Tools8 min read

Yacht Closer Platform

Step-by-step workflow for listing a boat, opening a deal, and executing the PSA in Yacht Closer — plus the pocket-listing rule and the new Buck valuation resource.

Yacht Closer is the source of truth for every central-exclusive listing and every executed deal. Sloppy data entry here is what causes payoff surprises, signature loops, and closings that miss their date. Slow down at signing so everything after runs fast.

1. Listing a boat — owner & vessel info

1Enter owner details: full legal name, contact, citizenship. Missing citizenship holds up Coast Guard work later.
2If the boat is owned by an LLC, capture entity name, state, and signing authority — but don't stall the signature to chase it. Get the seller signed today, add LLC docs after.
3Use the lightning-bolt auto-fill on the vessel page to pull manufacturer specs (length, hull type, capacities). Verify against the actual boat — auto-fill is a starting point, not truth.
4Attach registration, HIN photo, and USCG Certificate of Documentation as they come in.

2. Terms, commission & exclusions

Select Central Exclusive as the listing type. If you're about to select Open, stop — that listing doesn't go in Yacht Closer.
Enter the full commission structure and any co-broke offering.
Add additional terms — most commonly the 30-day price-improvement clause we use on every listing.
List every exclusion here in writing. Silverware, art, tenders — if it's not in the system, it's included.

3. Sending for e-signature

1Open the generated agreement and read it end to end before it leaves the platform. Typos and wrong dates come back as 'you told me it was this' three weeks later.
2Send for e-signature from Yacht Closer directly — don't download and email.
3Call or text the client the moment you send it: 'You'll see an email from Yacht Closer in the next minute — that's from me.' Signature rates double when the client is expecting the email.

4. Opening a deal

1
Pull the listing from Boat Wizard
In Yacht Closer, import from Boat Wizard so vessel data pre-populates. When you're on the buy side you are the selling broker — set that role correctly.
2
Buyer information
Full legal name, contact, citizenship. If buyer is an LLC, capture entity + designated authorized agent who will sign.
3
Deal terms
Price, deposit amount, contingencies (financing, sea trial, marine survey), and closing date. Double-check the closing date is a business day and NOT a federal bank holiday.
4
Escrow
Confirm the escrow agent and deposit destination before the PSA goes out.

5. PSA execution flow

Handle counter-offers verbally or over email first, THEN update terms in Yacht Closer and re-send.
If a client hand-edits a PDF or types over a signed field, formalize it as an amendment — the amendment supersedes the original.
Re-read every amendment out loud before sending. Small wording errors have cost commissions.

Don't

Don't chase signatures back and forth on a marked-up PDF. It has no legal weight and it confuses the audit trail.
Don't let the firm signature happen before escrow confirms the deposit.
Don't send an unreviewed amendment to save five minutes — Brett or Bobby review first.

6. Pocket listings — where they live

A pocket listing is a direct seller relationship where the boat is not on the retail market. It is NOT a co-broke. Pockets do not go in Yacht Closer. They live in the pocket-listings section of Runner with clean identification, current registration on file, and the seller's direct line — so the team can move on a warm buyer without any confidentiality break.

7. The Buck valuation resource

The "Buck" book is a digital valuation resource with historical sale data going back to 1961, covering boats up to 88 feet. It gives you an evidence-backed number to hand a seller alongside your ProSeller comps — especially useful for trade-in valuations and older models where market comps are thin. It is being integrated into Runner; until then, ask Brett for access when you need it.