on a boat? Print out the bid form and mail it to us, complete with your signature and deposit. Follow the deposit instructions on the bid form. Please mail or drop it off to us on the same day you make the bid. Our address is: Certified Sales, Inc. 1 Bay Avenue Warwick, RI 02889 We will then contact the owner (private owner, lender, or insurance company) of the boat, and tell them your offer. They will either accept or reject your bid. If there are other bids, we will contact everyone else with an outstanding bid on the boat, and give them the opportunity to out-bid you. We will keep you informed during this process. The highest bid when all is said and done wins the boat. If the owners reject the bid, they will either come up with a counter-offer, or reject your bid outright. Either way, your name will stay in the file, and you will be contacted before the boat sells. This is an open bid system, which means we'll tell you what the current bids are at any point in time, should you become involved in the running. What is an Insurance Salvage Boat? Salvage boats, or "Insurance Salvage" are vessels that suffered damage, from substantial (It exploded, then ran into a rock, then sunk in mud, stayed down for a week, and they forgot to pickle the engines!) to minor (It was docked next to a boat that caught on fire and has some heat damage on the port side). You need to have a good understanding of just how much work you're willing to put in to a boat. Salvage boats offer handy people a fantastic opportunity to purchase a boat for significantly less than retail value, and fix it up. Many people re-sell the boats after repair; others keep the boats for their personal use. It's important to note that buying salvage is usually only a good idea if you plan to do at least some of the work yourself, and are ready to get your hands dirty. All salvage pieces are sold as-is, where-is. We offer absolutely no warrantee on any function of the boat. Buying salvage is a risk; although surveyors and repairers can offer valuable opinions, you're always betting. But don't be afraid - this could be your opportunity to get the boat you've always wanted, for less than you ever expected. Please also note that it is often difficult (but not impossible) to secure financing for a salvage vessel. What kind of boats are listed on YachtSalvage.com? In the beginning, YachtSalvage was intended to advertise vessels that were selling under what one would consider "unusual circumstances": repossession, insurance salvage, damage, or simply that the owner has a strong desire to sell the boat quickly. As the business has evolved, we also post normal, brokerage boats as there is no photo limit. If we have 25 photos, we'll put them all up. Regardless of the selling circumstances, YachtSalvage offers buyers unprecedented access to the photos and descriptions necessary to make preliminary evaluations. To sellers, we offer an extremely high traffic web site, known internationally, with hit counters on each listing. Quick definitions: • Insurance Salvage: Damaged boats, sold by an insurance company, to attempt to make up some of their loss. • Repo: Repossessed vessels; financial institution trying to make up some loss • Two-Boat-Owner: A private seller, who has already purchased a new boat, trying to get rid of his old one. Does Certified Sales list other boats? Absolutely! Visit www.certifiedsales.com to look at the others! As you can see above, this site's only for the "weird" ones. We sell many perfect, or near-perfect boats... boats that do not need much work, and are selling under normal brokerage situations. You may find one that fits your bill perfectly! Does Certified Sales provide financing? No, we don't. We've tried to keep things as simple as possible, and we have no desire to become lenders. We will, however, put you in touch with several lenders who can help you out, and we'll stay involved with the process. Occasionally, the seller is willing to provide financing for the boat. We'll let you know if that's the case. Does Certified Sales take Trade-Ins? Nope. We are more than happy to help you sell your boat, however. What is a Survey? How can I find a Surveyor? Certified Sales, the provider of this website, is an affiliate member of both SAMS and NAMS, two national associations of Marine Surveyors. Both organizations can provide extensive information regarding the importance of a survey, its uses in the boat-buying and -selling process, and the names of local surveyors across the country. How do I secure insurance for a (damaged) boat? As you probably know, there are many different insurance companies available to protect your new marine purchase. If you need help finding one please contact us.