From the start, Boatshed has always been about promoting and harnessing those family values that most boaters share; spending time together afloat with family and friends; owning a beloved boat that becomes part of the family; weekends spent at anchorages in hidden bays and coves; introducing children to the joys of boating and adventures at sea; the camaraderie that comes with Club and team racing events; endlessly fiddling with engines, warps, sheets and halyard in all types of weather and conditions, and the occasional, perfect, sunset reach or motor home after a fabulous boating trip!

Whilst Boatshed has grown steadily into a major international brokerage business, offering the very best sales platform available worldwide, its founding brokers Neil and Mandy Chapman, still live aboard their 42 foot Ketch on the English south coast, which they have owned for almost 20 years. Boatshed has and continues to regularly support sailing programmes, associations, clubs and charities, including youth sailing events and initiatives, as part of an ongoing effort to promote the joys of boating and encourage boat ownership as widely as possible.

As Neil Chapman explains “as a broker, the key to giving almost anyone the opportunity to get into boating is to offer the widest possible choice of boats at the best prices; particularly day, small and medium sized boats which are popular and affordable choices for many families. We stock an extremely wide range of boats, covering most types, sizes and price ranges, from smaller, very affordable ‘first time’ boats, to excellent modern family cruisers, up to superyachts for those customers with larger requirements and budgets.”

Boatshed Brokers pride themselves on finding the right boat for the right customer. Very often our brokers are dealing with family cruisers - sail and motor - and have a very clear understanding of what will make a particular boat ‘work’ for a family long term.

Many of our brokers are sailors and boat owners themselves, involved with dinghies, day boats, ribs, inland canal vessels and barges; cruisers (sail and motor); bluewater boats, and racing yachts both classic and contemporary. Every boat we list and sell has a unique story. Within Boatshed understanding that story to help us find the right buyer for a boat is a central part of what we do, and boats for people new to boating and for families are no exception.

Happy boating is almost always a family affair in one way or another. At Boatshed we understand that and embrace the values that surround successful boat sales and purchases.

As Neil goes on to say “During our own sailing trips, my wife and I often meet families on board a boat we sold to them years ago, who tell me how much fun they and their children have had over the years onboard the boat. ‘The best decision we ever made’ is what many family owners tell me when I ask them about their experience of buying a used boat from Boatshed”.

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