First timers buying a yacht in the Mediterranean

[aj36]

Hi all, my partner and I have decided to spend 6 months cruising between Greece and Croatia. I grew up racing skiffs and developed yacht handling skills through my parents who would lend me their yacht...lucky me!

I have the ability with handling yachts but not a great deal of knowledge if next to none buying one.

Our plan is to buy a boat ideally in April/May next year and sell it at the end of our trip some 6 months later. My thoughts are that the boat we choose need not tick every cosmetic box but rather be one that covers practicalities. We both feel it too difficult to buy before travelling over to Europe.

Priority one is that we buy a boat that is easy to sell and less likely to cost us too much money due to both running costs and the resale.
Our thoughts early on are:

The Beneteau and the Bavaria seem very popular and reputable resulting in a more reliable boat.
We're thinking anything before 2000 is too old.
30 to 36 feet seems to fall into our price range of 45 000 to 70 000 EUR (VAT inc)
Maybe an ex charter.
Boats closer to the upper end of our price range may have less complications both running and resale.

Note: We think it wise to buy in the Mediterranian as we are not willing to move the boat ourselves with little experience.

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Angus

[Jeff]

Not incredibly qualified to answer your question, but some thoughts...

Beneteau Bavaria Jenneau... they're all much of a muchness. In some instances, the pre 2000 models are built better and might serve you better. They have thicker hulls and better quality fit-out than the super mass produced modern alternatives.

Ex charter boats are available very cheaply from time to time, but they often have been hammered quite heavily. The Ben Bav Jen's interior is not built to take a great deal of hammer, so check them out carefully before you buy. Find out the specific problems of the make/model you're looking at and dig.

Benefit of an ex charter boat will be that it will have all of the things on it required for the area you're thinking of cruising in. I believe a lot of europe for instance now requires a vessel to have a holding tank. They likely will have a certified gas system also.

You could however get a good condition old Westerly or Moody (see our for sale thread for nice pics of an old Westerly), save yourself a LOT of money, and get yourself a much safer, more characterful boat.

Whatever you choose to do, best of luck!! You'll have a fantastic time!!

[aj36]

Thanks for your advice! Will look into those tips further.

The Westerly looks in good nick! Nice boat

Think we'll stick to the mainstream approach simply because we will only have the boat for 6 months or so and then sell. Just a bit less of a gamble in our predicament.

I'm hoping hull thickness is not a common problem particularly in the smoother waters of the med. Will pay attention more closely to whether the boats we see have holding tanks. I have a feeling the boats at the upper end of our price range will be set up.

Wondering whether expenses change much over a size difference from 30 to 36 feet?? Marinas, fuel, running costs generally, wintering the boat?

Can't wait...it all feels a bit surreal but I can feel a touch of reality sneaking in.

[Jeff]

Best of luck with whatever you go for. And please keep us posted on your progress/experiences!

[chrismol]

Hi guys.

Best advice I can give from my side is actually simple.
Get yourself a proper captain who has a lot of experience, take this man to the boat you would like to buy.
A captain will always look at a boat in a different way than some one who is just into boating, also a broker is not having the eyes of a captain unless this person is a captain.

Me for example I will never want to be on a boat if I am not 100% sure if this boat is safe, do know that at sea you can meet situations that could cost you your life if you have a boat that is not safe.

Hope this helps you, all the best

[eclipsesailing]

This may seem like a no-brainer but it's easy to see a yacht that looks cosmetically OK and find something major wrong with it. We used an excellent specialist marine lawyer in Peiraias who drove us nuts at the time with her endless fussing but saved us a heap of grief with the authorities further down the line -I can give you her name if you want. Even if the yacht broker says they can do the transfer for you I wouldn't rely on them.

You might like to take a look at our blog http://www.eclipsesailing.gr/category/e ... ling-blog/ which takes you through the highs and lows of buying and restoring a classic yacht - different from what you want I know but some of the pitfalls are the same - and anyway it might make you laugh.

If you're not going to be here all the time, you need to get someone to keep an eye on her wherever she is berthed. It's not just the issue of something going wrong with your boat but, also, say, the boat next door. We are unlucky enough to be moored next door to the most neglected boat in the harbour and she broke all her lazy lines in high winds one weekend (they were rotted through!) and smashed into ours. If you're not on the spot, things like that can turn into a nightmare. That does not necessarily mean going for very expensive marina but just having someone locally you trust.

[eclipsesailing]

Just seen the date of your post, so I'm guessing you may have bought by now. But this may be useful for anyone else doing the same thing. Just remember the Med includes countries that are in and out of the EU. The basic law is that a boat can be taken outside the EU and brought back in again without incurring VAT but if it is sold outside the EU and brought back in by the new owner, VAT is payable. It is however a very grey area and you must make sure you get a proper lawyer who understands the various permutations of the law otherwise you could end up with a very big extra bill