Country of registration

[armybrat]

I am in the process of looking to buy a Jeanneau 37 and have found a couple of interest to us .However this is our first boat and our knowledge of the legalites are sketchy and not helped by the sellers agents who seem to (naturally)give answers to our questions which just keep us quiet but not informed.One of our main concerns is that the boats we have seen ( in France or Spain) but are registered in another Euro country.If we purchased ,would we have to re-register in the UK or would it be preferable to leave the registration 'as bought'-----could we change the name ?. Futhermore how do you check that it doesnt have any HP or finance against it ? Any advice would be gratefully received.

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[ubuysa]

Get a copy of the RYA booklet "Buying a secondhand yacht - the legal aspects". You can get it online from the RYA website, it costs about £4.95 from memory. The RYA website also have good info on all these aspects, though I think that's restricted to RYA members.

Tony C.

<hr width=100% size=1>There are 10 kinds of people, those who understand binary and those who don't.

 

[Melody]

I can only speak for buying in Greece but for what its worth -
you normally have to be resident in the country in which you register the boat, so if you want to register a Greek flagged boat you have to have a residency certificate proving you've lived here for a minimum of a year. I think its the same in most EU countries. If you live in UK, register in the UK - think the RYA can give you addresses.
I would ALWAYS seek qualified advice when buying abroad. Get an English speaking surveyor to check the boat and get a local lawyer to help you with legal side. Be prepared for it to take longer than you might think. Good bargains to be had but BE CAREFUL.
Cheers
M


<hr width=100% size=1>Melody McKay Burton
Yacht Valentine, Greece