There obviously needs to be regulation in the boat building industry with an industry standard building contract and some type of insurance added to the contract to cover the buyer. Fair Trading and the ACCC are a joke when it comes to consumer protection. Boats are a big ticket item and losing big deposits can financially stricken the purchaser. If the builder goes bust it is usually due to their own poor business skills, but the purchaser is the one who pays. It is actually safer to import a boat from the U.S using an escrow as you can get insurance if things go wrong. And what about the ethics of certain builders that continue to accept deposits knowing that they are in trouble and bullshitting about progress work that is never completed. I am sure that ethical boat builders would appreciate some regulation in this industry to get rid of the cons who make it hard for legitimate businesses to keep credibility....