This time of year is peak season for selling and buying used boats and engines in Greenland – but this is also an extremely risky course of action that requires extra caution from the buyer, according to the law firm Nuna Law.

Both spring and summer are peak seasons for selling and buying used boats and engines in Greenland and one of the most visited and popular Facebook pages with around 20,500 members, where used boats, engines, cars and snowmobiles are put up for sale. But if you want to invest in a used boat or an outboard motor to enjoy the beautiful summer weather with your family, there are several things you need to be extra careful about, according to the law firm Nuna Law, which also handles such cases.

Both spring

Written agreement is important 

Both spring and summer are peak seasons for selling and buying used boats and engines in Greenland and one of the most visited and popular Facebook pages with around 20,500 members, where used boats, engines, cars and snowmobiles are put up for sale. But if you want to invest in a used boat or an outboard motor to enjoy the beautiful summer weather with your family, there are several things you need to be extra careful about, according to the law firm Nuna Law, which also handles such cases.

Both springAnnouncement

Written agreement is important 

According to Gutti Harryson, a lawyer at Nuna Law in Nuuk, there is always a certain risk involved in buying a used boat or engine in Greenland. Therefore, you should always ensure that you have a written agreement in connection with the purchase – in case the case ends up in court.

– Buying a boat is a transaction between two private individuals, and only the Danish Sale of Goods Act regulates the agreement. Otherwise, it is up to the agreement you make between yourself, he says.

There is no standard agreement in Greenland for use when purchasing used boats, and therefore it can sometimes be difficult to assess whether an agreement has been broken, as it is a matter between two private individuals, explains Gutti Harryson.

– If a disagreement arises, there is often no other written agreement than, for example, correspondence on Messenger or SMS. It may be that the seller has said that the engine has been replaced, and the buyer therefore believes that it is a new engine. When such cases arise, there are two problems: First – whether it is a new or old engine that you have bought – and second – how to prove what the seller has said.

– It doesn’t have to be a fancy legal agreement, but it is incredibly important that you write down what information you have received from the seller in connection with the purchase, he adds.

For example, if you have bought a motor or boat via an ad on Facebook, you often get the information in writing. According to Gutti Harryson, this can be an advantage. If the seller has provided incorrect information, you basically have a good case – but this requires that you can document what has been provided.

Sailing is important

In addition, it is always important to buy a boat that is already in the water, so that you have the opportunity to do a test sail when the engine is warm.

– We also experience that the engine works fine when purchased, but that it subsequently does not work. That is why it is incredibly important that you get a person with engine knowledge to examine the boat before making a purchase. Otherwise, you must be able to prove that the fault was present before the purchase took place, says Gutti Harryson.

Distance selling

For example, if you buy a boat that is located in another city, the lawyer says you can deposit the purchase price into a bank account. The amount will only be released to the seller once the boat has been delivered and it has been determined that it corresponds to what was stated.

– However, not many people do that. If there is a fault with the boat or engine and the buyer chooses to go to court, it costs money – and it can take up to two years before the case is resolved. Few people have the patience to wait that long to get out sailing.

– Therefore, there is also a great risk associated with distance selling, which is often the case up here. We get these kinds of cases every year, but it is difficult to put a figure on them, as many parties choose to resolve the disagreements internally.

– If you have bought a defective boat, many people mistakenly believe that you can go to the police. You can’t, as it is a civil matter between two parties. But if you sell something that doesn’t exist, it could be fraud – and then it is a police matter, emphasizes Gutti Harryson.

Nuna Law has recently concluded a case where their client was successful in canceling the purchase of a boat at both the Court of Greenland and the Greenland High Court because the boat was found to have significant defects and the seller had provided incorrect information in the purchase agreement.

Stor interesse

Carsten Raage is a co-administrator of the Facebook page with around 20,500 members, where used boats, cars and snowmobiles are sold. This time of year is the peak season for buying and selling used boats and engines in Greenland.

– There is a lot of interest in the site, which is used extensively every day. There is not only a high demand for boats, engines and cars – the site is also used to find and obtain all kinds of spare parts.

– However, we occasionally experience some users complaining about transactions that have gone wrong or something like that, but that is outside our area of responsibility.

– However, I would like to emphasize that the mood among users is generally good, he says.

Carsten Raage says that the administrators of the site occasionally receive inquiries from users warning of attempted fraud – where people put up products for sale that they do not own. These ads are immediately removed from the site.

Both spring and summer are peak seasons for selling and buying used boats and engines in Greenland and one of the most visited and popular Facebook pages with around 20,500 members, where used boats, engines, cars and snowmobiles are put up for sale. But if you want to invest in a used boat or an outboard motor to enjoy the beautiful summer weather with your family, there are several things you need to be extra careful about, according to the law firm Nuna Law, which also handles such cases.

Both spring

Written agreement is important 

Both spring and summer are peak seasons for selling and buying used boats and engines in Greenland and one of the most visited and popular Facebook pages with around 20,500 members, where used boats, engines, cars and snowmobiles are put up for sale. But if you want to invest in a used boat or an outboard motor to enjoy the beautiful summer weather with your family, there are several things you need to be extra careful about, according to the law firm Nuna Law, which also handles such cases.

Both springAnnouncement

Written agreement is important 

According to Gutti Harryson, a lawyer at Nuna Law in Nuuk, there is always a certain risk involved in buying a used boat or engine in Greenland. Therefore, you should always ensure that you have a written agreement in connection with the purchase – in case the case ends up in court.

– Buying a boat is a transaction between two private individuals, and only the Danish Sale of Goods Act regulates the agreement. Otherwise, it is up to the agreement you make between yourself, he says.

There is no standard agreement in Greenland for use when purchasing used boats, and therefore it can sometimes be difficult to assess whether an agreement has been broken, as it is a matter between two private individuals, explains Gutti Harryson.

– If a disagreement arises, there is often no other written agreement than, for example, correspondence on Messenger or SMS. It may be that the seller has said that the engine has been replaced, and the buyer therefore believes that it is a new engine. When such cases arise, there are two problems: First – whether it is a new or old engine that you have bought – and second – how to prove what the seller has said.

– It doesn’t have to be a fancy legal agreement, but it is incredibly important that you write down what information you have received from the seller in connection with the purchase, he adds.

For example, if you have bought a motor or boat via an ad on Facebook, you often get the information in writing. According to Gutti Harryson, this can be an advantage. If the seller has provided incorrect information, you basically have a good case – but this requires that you can document what has been provided.

Sailing is important

In addition, it is always important to buy a boat that is already in the water, so that you have the opportunity to do a test sail when the engine is warm.

– We also experience that the engine works fine when purchased, but that it subsequently does not work. That is why it is incredibly important that you get a person with engine knowledge to examine the boat before making a purchase. Otherwise, you must be able to prove that the fault was present before the purchase took place, says Gutti Harryson.

Distance selling

For example, if you buy a boat that is located in another city, the lawyer says you can deposit the purchase price into a bank account. The amount will only be released to the seller once the boat has been delivered and it has been determined that it corresponds to what was stated.

– However, not many people do that. If there is a fault with the boat or engine and the buyer chooses to go to court, it costs money – and it can take up to two years before the case is resolved. Few people have the patience to wait that long to get out sailing.

– Therefore, there is also a great risk associated with distance selling, which is often the case up here. We get these kinds of cases every year, but it is difficult to put a figure on them, as many parties choose to resolve the disagreements internally.

– If you have bought a defective boat, many people mistakenly believe that you can go to the police. You can’t, as it is a civil matter between two parties. But if you sell something that doesn’t exist, it could be fraud – and then it is a police matter, emphasizes Gutti Harryson.

Nuna Law has recently concluded a case where their client was successful in canceling the purchase of a boat at both the Court of Greenland and the Greenland High Court because the boat was found to have significant defects and the seller had provided incorrect information in the purchase agreement.

Stor interesse

Carsten Raage is a co-administrator of the Facebook page with around 20,500 members, where used boats, cars and snowmobiles are sold. This time of year is the peak season for buying and selling used boats and engines in Greenland.

– There is a lot of interest in the site, which is used extensively every day. There is not only a high demand for boats, engines and cars – the site is also used to find and obtain all kinds of spare parts.

– However, we occasionally experience some users complaining about transactions that have gone wrong or something like that, but that is outside our area of responsibility.

– However, I would like to emphasize that the mood among users is generally good, he says.

Carsten Raage says that the administrators of the site occasionally receive inquiries from users warning of attempted fraud – where people put up products for sale that they do not own. These ads are immediately removed from the site.