I’ve been a devoted narrowboater since the year 2000, living aboard and loving all things canal and waterways related. It would never have crossed my mind that one day I might need a yachting lawyer.

Yet recently I made the decision to sell one of my narrowboats to a friend. (Yes I have more than one narrowboat – don’t ask!) My friend couldn’t raise the whole of the purchase price so I agreed that he could pay me in instalments over a period of time. Selling to a friend sounds great doesn’t it? He already knows and loves the boat, he knows its history. I know my friend and I know his history. What can possibly go wrong?

Probably nothing. But just in case something does go wrong Phil suggested I talk to Hannah. Hannah Cash is part of a team of London and South West based lawyers passionate about the sea, boats, yachts and maritime activities. She is also a proud house boat owner and despite the name of her business she has plenty of experience of inland waterways boating and is familiar with regulations relating to the Canal and River Trust.

I met Hannah at a recent Boatshed conference and she is really easy to talk to. When I got in touch describing my plan to sell a boat to a friend she was completely familiar with this type of situation and said that she helps people with this sort of thing all the time. She suggested drawing up a loan agreement and had thought of every eventuality. She was extremely patient while we exchanged numerous emails regarding the details and was only too happy to answer questions and amend things as we went along. I was really happy with the end result which I believe was fair to both me and my friend, and gave us both peace of mind as we went forward to finalise the sale.

Hannah and her team offer legal and practical guidance in respect of buying, selling and owning boats. They act for private individuals, companies, owner-managed businesses and multiple owners who are involved in boat owning or boat operation in some way. They might prepare a sale contract, advise on VAT and temporary importation issues, hold money in escrow or assist with any other general legal boating matter. Full details of the issues she can help with are on www.yachtinglawyers.com If you’re considering selling your canal boat Yachting Lawyers could make the process go more smoothly – it’s not just for yachts!

Read more about how to sell your boat.

Peggy
www.narrowboatwife.com

PS. Hannah didn't ask me to write this. I just think it's useful to share the info when you've had a good experience with a company :-)

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