Boating & marine industry lawyers.
Fixed-fee legal support for boat dealers, marinas, charter operators, marine trades and manufacturers — sale contracts, berthing terms, ACL defence and AMSA compliance.
Fixed fee. Senior lawyer.
Every engagement is quoted upfront and led by a senior lawyer — never a paralegal-first pipeline.
- hello@envisionlegal.com.au
- Sydney · Melbourne · National
How we help
What we handle for you.
Concrete deliverables — not a general "advice" retainer. Each item can be scoped as a one-off fixed-fee package or bundled into a monthly counsel arrangement.
01
Vessel sale & purchase
New and brokerage vessel sale contracts, deposit and escrow terms, sea trial protocols and title / PPSR checks — for dealers, brokers and private sales.
02
Marina & berthing agreements
Berth licences, casual mooring terms, storage, hardstand and dry-stack agreements — with proper lien, abandonment and uncollected goods clauses.
03
Charter & hire agreements
Bareboat and skippered charter terms, hire-and-drive vessel contracts and passenger day-charter terms compliant with AMSA and state marine safety regulators.
04
Marine trades & repair terms
Slipway, shipwright, engineering and antifoul workshop terms — including price variation, defects, warranty exclusions and workshop lien procedures.
05
Manufacturing & distribution
OEM supply, dealer appointment, distribution and parts agreements for boat builders, engine and equipment brands.
06
Consumer law & warranty
Major failure claims under the ACL for vessels, engines and marine equipment — including defence in NCAT / VCAT / QCAT and manufacturer indemnity claims.
07
Employment & crew
Skipper, deckhand and marine trades employment and contractor agreements — aligned to the appropriate award and AMSA competency framework.
08
Debt recovery & liens
Unpaid berthing fees, repair bills and storage charges — recovery via workshop and marina liens, PPSR enforcement and litigation partners.
Who this is for
Clients we work best with.
- Boat dealers, brokers and manufacturers
- Marinas, dry-stack and hardstand operators
- Charter, hire-and-drive and commercial vessel operators
- Shipwrights and marine trades workshops
How we work
No surprises. Ever.
Fixed fees quoted upfront. Senior lawyer on every file. Clear next steps at every stage.
01 — Brief
Send a short brief or book a 15-minute call. We'll confirm scope and what you actually need — often that's less than you think.
02 — Fixed-fee quote
You get a written scope and a fixed fee before we start. No hourly billing, no scope-creep invoices.
03 — Senior lawyer, on the tools
The lawyer you scoped with is the lawyer doing the work. We turn drafts around fast and stay reachable throughout.
FAQs
Common questions.
- Do you need a licence to sell boats in Australia?
- Unlike motor vehicles, most states don't require a dedicated boat dealer licence — but ACL, PPSR and (for commercial vessels) AMSA obligations still apply, and some states are moving toward regulated marine dealing. We map the obligations to your business model so the paperwork is compliant end-to-end.
- A boat we sold has a manufacturing fault — who wears it?
- That depends on your terms, ACL major failure tests, and the manufacturer's indemnity to you as reseller. Under the ACL, the customer's rights run against the supplier first, but you almost always have a matching claim upstream against the manufacturer. Both need to be run in parallel — we do that together for dealers regularly.
- Can we take a lien over a boat for unpaid berthing or repair fees?
- Yes — but only with the right terms in your berthing or workshop agreement, and following the state's uncollected goods procedure to the letter. Vessels are high-value and easy to move, so notice, security and sale procedures need to be airtight. Getting this wrong exposes you to a conversion claim worth more than the debt.
- What's different about commercial vs recreational vessel work?
- Commercial vessels engage AMSA's Domestic Commercial Vessel National Law — competency, survey, safety management systems and passenger liability. Charter operators need contracts, insurance carve-outs and crew agreements that match. We routinely draft for operators from single-vessel day-charter up to multi-vessel fleets.
- Do you work with brokers and marinas as well as dealers?
- Yes. Marinas, brokers and marine trades make up most of our marine-industry work — the paperwork and lien issues sit right at the intersection of retail, storage and services, which is exactly where terms tend to be thinnest.
Talk to us
Legal built for boating & marine industry lawyers..
Send us a note about what you're working on. We'll respond within one business day and, if we're a fit, book a free 15-minute consultation with a senior lawyer.