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What you get, and why it beats generic free checklists Most free sailboat maintenance checklists on the internet have the same problem. They are either too generic to trust, or too messy to use. They usually look like one long wall of text, with no cadence, no log structure, and no practical way to track what you actually did. That means they don’t reduce your mental load, they add to it. This is exactly why we built our Bluewater Sailboat Maintenance System at TrueNorth Yac

This guide answers the question: What should a buyer understand and inspect when considering a Saltram Saga 36 for serious cruising or offshore sailing? The Saltram Saga 36 is one of those boats that makes sailors look twice. Not because it’s flashy, but because it looks like it was drawn with offshore miles in mind, and people who know the type usually recognize it. If you are drawn to manageable size, predictable handling, and a boat that prioritizes control over interior v

If you’re looking at Southeast Asia for retirement, the real question is not “boat lifestyle vs condo lifestyle.” It’s this: Do you want a fixed base with predictable upkeep, or a mobile base that trades rent for responsibility? Both can work. Both can go wrong. The difference is what kind of problems you prefer to solve. There is also a psychological advantage that matters more today than it did a decade ago: the ability to leave. A condo is tied to one place, one set of loc

Yacht insurance has changed quietly. For many buyers and owners, the hardest part is no longer finding the right boat, or even booking a survey. The hardest part is getting the file approved. ​Insurance-Ready Boat File - TrueNorth Yacht Advisors Because insurance decisions are often made at a desk, by an underwriter reviewing documentation. If your documentation is incomplete, unclear, or inconsistent, the outcome is usually the same: follow-up requests, delays, exclusions, o

A “yacht turnaround survey” is a fast inspection used to decide whether a boat is worth pursuing, not a document designed to satisfy every insurer, lender, or flag authority. In plain terms, it is a reality check performed on a tight timeline. Buyers use turnaround surveys when they are trying to avoid wasting time and travel on a boat that looks good in photos but has obvious deal-breakers once you step onboard. In plain terms, it is a reality check performed on a tight time

Seller pre-survey preparation checklist for smoother inspections, cleaner survey reports, and easier yacht insurance approval This text answers the question: What should a seller do before the marine survey so the report supports insurance approval and a clean closing? Why this matters more now than it did a few years ago A lot of sellers still treat the survey as a formality. In the 2025–2026 market, it is often the insurance gatekeeper. The buyer is not only buying your boa

How marine survey reports can reduce insurance friction without changing findings Marine surveyors have always written for multiple audiences at once: the buyer, the lender, the insurer. In 2025–2026, the balance shifted. Surveyors are still inspecting boats, but the report is now being treated more like a risk file, and the wording has become the interface between the vessel and the underwriter’s decision. This is not about softening findings or masking problems. It is about

Boat Survey Red Flag Language – What Triggers Insurance Problems Most buyers read a survey looking for one thing: reassurance. Underwriters (the insurer’s risk decision-makers, the people who decide whether to offer coverage and on what terms) read the same document looking for something else entirely: risk. This difference matters more now than it did even a few years ago. In today’s insurance market, coverage decisions are rarely made on the overall “feel” of a boat. They

Yacht Turnaround Survey – What It Is, What It Isn’t, and What Buyers Should Request Treat “yacht turnaround survey” less like a formal service, and more like a practical buyer question: what can we confirm quickly, and what still needs a proper survey later? At some point in most searches, a listing appears that feels time sensitive. The price looks right. The boat is in the right place. Someone else is “very interested.” Suddenly, the calendar matters more than it should. Th

Best Bluewater Sailboats – What to Look for Before Buying Used This text answers the question: What actually makes a sailboat suitable for bluewater cruising when you are buying used? There is a moment most long-term cruisers remember clearly. It usually happens late in the evening, after hours of listings, glossy photos, and confident descriptions. You lean back and realize that every second boat claims to be “bluewater capable,” “ocean proven,” or “ready to cross oceans tom

Why documentation now decides whether your yacht gets insured For many buyers, the hardest part of purchasing a yacht no longer happens at the negotiation table or during the survey. It happens afterward. You find the right boat. You agree on price. You book surveys and travel. And then the insurance answer comes back: “We need more documentation.” Not opinions. Not assurances. Proof! Insurance has changed quietly Underwriters now rely far more on verifiable, dated evidence t

Lagoon 450 buying checklist for insurance, survey prep, and avoiding expensive structural surprises TrueNorth Yacht Advisors The Lagoon 450’s real superpower The Lagoon 450 sits in a very specific sweet spot for bluewater living: enough volume to be genuinely comfortable, enough payload headroom for real cruising gear (within reason), and systems that are usually serviceable in normal boatyard reality, not just in a showroom fantasy. It is also a boat that gets bought for the

TrueNorth Yacht Advisors A quiet shift has happened in yacht insurance. Many buyers have not noticed it until they try to insure a boat and suddenly hear: more questions, more exclusions, higher deductibles, or a flat decline. This can feel personal. Most of the time it is not. It is a process change inside the insurance chain. The part of the insurance company you never meet When you shop for insurance, you usually talk to a broker or an agent. That person is your contact, a

Why the shift from vibe-based to evidence-based reporting is quietly reshaping the used boat market TrueNorth Yacht Advisors If you are shopping for a cruising boat in 2026, it can feel like the rules changed mid-season. You find the right boat. The layout works. The sea trial is good. The owner is credible. The boat is not new, but it is honest. Then the deal runs into the modern gate: insurance. That is the moment many buyers realize a hard truth about today’s market. You a

Lagoon 380 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist (2026 Insurance-Smart Survey Prep Guide) TreNorth Yacht Advisors - Lagoon 380 The Lagoon 380 is one of the easiest cruising catamarans in the world to shop for. There are always listings. Always photos. Always someone saying, “Perfect liveaboard, ready to go.” And that’s the trap. Because the Lagoon 380 isn’t one market. It’s three markets wearing the same name badge: The privately owned boat that’s been cared for, documented, and

Boat Insurance 2025–2026: Underwriting, Surveys, Refit Proof, and How Buyers Avoid Uninsurable Boats True North Yacht Advisors You find the boat. The price is fair. The photos look honest. The seller swears it is “ready to go tomorrow.” Then you call an insurer, and suddenly you are not buying a boat anymore. You are applying for permission. If you have not felt this shift yet, you will. In 2025–2026, the deal often lives or dies on insurability, not negotiation skill. It is

Fear of Offshore Cruising Preparation Guide: How to Feel Safe at Sea by Learning the Boat, Managing Weather, and Fixing Issues Early TrueNorth Yacht Advisors This guide answers the question: How do I turn fear of offshore cruising into practical confidence through preparation? When I first pitched cruising to Erin, her mind went straight to sharks. Not “sharks might be out there.” More like: the sharks will eat the boat to get to us. It wasn’t silly. Well, a little silly. . I

TrueNorth Yacht Advisors - Cooking at sea 12V Rice Cooker + Pressure Cooker + Pressure Canner: A Practical Offshore Meal System Cooking offshore isn’t hard because recipes are complicated. It’s hard because you’re tired, it’s hot, the boat won’t sit still, and nobody wants a full production involving three pans and a cutting board that’s trying to leave the counter. This is a simple meal system that works on most cruising boats—whether you’re coastal-hopping or stacking up lo

How Buyers Waste Money by Surveying the Wrong Yacht (A Pre-Survey Decision Guide) TrueNorth Yacht Advisors - Yacht buying tips This article answers a question many yacht buyers only realize too late: how do you know which boats are worth surveying at all? Buying a used yacht—especially a serious cruising boat—often feels like a rational process. You read listings, look at photos, talk to brokers, maybe even make a spreadsheet. Eventually, you do the “responsible” thing and bo

Leopard 42 Buyer’s Guide:  Common Problems, Survey Checklist, and What to Inspect Before Buying The Leopard 42 has earned a solid reputation among long-term cruisers. Built by Robertson & Caine in the early 2000s, it sits in a rare sweet spot: conservative laminate work, good bridgedeck clearance for its era, and systems that remain accessible without tearing the boat apart. That reputation is deserved — but only when the individual boat has been properly maintained . At twen