Any advice for a novice boat buyer?

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Dylboy

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Hi. I'm new to this so be gentle with me!

I have limited boating experience but recently decided to get my foot on the ladder in Spain. I haven't bought yet but have been looking for some time and kind of know what I'm after. A boat has just come to my attention and I'm very tempted.

It's a 1974 Aresa 40' (12m) twin screw diesel yacht. It has a flybridge and twin Cummins V8 504 diesel engines. It has just been fully refurbed and is lying in a marina in Malaga.

I'm very tempted to jump on a flight to check it out but to be honest, I wouldn't know what I'm looking at! So before I grab my passport can anyone give me a breakdown of what I should be looking for on such a boat.

Any advice much appreciated!
 
I went through this very scenario as a newbie to boating. A boat in the sunshine sounds great.
Several things started to happen when looking in Spain. These boats tend to be playthings ie not used but not abused. This is the worst thing for a boat not to be used. They also get very damaged by the sun.
You will then find out that the servicing that has been done may not be great and that the survey fees are a lot more than here in the UK.
You are also told that nothing is a problem - so much so that you begin to worry!!
These problems put me off the idea of buying abroad.
I therfore bought a boat in the UK and I am very glad I did. There is so much to learn. I have had it for about 6 months now and still stuggle to park it, it costs a fortune and takes up masses of your time. BUT I LOVE IT!!
Take my advice as a newbie buy here, learn and look forward to the sunny places when you know what your doing and what your buying!!! You will be so busy learning yiou wont notice it isnt sunny.
 
hi there dylboy i just went through the same thing and now have my own boat in spain, im learning very fast...but i guess it will take years to get fully up to speed. i really enjoyed looking for the right boat and i took several flights out of the country before i found the right one.

i know my way around most things mechanical but i would never have got up to speed with everything i needed to know in the time i had.

Once i found the boat that suited my famillies needs best in terms of size/speed/looks and comfort then then i let the surveyor do his work with the mechanics structure etc......just make sure you get yourself a good surveyor! i chatted with a couple and finally decided on an english guy living out in spain to carry out the survey, the good thing was he spoke perfect spanish and was really helpfull with the people at the yard and marina, he knew the area and gave great advice on the best place to go to get some of the issues fixed with the boat at the right price..it was good practical advice and was well worth paying out for.


to add..

With cheap flights out to spain the cost of traveling there is minimal these days as long as you book in advance, i just booked a 1 way ticket to barcalona on the 6th october for 1p ... the admin charge on the visa was £5.. travel time from the uk is 1hour 50 mins form birmimgham Int, it takes me 4 hours to southampton :)

The only troube is all my tools are in the uk so i will have to double up on them out in spain!

good luck with the boat hunt :)
 
Go for it !
We bought first boat as complete novices 7 years ago in Mallorca ( now on fourth ) . We are now completely hooked and have travelled from the island to mainland Spain, France, Italy and Sardinia and can't imagine life without a boat!
Only suggestion is don't go for the marine surveyor the broker has on speed dial!
 
Can't give you any advice on this as I am new to boating myself, got me a 25ft old one here in Cardiff and loving it. All the best in finding your boat in Spain I admire you're courage, wish I had the guts to do it, maybe in a few years time.
Please post some picks I'm sure we all want see them.
 
Dylboy said:
Hi. I'm new to this so be gentle with me!

I have limited boating experience but recently decided to get my foot on the ladder in Spain. I haven't bought yet but have been looking for some time and kind of know what I'm after. A boat has just come to my attention and I'm very tempted.

It's a 1974 Aresa 40' (12m) twin screw diesel yacht. It has a flybridge and twin Cummins V8 504 diesel engines. It has just been fully refurbed and is lying in a marina in Malaga.

I'm very tempted to jump on a flight to check it out but to be honest, I wouldn't know what I'm looking at! So before I grab my passport can anyone give me a breakdown of what I should be looking for on such a boat.

Any advice much appreciated!
Click to expand...

Buy a decent sailing yacht.... you'll be bored in minutes otherwise! :-)
 
This is the second time you have asked this question in as many days.

The advice will still be the same! This is an old wooden boat with obsolete engines. When they get to this age they are suspect because of either lack of use (too expensive to use) or lack of maintenance (too expensive to do it properly) - or both. It is likely that all the equipment will be old and parts difficult to obtain. Ply hard chine construction is very expensive to repair - which it will probably need at that age.

That is why these boats are so cheap - don't know what they are asking, but a recent boat of similar size and style will be £250k+. However running costs will be the same!

Not a beginners boat!
 
Tranona said:
This is the second time you have asked this question in as many days.

The advice will still be the same! This is an old wooden boat with obsolete engines. When they get to this age they are suspect because of either lack of use (too expensive to use) or lack of maintenance (too expensive to do it properly) - or both. It is likely that all the equipment will be old and parts difficult to obtain. Ply hard chine construction is very expensive to repair - which it will probably need at that age.

That is why these boats are so cheap - don't know what they are asking, but a recent boat of similar size and style will be £250k+. However running costs will be the same!

Not a beginners boat!
Click to expand...

Nar,this is his chance to make a small fortune, of course he will need to start out with a large one.

Avagoodweekend......:rolleyes:
 
Sorry for the duplication of posts. I tried to submit the post a few times but they never appeared. Apparently I hadn't been given clearance as a newbie!
 
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