FAQ for
First Time
Yacht
Buyers

Rubicon Yachts / Frequently Asked Questions

What to Know when buying a yacht

The following Guide to Buying A Yacht For The First Time will help you through the process and share some tips that we’ve established with over 200+ years of experience.

Rubicon Yacht buyer’s knowledgebase

Rubicon has decades of experience with helping buyers choose boats, and negotiate the process of buying and selling.

We have sold several of our boats multiple times!

Here are some tips we have for yacht buyers.

The better the fit, the more you will tend to use the boat. And of course, the more you use it, the more enjoyment you will get out of it.

Take a look at different types of boats. We always maintain a stock at our sales locations.

Setting a budget for your new yacht will help narrow your selection and is a necessary part of the process. You want to be able to enjoy your new purchase without it becoming a financial burden.

Take into account the additional costs, aside from monthly payments (if you are purchasing with a boat loan). Fuel can be a considerable cost to running a yacht, along with the monthly slip rental fee. Other items to consider are monthly maintenance costs, including a diver for bottom cleaning and boat mechanics to work on the engine and other critical operating systems.

At Rubicon, we only sell used yachts.

There are many advantages to this.

Lower cost and slower depreciation:
Most depreciation happens in the first few years. If you buy a used yacht and sell it three to five years later, it should much better maintain its value.

Greater selection:
You have a much better chance of finding a yacht with everything or almost everything you want.

Rubicon’s has offices at marinas throughout Northern California, we maintain an inventory of a broad range of boats to view, and are open seven days a week.

This varies greatly by region.

In California, the law requires boaters to obtain and carry a California Boater Card (CBC) while operating a recreational motorized vessel on California waterways. This is often called the ‘California boating license’.

Insurance is not mandatory for a boat in California.

By purchasing an LLC that owns a boat, rather than the boat itself you, it is possible to save significant money by avoiding California’s sales or use tax.