My wife and I recently purchased from Specialty Yachts a beautiful 2018 Marlow-Hunter 31 sailboat (renamed “Isabella”). We recommend SY whole-heartedly to anyone looking for a new or pre-owned sailboat. The entire staff (Gabriel, Remy, Lawrence) was wonderful—consistently helpful, courteous, and quite knowledgeable. Their inventory of newer sailboats is among the best we found during the 2+ years that we were looking for the “perfect boat.” In comparison with those of other yacht brokers, SY’s website was exceptionally well-designed and informative, down to the last detail and boat specification.
We primarily worked with Gabriel, who we’d like to call out for his sailing knowledge, patience with customers, and kind demeanor. Since we live in the Seattle area, our first encounter with Gabriel was a virtual tour of the MH31. We liked him immediately for his low-key and no-nonsense approach. He did a great job of emphasizing the boat’s many strengths and advantages, but at the same time never shying away from pointing out or responding to our questions about potential weaknesses or problems. Throughout the 4-month process of viewing and eventually purchasing Isabella, we never felt pressured to buy or felt misled about any aspect of the boat. Gabriel’s help was especially appreciated during the survey process and our negotiations with the owner to address some of the minor issues identified by the surveys. SY is affiliated with a full-service boat yard, and this made our purchase so much easier. We’ve now owned Isabella for over a month, but Gabriel has continued to help us with questions about boat operations and maintenance, going well beyond the call of duty.
All in all, our relationship with SY has been an extremely positive experience. Our only regret is that we don’t live closer to Vancouver, where SY could manage all of Isabella’s maintenance for as long as we own her.
Matt & Katy
2018 Marlow Hunter 31 “Isabella”