UK is one of the new countries to introduce a professional boat sales qualification which has been championed by the Boat Retailers and Brokers Association (BRBA) and the Association of Brokers and Yacht Agents (ABYA) to promote a proper code of conduct and best practice in the industry.

The British Marine Federation who supports this new qualification, was launched at the PSP Southampton Boat Show.

The new requirement stipulates that candidates must complete four mandatory units. Listing a boat for sale
Establishing and satisfying customer requirements
Negotiating and closing the sale
Completing the sale and handover of the boat.

In addition, candidates will also need to have at least 12 months experience as a broker or boat retailer, and have an RYA or equivalent certificate for boat handling for the specific type of boat they are selling.

Only a handful of (grand father rights) qualifications have been awarded to brokers have been awarded the ABYA/BRBA Boat Sales Qualification:
Neil Chapman - Boatshed.com, Christian Moore – Moore Yachts Ltd, Frederick Keats – Ancasta International Boat Shows Ltd, Dominic Smulders – Bray Marine Sales, Mark Ellyatt – Williams & Smithells Ltd, and Andy Cunningham – Michael Schmidt & Partner.

Neil Chapman, member of the BRBA comments, "We have been working hard within the group to introduce a professional qualification to introduce a best practice/code of conduct standard and this is great news for the industry. We want boat buyers to have confidence in buying a boat as it is a complex process and should put customers at ease when buying their next boat."