Buying a yacht is not like buying a car: who is responsible when installed equipment fails?

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 of us learned what to expect from a manufacturer by owning cars. This page compares that everyday expectation with the dated record of one 2023 Azimut Grande 32M whose chilled-water AC plant failed. It is not a statement about the law of any country.

What car buyers generally expect

If the alternator or air-conditioning fails on a new car from a mainstream car maker, buyers generally expect to take the car to the dealer, where the maker arranges the diagnosis, supplies the parts and explains the fault. Buyers do not generally expect to contact the maker’s component supplier themselves.

The build structure is the same

A yacht is built the same way: the builder selects equipment from suppliers and installs it. On this yacht, Veco’s regional dealer, VECO SEA (SEA Power Systems Pte Ltd), wrote on 8 Oct 2026 that “design and installation was performed by the shipyard”, and the builder described its electrical subcontractor, D&G (24 Sep 2026), as “the electric system supplier and installer”.

What the after-sales record shows

• 10 Jul 2026: the builder wrote that it forwarded the report to Veco Italy and that “it is important for us to know the official position of Veco Italy”.
• 28 Jul 2026: the builder wrote that “it is necessary to return the damaged components at the facilities of Veco Italy so as to investigate the exact causes”.
• 29 Jul 2026: the builder recommended “that you contact the local Veco dealer to do a preliminary check on board”.
• 19 Aug 2026: Climma/Veco wrote that something “external (related to the boat, and not to our chillers)” needs to be investigated.
• 12 Sep 2026: VECO SEA, Veco’s regional dealer, wrote that the builder “should be leading the investigation”.
• 19 Sep 2026: the builder confirmed it would send technicians, including one from D&G, its electrical subcontractor, and one from Polipodio.
• 9 Oct 2026: the builder wrote that a wiring drawing was “to be verified with VECO” and that the investigation “is not a complimentary service”.

As of 13 Oct 2026 no party has agreed in writing to investigate the root cause at its own cost, and the root cause has not been determined. See the timeline, interactions and root cause: done and still open.

Why yachts can be different

Yacht contracts often pass equipment warranties through to the owner, and supplier warranties may start on different dates from the builder’s. The practical effect is that an owner may have to deal with several parties. Which party is responsible in any case depends on the contract and the applicable law.

Buyer takeaway: ask for single-point responsibility

• Ask for single-point warranty responsibility in the contract: the builder answers to you for the whole yacht, including equipment it selected and installed, and deals with its own suppliers.
• Ask who leads, and who pays for, an investigation when a cause is unknown or disputed.
• Ask when each equipment warranty starts, and who covers any gap.

More: questions to ask before buying, response times, lessons for owners.

Frequently asked questions