A Yacht Buyer's Representative works purely on the buyer's side of a purchase, independent of the broker, manager, surveyor and crewing agents, who are focused on the transaction itself. I help you define what you need from ownership, attend viewings and sea trials with you, and bring close to two decades of operational experience as a UK Master Mariner to judge how a yacht will actually perform once you own it, staying involved from first conversation to completion, alongside your own lawyers, bankers or family office.

Yacht purchases already involve skilled specialists: brokers, managers, surveyors, crewing agents. Each plays an important role, and each is focused, quite properly, on facilitating the transaction. Until now, buyers haven't had someone sitting purely on their side.

That's the role I fill. I'm appointed and paid directly by the buyer, never by the seller or listing broker, so my only interest is the outcome for you. That independence means I can recommend proceeding, renegotiating or walking away, based purely on what's right for you rather than what's available to sell.

It also means judgement grounded in experience rather than a sales brochure. Close to two decades of operational time at sea, as a UK Master Mariner, shapes how I assess a yacht: not just its specification, but how it will actually work in your ownership.

The honest answer is: as early as possible, though it's rarely too late to be useful.

The earlier independent advice enters the process, the more options remain available to you. That could mean the moment you first start thinking about ownership, right through to having already found a yacht you like, or being told by a broker that a particular vessel is "the right one." Each of those is a reasonable point to bring someone independent in.

In practice, most buyers appoint a Buyer's Representative at one of a few moments: when they're first defining what they want from ownership, when they're comparing a shortlist, or when they want a second, independent opinion before committing to survey and completion. If you're unsure which applies to you, that uncertainty is itself a good reason to have a conversation.

Yes. I'm UK based, but the work is worldwide by nature: yachts, buyers and viewings rarely stay in one place.

I've advised buyers across a range of international cruising grounds and can attend viewings, sea trials and survey wherever the yacht and the buyer's plans take us. Being UK based gives me a natural base for UK and European transactions, but it doesn't limit the geography I work in.

My fee is structured as a percentage of the yacht's purchase price, similar in principle to how buying agents work in property and aviation acquisitions: the fee scales with the size of the transaction, rather than being a flat rate regardless of what's being bought.

As with everything else about the role, the fee is paid by the buyer, never the seller or listing broker, so there's no incentive pulling in the wrong direction. Payment is typically structured across the length of the engagement rather than as a single sum at the end, so I remain accountable throughout the process, not only once a deal closes.

A full breakdown of rates and an example based on your own circumstances is available on request.

A dedicated page setting out the structure in detail is in our fees page.

The easiest way is to request a private discussion through the button on this page, or email me directly at anthony@anthonyaustin.yachts.

A first conversation is informal and confidential. There's no obligation attached to it: it's simply a chance to talk through where you are, whether that's still exploring what ownership could look like, weighing up a yacht you've already found, or wanting a second opinion before you commit. From there, we can agree what kind of support actually makes sense for you.