Industry Network

The People I Call When a File Needs More Than Me.

20+ years in this industry comes with a pretty good contact list.

Why this page exists

One of the most valuable things I’ve built over more than 20 years in this industry isn’t something you’ll find on an Abstract of Title. It’s my network.

Lenders. Maritime attorneys. Documentation professionals. Brokers. State registration specialists. Closing professionals. And yes, even competitors.

These aren’t companies I found five minutes ago because a customer asked me for a recommendation. These are people and companies I’ve worked with, learned from, called when I needed another set of eyes, referred customers to, and in many cases worked alongside for years.

Everyone in this industry has their go-to people. These are some of mine.

“I don’t make referrals because somebody handed me a business card at a boat show. I refer people I’ve actually worked with.”

Financing

Diverse Offerings Finance

Marine financing — the featured relationship in my network.

Diverse Offerings Finance has been part of my professional network since 2017, when I was still working with Gloria Rector Vessel Documentation. And when I started my own company? They came with me.

Remember what I said about return customers? This is one of them.

I’ve worked with Diverse on just about every type of transaction over the years, from the wonderfully easy ones to the files that made everybody involved earn their paycheck.

But there’s one thing I hear repeatedly from the buyers and brokers I refer to them: “I’m so glad you referred them. They’re so easy to work with.”

That’s why they’re here. I don’t recommend companies because I recognize their logo. I recommend people I’ve actually worked with. And I’ve worked with Diverse for years.

Diverse Offerings Finance

Marine Financing · In my network since 2017

Visit Diverse Offerings Finance

Financing is subject to lender approval, terms and eligibility. WaterProof / Coralie Robins Vessel Documentation, Inc. is not a lender and does not make financing or credit decisions.

Who touches a vessel transaction

Everyone Below Can Be Involved in a Single Closing

Not every transaction includes all of them. Complicated ones include more than people expect.

Buyer

The party receiving ownership — and the one who needs it to be clean.

Seller

Must be the owner of record, with authority to sign.

Buyer's broker

Represents the buyer and coordinates the purchase.

Seller's broker

Represents the seller and the listing.

Closing agent

Handles closing documents, funds, and disbursements.

Documentation agent

Prepares and files federal and state records.

Lender

Sets funding conditions and requires its mortgage recorded.

Lienholder

Provides payoff figures and the release of an existing lien.

State agency

Issues title and registration for the state involved.

U.S. Coast Guard

Maintains the federal vessel record.

Escrow department

Receives and releases funds under agreed terms.

Builder

Provides builder documentation for first-time documentation.

Dealer

Handles sale paperwork and collection in a dealer sale.

Surveyor

Reports condition and value, often a lender requirement.

Marina

Where the vessel is kept — relevant to registration and delivery.

Insurance company

Coverage is usually required before funding.

Foreign registry

Involved when a vessel is deleting from or entering another flag.

Customs authority

Import and entry documentation where applicable.

Attorney or CPA

When legal or tax advice is required, it should come from them.

How we work with other professionals

Coralie Robins Vessel Documentation, Inc. maintains professional relationships throughout the marine industry and works collaboratively when a transaction requires expertise or services beyond one company's role.

In practice, that means answering a broker's question mid-deal, giving a lender the documentation status it needs, telling a buyer honestly that a question belongs with an attorney or CPA, and staying involved until the filings are complete.

It also means being clear about our own role. We handle documentation, title, registration, and closing work. We do not give legal or tax advice, and we do not pretend that a documentation company can resolve every issue a transaction raises.

Sometimes the smartest answer is:

“I know exactly who you need to talk to.”

We work closely with maritime attorneys, lenders, brokers, closing professionals, state registration resources, and other documentation companies. Yes, that sometimes includes our competitors. The goal is solving the customer's problem, not pretending we are the only people in the marine industry.

For professionals

Working With Brokers, Dealers, Builders, and Lenders

If you handle vessel transactions regularly, you already know where they go wrong.

Brokers

Documentation and closing work handled, clients kept informed, and early warning when a record problem is going to affect your closing date.

Dealers & builders

First-time documentation, Builder's Certification issues, trade-ins, and title work on delivered vessels.

Lenders

Pre-funding abstract review, payoff and release coordination, mortgage recording, and confirmation of what was filed.

When I need a maritime attorney

When the Question Needs a Maritime Attorney

I know vessel documentation, title, registration and closings. I also know when a question has crossed the line from a Coralie question into a maritime attorney question. And I'm perfectly comfortable saying so.

Everyone in this industry develops their own go-to people. These are the attorneys and firms I tend to lean on when I need help, particularly when I need it quickly. Not a ranking, not a claim that one firm is objectively better than another — just mine.

Anthony “Tony” Cuva

TCBG Law

Admiralty & Maritime · Yacht Sales · Litigation · Regulatory

Tony is usually my first call. He has practiced admiralty and maritime law for more than 30 years and is Board Certified in Admiralty and Maritime Law by The Florida Bar. His practice includes yacht sales and other maritime transactions in addition to maritime litigation and regulatory matters.

Visit TCBG Law

Fowler White Burnett, P.A.

Admiralty & Maritime

Transactions · Financing · Marine Contracts · Disputes

Fowler White has a substantial maritime practice with attorneys handling both transactional and litigation matters — vessel purchases and sales, financing, vessel registration, marine contracts and complex maritime disputes.

Visit Fowler White Burnett

Wenthur Law Group, LLP

Yacht Transactions

Taxation · Ownership Structure · Regulatory & International

Wenthur Law Group is another firm I lean on when a transaction needs specialized legal guidance, particularly when yacht ownership, sales/use tax, entity structure, regulatory issues, flagging, or domestic and international considerations are involved.

Visit Wenthur Law Group

Knowing the answer also means knowing when the answer needs to come from an attorney.

I’m a vessel documentation and closing professional. I’m not an attorney, and I don’t pretend to be one. If something moves outside my lane, I’m going to tell you. And when possible, I’m going to help get you to someone whose lane it actually is.

WaterProof / Coralie Robins Vessel Documentation, Inc. is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. The firms above are Coralie’s professional go-to resources — not a ranking of law firms, and not a guarantee of representation. Any engagement is between you and the firm.

Documentation & state services

Yes, That Includes Other Documentation Companies.

I keep relationships with other vessel documentation professionals — including competitors. Boat paperwork is a small world, and there's plenty of it to go around.

Jane Beale

Gloria Rector Vessel Documentation

My mom, here in Florida. USCG documentation, closings, a high volume of commercial vessels, specialty banking transactions and a substantial recreational clientele.

Kristi Fields

USCG Vessel Documentation · Texas Title & Registration · Marine Documentation Services

Need vessel documentation or Texas state services?

Meet my sister, Kristi Fields, owner of Lone Star Marine Documentation. Kristi provides the same types of USCG vessel documentation services I provide through WaterProof, along with Texas vessel title and registration services.

So yes — my sister and I own separate vessel documentation companies. Which technically makes us competitors. Family holidays remain peaceful. There’s plenty of boat paperwork to go around.

When a customer needs Texas state services, Kristi is one of the people I’m comfortable sending them to, because she can handle both sides of the transaction:

USCG Documentation
Texas vessel title & registration

That means if you’re in Texas and prefer to have one documentation company coordinate your federal documentation and your Texas state requirements, Lone Star Marine Documentation may be the better fit for your transaction.

And I’m perfectly comfortable telling you that. Because that’s the entire point of this network.

Wait… you refer customers to your competitor?

Yep. She’s also my sister.

But more importantly, I know her work. If Lone Star is the better fit for what you need, I’ll tell you. And Kristi and I can both handle USCG Documentation, so geography doesn’t determine who you have to use for the federal side.

Sometimes the deciding factor is simply which company is better positioned to handle the complete transaction you need.

Two separate, independent companies

WaterProof

USCG Documentation nationwide
Florida title & registration
Georgia registration
Alabama registration
Vessel closings
Canadian deletions
Australian deletions

Lone Star

USCG Documentation services
Texas vessel title & registration services

Lone Star Marine Documentation is not a branch, affiliate, subsidiary or office of WaterProof. Two separate, independent companies owned by two sisters in the same industry who may refer business to one another when appropriate.

I don’t need to keep every transaction that comes through my door. I need to make sure the customer gets where they need to go.

Sometimes that’s WaterProof. Sometimes it’s my sister. Sometimes it’s another documentation professional. Sometimes we need a maritime attorney. Sometimes we need a lender. After more than 20 years in this business, knowing who should handle something can be just as important as knowing how to handle it.

Closing agents

Documentation Agent ≠ Closing Agent

Yes, I do both. No, they aren't the same job.

Vessel documentation and vessel closings often work hand-in-hand, but they are not the same service.

A Documentation Agent focuses on the vessel’s paperwork: ownership, USCG documentation, title and registration, mortgages, liens, filings and the documents necessary to properly reflect the transaction.

A Closing Agent coordinates the actual closing transaction, which may include closing statements, funding requirements, escrow coordination, payoffs, commissions, seller proceeds, taxes, lender requirements, execution of closing documents and post-closing disbursement or filing coordination.

I handle both.

But here’s where experience also requires a little honesty: I can only personally close so many transactions at one time and still provide the level of attention I expect my customers to receive. And I refuse to pretend otherwise.

So yes, you may call me — and I may refer your closing to someone else.

That isn’t me getting rid of your file. That’s me doing my job.

I have a carefully selected network of experienced Closing Agents I work closely with and trust. When my own closing volume is high, or when another Closing Agent is particularly well suited for the needs, location, parties or structure of a transaction, I may recommend that they handle the closing.

I choose those referrals very carefully. I’m not pulling a name from a directory and wishing you luck. These are Closing Agents I’ve worked with, communicated with, watched handle transactions, and built professional relationships with. If I’m putting one of my customers in their hands, there’s a reason.

“I have to be realistic about volume. I’d rather put you with the right Closing Agent than take one closing too many and give you less attention than your transaction deserves.”

The Right Closing Agent for the Right Transaction.

Not every closing needs exactly the same thing. Some involve financing. Some are cash. Some involve complicated payoffs, multiple brokers, foreign buyers or sellers, or unusual tax and registration coordination. And some are beautifully boring.

When I refer a closing, I consider what that particular transaction needs and who in my network is the best fit. So if someone other than me ultimately handles your closing: I didn’t just find you “a Closing Agent.” I considered your transaction and helped match you with the one I believe is right for your deal.

Wait… you’re telling people you might refer business away?

Yep. Because there’s a difference between “I can take your closing” and “I should take your closing.” I care much more about the second question.

Taking every transaction that comes through the door isn’t impressive if you don’t have enough hours in the day to properly service them. Sometimes I’ll handle your documentation and your closing. Sometimes I’ll handle your documentation and connect you with one of my trusted Closing Agents. Sometimes another professional is the better fit for the entire transaction.

The goal doesn’t change: get the customer taken care of.

Foreign registry resources

I Handle Canada and Australia Myself.

I personally handle Canadian deletions and Australian deletions.

For other foreign registries, I maintain a select group of professionals I recommend based on the registry, the vessel and the transaction. I don’t pretend to specialize in every flag in the world just because a search engine exists.

If someone in my network is better suited to that registry, that’s where I’m sending you. The goal is getting it handled correctly.

After 20+ years

I Have People.

One of the most valuable things I’ve built isn’t something you’ll find on a government form. It’s my network.

Maritime attorneys

Lenders

Knowing Who to Call Is Part of the Job.

I don’t believe being experienced means pretending I can personally do everything. Sometimes experience means looking at a situation and knowing exactly what needs to happen. Sometimes it means knowing exactly who I need to call.

And sometimes it means telling a customer: “I’m not the best person for this one, but I know who is.”

I’m perfectly comfortable doing that. Because the goal isn’t proving I can do everything. The goal is getting my customer to the right answer.

“Sometimes the best way for me to take care of your transaction is to handle it myself. Sometimes it’s knowing exactly who should.”

Next step

Not sure who you need? Start with me.

Tell me what's going on with the vessel. If it's in my wheelhouse, we'll handle it. If we need another professional involved, there's a pretty good chance I know who to call.

Ask Coralie where to start See Services