Boat delivery and sea trial captain for dealers and brokers
Boat delivery for dealers and yacht brokers: show moves, sold-boat runs, sea trials and lot-to-marina hops. I'm a 100 Ton licensed captain and a Starke certified detailer. If there's a scratch or a stain, it's in the pickup photos before the boat leaves. And it can arrive washed or detailed.
Without a record, nobody can say. The buyer blames the delivery. The seller says it was always there. The dealer or broker ends up in the middle of an argument over a boat that was supposed to be sold and done.
So every boat I move gets dated photos at pickup and again on arrival: hull sides, decks, upholstery, glass, helm and engine space. A scratch that's visible at pickup is on record before anyone asks.
The detailing side is why the record is worth having. I detail boats full time as a Starke Yacht Care certified installer, so I'm used to looking at gel coat, glass and upholstery up close. A scuff by a cleat, a stained cushion or a hazy windshield gets photographed instead of missed.
To be clear about where the line is: I'm a licensed captain, not a marine surveyor. The photos are a dated record of what the boat looked like, not a survey or a valuation. For a pre-purchase or insurance survey, hire an accredited marine surveyor.
I'm Jake Procino, and I run Catalyst Marine out of Ocean City. Because the captain and the detailer are the same person, the boat can also be washed or detailed at the destination. One trip, one invoice, no second vendor to schedule.
In October 2026 I was one of two captains, with a mate, on a Hunt Ocean 56 going from Annapolis, Maryland to Fort Lauderdale for the Fort Lauderdale boat show. The run mixed inside legs on the ICW with outside legs, picked day by day on the weather.
A show boat has a hard date. It has to be at the show dock before setup closes, and it has to look like it's for sale when it gets there. I've also run coastal deliveries between New York and North Carolina, and I've been a licensed captain since 2018, with two years running 48' to 78' crewboats. Pricing a longer run? The boat delivery estimator gives a rough captain cost and day count for East Coast routes.
Pick what fits the boat. Captain time bills at the rates below. Every package includes the dated photo record. Detailing is quoted from my normal packages, based on the boat's size and condition.
Dealers
A boat show captain for your in-water displays. I run your boats in before setup closes and back out after teardown. Before they go on display, each one gets a show-ready detail so the gel coat and glass look the way a buyer expects on a show dock.
Brokers and dealers
For the stretch between "we have a deal" and "the buyer has the keys." I captain the sea trial, run the boat to the new owner's marina and give it its first detail. The buyer gets a clean boat and a photo record of what it looked like when it left.
Dealers and marinas
Lot to marina, marina to marina, service yard back to the slip. Short local moves usually fit inside a half day. Longer coastal runs are planned around the weather.
Brokers
The seller can't make it or doesn't want to run the boat with a buyer and a surveyor aboard. I'll run it. I handle the boat while the surveyor works and the buyer watches, and I stay out of the negotiation. How a sea trial works.
Any delivery
Add an arrival wash or a full detail to any move. A wash takes the salt and road grime off after the run. A full detail gets picked from my normal packages if the boat needs more than that.
Detailing prices aren't listed here. See the packages on my services page or get a ballpark from instant pricing.
A sea trial is a test run of a boat on the water before the sale closes. The buyer gets to feel how the boat handles, and a marine surveyor, if one is hired, uses the run to check the engines and systems under load. It's the part of the survey that has to happen underway. The surveyor judges the boat. The captain just drives it.
Somebody has to drive. Often that's the seller, which puts the person with the most riding on the deal at the helm while the buyer watches. A broker can hand that job to a licensed captain instead. On a boat sea trial for a broker, here's what I do:
I'm a licensed captain. I'm not a marine surveyor and I'm not licensed to do that work, so I don't judge the boat for the sale. If your buyer hasn't hired a surveyor yet, point them to an accredited one through SAMS (the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors) or NAMS (the National Association of Marine Surveyors). Ask the surveyor what they want to see on the run, and I'll plan the time on the water around it.
Most sea trials fit in a half day at $450. See the rates, or send me the boat and the date.
Same card for every account. The repeat rate is there for dealers and brokers who book multi-day work.
For dealers, brokers and yacht managers on multi-day commitments, like a show weekend or a string of deliveries.
$650 / day
Captain day rate Daylight running
$750 / day
Half day Up to 4 hours. Local moves and sea trials
$450
Travel days and weather or lay days
Half the day rate
Pass-through costs. Fuel, dockage, my travel to and from the boat, and meals on multi-day runs are paid by the owner or the account, at cost.
Invoicing. One invoice per trip, with captain days and pass-through costs listed separately so your office can match them to a stock number.
Net terms. Available on request for trade accounts.
Deposit. Trips longer than two days take a 50% deposit.
Pricing a specific route? The boat delivery estimator gives a rough captain cost and day count. Owners booking a single trip can start at captain services.
You shouldn't have to chase a captain for updates or wonder what shape the boat arrived in. This part doesn't change from job to job.
Before the boat leaves, I make the checks a captain makes before leaving any dock: fuel, fluids, bilge, steering, electronics and safety gear. Then I photograph the boat with the date on every shot, so how it looked at pickup is on record before anyone asks.
A text when I leave the dock, updates while underway, and one when the boat is tied up. If weather holds me in port, you hear about it that morning, not after.
Photos of the boat at the destination, secured, with notes on anything worth knowing from the run. It's written so you can forward it to the buyer or the owner as is.
I plan the route ahead of time and watch conditions up to departure. If the window closes, I wait and tell you why. A late boat beats a damaged one.
Check any of this before you hand over keys. You should with anyone.
License
Licensed captain since 2018, including two years running 48' to 78' crewboats that carry up to 30 people plus parts, tools and supplies. Coastal deliveries between New York and North Carolina, plus a Hunt Ocean 56 from Annapolis to Fort Lauderdale for the October 2026 show, as one of two captains with a mate. Three seasons running Sea Quenched Private Charters out of Ocean City. Member of CAPCA, the Chesapeake Area Professional Captains Association. Verify my license with the Coast Guard.
Boat building
Boat building and composite construction in Maine, then custom sportfish at Jarrett Bay and Duffie Boatworks before I moved into detailing.
Detailing
Full-time marine detailer. The arrival wash and the bigger correction and ceramic jobs are the same packages I sell to owners, so a delivered boat can be handed over clean without a separate booking.
Insurance approval
Most yacht insurers want a licensed captain, and many want the captain approved before the trip. Send me the underwriter's form and I'll get it back to you before the run date.
Home base is Ocean City, Maryland. Most trade work is local: dealer lots and marinas on Delmarva, up and down the Chesapeake, and across the Delaware Bay.
Longer coastal and yacht delivery runs along the U.S. East Coast work too. My license is Near Coastal, which covers ocean waters up to 200 miles offshore on U.S. port to U.S. port trips. No Bahamas, BVI or other foreign trips, and no Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands.
What is a sea trial?
A sea trial is a test run of a boat on the water before the sale closes. The buyer gets to feel how the boat handles, and a marine surveyor, if one is hired, uses the run to check the engines and systems under load. It's the part of the survey that has to happen underway. The surveyor judges the boat. The captain just drives it.
Can you captain a sea trial for my buyer?
Yes. Most sea trials fit inside a half day, which is $450 for up to 4 hours. I photograph the boat before it leaves the dock, run it the way the surveyor asks, and bring it back secured. I don't give an opinion on the boat's condition or price, and I stay out of the negotiation.
What if the buyer says the boat was damaged on the delivery?
That's what the photo record is for. Before the boat leaves, I take dated photos of the hull sides, decks, upholstery, glass, helm and engine space. At the destination I photograph it again. If a scratch or a stain is in the pickup photos, it was there before the run. The conversation starts from the pictures instead of from memory. The photos show what was visible that day. They aren't a survey and can't speak to anything hidden.
Will the owner's insurance company approve you as the captain?
Most yacht insurers want a licensed captain on a delivery, and many want the captain approved before the boat leaves the dock. I hold a 100 Ton USCG Near Coastal Master license. Send me the insurer's captain approval form or tell me what the underwriter needs, and I'll fill it out and send back my license details so the approval is done before the trip date. You can also verify my license with the Coast Guard yourself.
Who pays for fuel and dockage on a delivery?
Whoever owns the move. That's the dealership, the seller, the buyer or the owner, depending on how you set the deal up. Fuel, dockage, my travel to and from the boat, and meals on multi-day runs are billed on top of the day rate at cost. I keep the receipts and they go on the invoice.
Can you do a short-notice move?
Often, yes. A lot-to-marina move or a local sea trial is a half day and doesn't need much planning. Call or text (302) 853-2853 and I'll tell you the same day whether I can take it. Longer runs depend on weather, and I won't leave the dock in conditions that put the boat at risk just to hit a date.
Do you work boat show weekends?
Yes. In October 2026 I was one of two captains, with a mate, on a Hunt Ocean 56 run from Annapolis to Fort Lauderdale for the Fort Lauderdale boat show. Show moves are mostly about timing: in before setup closes, out after teardown starts. Tell me the show, the boats and the move-in and move-out windows, and I'll quote the days. If you want the boats detailed before they go on display, I can do that before the move in.
How does invoicing work for a dealership or brokerage?
One invoice per trip, with captain days, travel or lay days, and pass-through costs listed separately so your office can match them to the boat. Net terms are available on request for trade accounts. Trips longer than two days take a 50% deposit.
Can you take a boat to the Bahamas or Puerto Rico?
No. My license is Near Coastal, which covers ocean waters up to 200 miles offshore on U.S. port to U.S. port trips. I don't run foreign trips, and I don't offer Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands either. Anything on the U.S. East Coast is fair game.
How much does the detailing cost?
Detailing is priced separately from the captain work, using my normal packages, based on the boat's size and condition. You can see the packages on my services page or get a ballpark from the instant pricing tool.
A few lines about your boats and how often they move is plenty. I'll get back to you with how I'd handle it and what the days would cost.
Rather talk? Call or text (302) 853-2853 or email jacob@catalystmarineservices.com. Owners moving their own boat can start at captain services.