Providers/Chris Miller
Aircraft finance brokerPerson

Chris Miller

Atlanta, GA, United States

Shearwater is best understood as a specialist aviation finance platform with both direct private-debt lending and arranging/advisory capabilities. Official and association sources support business jet, special mission aircraft, older-vintage assets, pre-delivery or construction financing, aviation real estate, and yacht finance. The April 2026 Bay Point relationship appears to expand capital access while keeping the Shearwater aviation brand active.

Best for

  • Complex business jet financing
  • Asset-based private aviation credit
  • Older-vintage or special mission aircraft
  • Pre-delivery and construction financing
  • Borrowers outside conventional bank appetite
  • International or cross-border aviation finance

Potential drawbacks

  • No dedicated online application or preapproval URL found
  • No public general rates, APR range, closing-cost schedule, or broker compensation disclosure found
  • Limited independent Shearwater-specific customer reviews
  • Post-April-2026 Shearwater/Bay Point integration may need manual confirmation for current contract counterparty and email routing

Coverage and fit

Aircraft segments

jetbusiness jetmedium business jetlarge business jetlarge turboprop aircraftspecial mission aircraftutilitarian aircraftaviation equipment

Coverage lines

Not listed.

Borrower segments

individualscompaniesownersoperatorsinvestorsborrowers outside mainstream lendingborrowers outside conventional bank criteriacommercial aviation clientsprivate aviation clients

Usage segments

corporate business aviationprivate aviationcommercial operatorgovernment contract or special mission

Research signals

Reputation score

Not scored

Signal strength

limited

Sources

14

The public web signal is mostly official materials, association listings, and aviation trade coverage rather than customer reviews. Those sources consistently present Chris Miller and Shearwater as a specialized, relationship-driven aviation finance team for complex, non-bankable, high-value aviation assets. Independent customer-review evidence specific to Shearwater is thin. Parent-platform Bay Point has independent press scrutiny in non-aviation luxury real-estate lending, so borrowers should review transaction terms carefully.

Positive themes

  • Deep specialization in business jet and asset-backed aviation finance.
  • Willingness to consider borrowers and assets that may fall outside conventional bank criteria.
  • Global and cross-border lending experience.
  • Broader capital access after the Bay Point relationship.
  • Association credibility through NAFA and IADA.

Negative themes

  • No robust independent Shearwater-specific customer review corpus found.
  • No public general rate sheet, fee schedule, or standard borrower-cost disclosure found.
  • No dedicated online application or instant preapproval workflow found.
  • Bay Point has faced independent press scrutiny and disputed borrower criticism in non-aviation luxury-property lending.

Forum themes

  • No meaningful aviation-forum or Reddit discussion corpus specific to Shearwater customer experience was found in public search results.

Sources