The Donation process

The following steps identify our requirements for proceeding with a boat donation.

Review donation criteria

Review our donation criteria to see if your boat will be accepted.

Gather pertinent information about your boat

• Boat make/model
• Builder name
• Basic dimensions (length, beam, draft, displacement)
• Construction material
• Year built
• Mechanical details
• Engine type, size

If it's a sailboat also include:

• Rig type
• Standing rigging type and condition
• Running type and condition
• Sail inventory and condition

Contact the school

Email your donation information to boats@nwboatschool.org. Please be sure to include your name, location and details on how we can reach you.

Visual inspections

We will determine if your boat is a candidate for donation and if so schedule an appointment to do a visual inspection.

If the visual inspection confirms that the donation fits the needs of the school then the fair market value must be established.

• For donations under $5000 this can be done using comparable items.
• For donations valued over $5000 a survey by a licensed Marine Surveyor (at the donor’s expense) is required. Acceptance of the donation is contingent on the outcome of the survey.

IRS tax requirements

The accepted donation must be accompanied by IRS Form 8283 (Noncash Charitable Contributions) which is signed by the Donor, Surveyor and a school representative.

You can download IRS Form 8283 here in PDF format. Note that this file links to and is made available through the IRS website.

Your tax deduction

• If we have determined that your donation will be sold with no use or improvement you will be allowed to deduct the actual gross sales amount in the tax year of the sale.
• If we determine that your donation will be used in a school program or materially improved you will be allowed to deduct the fair market value in the year of the donation.

Please refer to our tax guidelines for more important information.