The short answer
A proper bareboat handover takes 30 to 45 minutes and covers 27 zones — 16 core zones that account for most deductions, plus 11 covering safety gear, cabins, the tender and the paperwork. Photograph the hull first, before anyone loads bags. Photograph the handover form before you sign it. The point is not to find fault with the boat — it is to record its condition while the operator is standing next to you.
Why this list is different from the others
Every charter checklist on the internet tells you what to look at. Hull, engine, sails, inventory. They are all roughly right and all roughly useless at the moment you actually need them, because they answer the wrong question.
The question that matters is not what should I look at. It is what will this photograph be worth in six weeks, when an email arrives saying a diver found damage to the saildrive and €800 has been deducted from your card.
So every zone below has three lines: the zone, what to capture, and what that capture proves. The third line is the one nobody else writes down.
For context on how often this matters: our own estimate puts 15–25% of Mediterranean bareboat charterers on the receiving end of some deduction, typically €200–800. The same research found that professionally run bases with structured handover procedures on both sides run at roughly half that rate. Documentation is the variable you control.
Before you start: four things that make it work
- Go before the bags do. Once the crew starts loading, half the hull is behind fenders and lines and the cabins are full of luggage. The first fifteen minutes are worth more than the next hour.
- Same order, every charter. Bow to stern, outside then inside. An order you repeat is an order you do not forget under time pressure — and it is why the zones below are numbered rather than grouped by importance.
- Wide shot, then close-ups. The wide shot establishes what you are looking at; the close-up shows the damage. A close-up alone proves a scratch exists somewhere on some boat.
- Take the awkwardness as the cost. The base manager will be busy and your crew will want to leave. Nobody has ever been refused thirty minutes to photograph a boat. The barrier is social, not procedural.
The 16 core zones
These cover the damage categories that generate most deductions. If you are short of time, do these properly and skip the rest — 16 zones done well beat 27 done in a hurry.
| Zone | What to capture | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hull — port side | Full length of the topsides, then a close-up of every gelcoat chip, fender dent and scuff already there. Bow quarter, midship, aft quarter, the waterline run and the rubrail. | That the marks were not yours. Gelcoat damage along the waterline and rubrail is the single most disputed category, because it is the damage a fender or a neighbouring boat causes without anyone noticing. |
| 2. Hull — starboard side | Identical pass down the other side. Same five points, same order. | Same as port. Shoot both sides even if only one looks marked — a claim will name whichever side you did not photograph. |
| 3. Bow | Bow stem, anchor roller, pulpit, forward navigation lights, mooring cleats, fairleads. | That the anchor roller was already chewed and the pulpit already bent. Anchor-strike damage at the stem is expensive and easy to attribute to the last person who used the boat. |
| 4. Stern & transom | Transom face, swim platform, boarding ladder, stern rails, outboard mount, and the safety gate or lifeline opening. | That the ladder was already bent and the gate already failed to latch. The swim platform and boarding ladder take the most physical abuse of any part of a charter boat. |
| 7. Cockpit overview | Aft from the helm, forward from the transom, then coamings, cockpit floor and drains. | Cracked coaming and cushion damage were pre-existing. Photograph the drains specifically — blocked drains cause water damage that surfaces later and gets billed to you. |
| 10. Mainsail & boom | Cover off. Luff and leech, foot of the sail, reefing lines, boom and vang, topping lift. | Existing tears, missing battens and UV-strip wear. Sail damage is charged at replacement value, so this is one of the largest possible deductions on the list. |
| 11. Headsail / furler | Furler drum, sheet leads, UV strip, and the sail unfurled if the base allows it. | That the furler was already stiff and the sail already torn. A furler that jams at sea becomes your fault at check-out unless you recorded it at handover. |
| 12. Standing rigging & mast | Mast step and collar at deck, lower shrouds at the chainplates, forestay and backstay bases, turnbuckles and cotter pins, masthead zoomed from deck. | Corrosion and broken strands you did not cause — and, more importantly, catches a missing cotter pin before it costs you the rig. Photograph the turnbuckles close. |
| 13. Anchor, chain & windlass | Anchor stowed, chain visible, chain markers, windlass motor, foot switch, manual handle. | That the chain markers were already gone and the manual handle already missing. The handle is small, expensive to replace, and frequently absent. |
| 14. Bitter end check Confirm-to-continue zone | Chain locker open. The end of the chain visible, its attachment to the hull, and the free length of line. | Nothing about your deposit — everything about not losing the entire anchor and chain overboard. If the bitter end is not secured, the whole lot goes to the bottom the first time you veer too much. This is one of two zones our app makes you confirm explicitly. |
| 15. Engine compartment | Engine front, side and top, drip tray, sound insulation. | That the oil leak and the damaged insulation were already there. An engine bay photographed clean at handover is the fastest way to close an argument about a leak found at check-out. |
| 17. Fuel level & tank | Gauge reading, filler cap, sight gauge if fitted, filter bowl. | The fuel level at handover. This is the cheapest photo on the list and it settles the most common argument of all — refuelling charges — in about five seconds. |
| 18. Electrical panel & batteries | Main panel face, each breaker labelled, battery bank, battery switch position, voltmeter reading. | The state of the batteries before you used them. A swollen or flat battery bank is an expensive claim, and voltage at handover is the only thing that separates 'already dying' from 'you drained it'. |
| 19. Bilge & sea cocks Confirm-to-continue zone | Bilge dry or wet, bilge pump, every sea cock at its through-hull, emergency wooden plugs, strainer baskets. | Again, safety before deposit: a seized sea cock and missing emergency plugs are what turn a burst hose into a sinking. Oily bilge water at handover is also a charge waiting to happen. The second zone the app makes you confirm. |
| 20. Galley & gas system | Stove top, burners lit briefly, gas bottle, gas shutoff valve, sink and tap, fridge cold. | That the fridge was already not cooling. Photograph the gas shutoff valve and know where it is — this is the zone where documentation and safety overlap most directly. |
| 22. Saloon | Wide angle of the saloon, table and seating, upholstery condition, cabin sole, lighting. | Existing stains and a broken table latch. Upholstery is charged at panel-replacement rates, so a wide shot plus close-ups of every existing mark is worth the two minutes. |
The remaining 11 zones
Safety equipment, cabins, the tender and the paperwork. Lower frequency of disputes, but zone 27 — the handover form — is arguably the most valuable photograph in the whole list.
| Zone | What to capture | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| 5. Deck — port side | Side deck full length, stanchions, lifelines, handrails, cleats, non-skid wear. | That a stanchion was already loose. This one matters for your safety as much as your deposit — check it before you sail, not just before you sign. |
| 6. Deck — starboard side | Same pass, other side. | As above. |
| 8. Helm & instruments | Wheel and pedestal, compass, chartplotter screen, engine instruments, throttle lever — screens powered on. | That the chartplotter was already dead when you took the boat. Photograph screens lit: a photo of a dark screen proves nothing about whether it works. |
| 9. Cockpit lockers & inventory | Every locker open. Tools, spares, boat hook, winch handles — laid out and counted. | How many winch handles you were given. Missing equipment is the easiest deduction for an operator to make and the hardest to argue without a count. |
| 16. Oil, coolant & belts | Dipstick reading, coolant level, belt tension, hose clamps. | The fluid levels you were handed. Low oil at return is charged to you; a dipstick photo from day one settles whether it started that way. |
| 21. Heads & plumbing | Toilet full view, flush operation, shower head, holding tank gauge. | That the pump was already sticky. A blocked heads is one of the most common deductions in the Mediterranean and one of the least covered by insurance — several policies exclude it explicitly. |
| 23. Cabins & berths | Each cabin wide angle, berths, mattresses, lockers open, reading lights, hatch operation. | Mattress stains and leaking hatches that predate you. Open and shut every hatch on camera — a hatch that will not seal causes water damage that is discovered after you have gone. |
| 24. Life jackets, harnesses & liferaft | Jacket count, harnesses, the liferaft servicing tag with its date legible, liferaft mount, throwable and lights. | How many jackets you were given — and whether the liferaft certificate is in date. Photograph the tag so the date is readable. An out-of-date raft is the base's problem while you can prove you flagged it. |
| 25. Fire extinguishers, flares & first aid | Each extinguisher gauge, flare expiry dates, first aid kit contents, fire blanket. | That the extinguisher was already discharged and the flares already expired. Same logic as the liferaft: cheap to photograph, awkward to argue about afterwards. |
| 26. Dinghy, outboard, fenders & mooring lines | Dinghy hull, outboard motor, outboard with the cowling off, fender count, mooring line count. | The condition of the tender and how many fenders and lines you had. The dinghy is a second boat with its own damage claims, and it is routinely handed over without any record at all. |
| 27. Boat documents & the handover form | Registration, insurance, VHF licence, inventory list — and the handover form itself, photographed BEFORE you sign it. | What the form said at the moment you signed. This is the most valuable photo in the entire checklist and the one almost nobody takes: the operator keeps the original, and without your own copy you are arguing about a document only they hold. |
What this checklist does not cover — and should
Two gaps, stated plainly, because a checklist that pretends to be complete is the more dangerous kind.
Below the waterline. The keel, rudder, propeller and saildrive are the most expensive damage category on a charter yacht and the least documented, because inspecting them means getting in the water with a mask. None of the 27 zones above covers them, and neither does any other checklist we have seen. If the base allows it, swim the hull and photograph what you can. If it does not, write that refusal onto the handover form and photograph the note — which at least establishes that the underwater condition was never verified by either party.
The return. Everything here is about taking the boat. The mirror-image inspection at check-out is what proves you gave it back in the same state, and it is the half people skip because the holiday is over and the taxi is waiting. Photograph the same zones again. It takes twenty minutes and it is the difference between a claim you can answer and one you can only dispute.
Why phone photos are better than nothing, and less than enough
Most charterers take some photos. That already puts them ahead of most. The weaknesses only show up at the moment they are tested:
- The metadata is editable. EXIF timestamps can be changed with standard software, and everyone in a dispute knows it. There is a documented case on the YBW forum of a deposit-protection scheme rejecting photo evidence because the images carried no clear datestamp — even though the originals had EXIF data.
- There is no fixed set of zones. Without a list you photograph what catches your eye, and the claim always names something else.
- They scatter. By the time the email arrives, the handover photos are somewhere among four hundred holiday pictures.
- Nobody countersigned anything. A photo you took alone is weaker than the same photo acknowledged by the person handing over the boat.
Two fixes that cost nothing: work down a fixed list in a fixed order, and email the album to yourself or a crew member the same evening — a timestamp on someone else's server is harder to argue with than one on your own phone.
How HandoverBoat does the same thing
The checklist above works on its own. Print it, or run down it with your phone camera — that is a genuine use of this page and we would rather you did it than nothing.
What HandoverBoat adds is the part that is hard to do by hand: the same 27 zones in a fixed order, photographs taken inside the app so the time, position and a SHA-256 hash are fixed at the moment of capture rather than added afterwards, and a PDF you hold yourself instead of a form the base keeps. Uploading from your gallery is deliberately not possible — a file that could have come from anywhere carries no provenance, and provenance is the entire point.
€19 once, or about €3 a head on a boat of six.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a proper handover inspection take?
30 to 45 minutes for all 27 zones. The 16 core zones take about 20 minutes on their own. The hard part is not the time — it is doing it while the base manager waits and your crew wants to leave.
What should I photograph first at a boat handover?
The hull, both sides, full length, before anyone loads bags or hangs fenders. Gelcoat damage along the waterline is the most disputed category, and it becomes impossible to attribute once the boat is alongside and covered.
Do I have to do all 27 zones?
No. The 16 core zones cover the categories that generate most deductions. The remaining 11 add safety equipment, cabins, the tender and the paperwork. If you are short of time, do the core zones properly rather than all 27 badly.
Are photos on my phone enough?
Better than nothing, and most people do not even do that. The weaknesses are that phone metadata is editable with ordinary software, there is no fixed set of zones so you are always missing the one being claimed, and the photos end up scattered among holiday pictures.
Should I photograph the handover form?
Yes — before you sign it, and it is the single most valuable photo on the list. The operator keeps the original. Without your own copy you are arguing about a document only they hold.
What about damage below the waterline?
The keel, rudder and propeller are the most expensive damage category and the least documented, because seeing them means getting in the water. If the base will not allow it, note that on the handover form and photograph the note.
Does this checklist work without your app?
Yes. It is a list of zones and reasons — print it, or work down it with your phone camera. The app adds a fixed order, timestamps, GPS and a hash per photo, and a PDF you hold yourself. The list itself is free to use.
What if the base manager is rushing me?
It is normal and it is not personal — they have several boats to turn around. Say you need 30 minutes to photograph the boat and start at the bow. Nobody has ever been refused; the awkwardness is the real barrier, not the rule.