Questions to ask before buying a new yacht: warranty and after-sales
Public interest: information for prospective yacht buyers, based on dated correspondence and records. Quotations are reproduced exactly, with their dates. We make no finding about the cause of the failure or about any party’s legal responsibility. Right of reply: the builder and suppliers are welcome to provide their position, which we will publish in full, via the help page.
Most buyers spend months on layout, finish and performance, and far less time on what happens when something breaks. The questions below come from one owner’s experience of a central AC plant failure on a 2023 Azimut Grande 32M. They are general prompts, not legal advice; your contract and the applicable law govern.
Warranty: length and start date
- How long is the builder’s warranty, and does it start at delivery or at commissioning?
- What warranties do the major equipment makers give, and from which date?
- Does the contract allow an extended warranty? Read the contract clause itself.
Faults that start inside warranty
- If a fault first appears inside warranty and recurs after it, how is it handled? In our case the builder wrote that the first-year contamination was corrected within warranty and that the 2026 failures fall outside it (email, 28 Jul 2026).
- Before the warranty ends, send a written list of open items and ask for acknowledgement.
After-sales response in your cruising area
- Who carries out after-sales work where you will keep the yacht, and how quickly can they attend?
- Is there a written target for a first response and for an on-board visit? In our case the first written reply came 22 days after the owner’s report. See response times.
- Is an investigation after warranty chargeable? In our case the builder wrote that its investigation “is not a complimentary service” (9 Oct 2026).
Single-point responsibility
- Ask for the builder to be the single point of warranty responsibility for the whole yacht, including equipment it selected and installed.
- If the cause of a failure is disputed, who investigates, who pays, and who keeps the failed parts?
- Which climate is each critical system specified for?
Documents to receive at handover
- A signed delivery protocol with the warranty start date.
- As-built electrical and piping drawings, and manuals for the exact models installed.
- Commissioning and fill records for every system.
- Baseline readings, such as insulation tests on major motors and controller alarm logs.
Records to keep from day one
Keep a dated log of every fault, visit, report and reply, and keep failed parts until a cause is agreed. Our checklist is in the evidence pack; see also lessons for owners and the claims guide. For the full case, read the after-sales timeline and yacht vs car: who is responsible.
Frequently asked questions
When does a new yacht warranty start?
It depends on the contract. Check whether the builder and each equipment maker count from delivery or from commissioning.
What should I ask about after-sales service?
Who attends in your cruising area, written response targets, whether investigations after warranty are chargeable, and who pays when a cause is disputed.
What is single-point warranty responsibility?
A contract term under which the builder answers to the owner for the whole yacht, including equipment it selected and installed, and deals with its own suppliers.
What documents should I get at handover?
A signed delivery protocol, as-built drawings, model manuals, commissioning and fill records, and baseline test readings.