“Mega yachts come with mega problems, but this one caught me completely off guard.”

If someone had sat me down and explained how complicated things can get when you try to sell a boat that was previously tendered to a mega yacht, I would have handled one thing very differently: the tender’s documentation.

This particular tender — a beautifully appointed Scout 420 LXF — was included as part of a much larger deal that also involved a 100M superyacht. Because of that, everyone assumed the paperwork was “handled.” But unless your captain or chief stew is actively managing the tender’s documentation, things can go sideways fast once you separate the two vessels.

In this case, the tender’s registration had been allowed to expire under the previous owner’s name — the same owner who had sold it to the yacht when it officially became the tender. The title was never transferred, never updated, and never separated from the larger purchase. It was insured, yes, but legally it was still floating around in someone else’s name.

That’s not something you want to discover after the fact.

As the captain and manager of the vessel, I was trying to generate some revenue for the absentee owner to offset expenses while also listing the tender for sale here in Miami. What happened next surprised me.

• How the Tender Became a Problem

While making sure everything was fully USCG‑legal for charter purposes, I discovered that the USCG documentation had expired — along with the state registration. Without these it is illegal to charter a vessel on US waters. As the Captain I am responsible to assure paper work is in order.

• The Documentation Disaster

To keep this story moving, I’ll jump to the key moment: I had to hire a maritime attorney to track down the previous owner, who fortunately still lived in Florida. Thankfully, the attorney had his cooperation, and he was willing to sign a notarized document verifying the original bill of sale. Without the above, we would have had to start much further back in the process, requiring what is basically a title search to obtain and “ Abstract of Title”. That would have added more expense and time to the process!

• The Legal Maze

From there, we needed a U.S. citizen from the ownership team of the mega yacht to apply for U.S. documentation. Once that was done, the process took about three months to complete and secure the updated registration and documentation. Without a US citizen owner it gets more convoluted with shelters that need to be put in place to get it all legally accomplished.

• What It Cost to Fix It

All of this backtracking — and nearly $10,000 in legal expenses — could have been avoided with a little follow‑up from the team involved in the original mega yacht purchase. If you’re a captain or an owner, ask the questions while you still have the chance.

• How to Avoid This as a Captain or Owner

For a U.S.-documented boat, all you need is current documentation and a signed bill of sale from the individual who sold the Scout before it became the tender. Simple — if someone actually handles it.

If you’re the captain of a mega yacht, part of your due diligence is ensuring every vessel under your care is properly transferred and documented. A simple “Where is the documentation for this tender” can save months of headaches.

I’m not here to bash the captain involved — that’s not good form. He may not have been American and may not have had experience with the importance of keeping U.S. documentation current. Crew turnover happens fast on mega yachts, and details like this are the first to slip through the cracks when the owner and his celebrity friends are arriving in 24 hours.

I’m sharing this in the hope that some captain out there, searching for answers, lands on this post — and avoids the mess I had to untangle.

Lessons Learned:

• Always verify tender documentation during a yacht purchase.

• Confirm the title transfer before the vessel becomes a tender.

• Keep USCG documentation current — especially on U.S.-flagged vessels.

• Assign one crew member to track all auxiliary vessel paperwork.