Keeping a small boat in mainland spain

[Bigplumbs]

I live in the UK and I will soon have access to my pension and I was initially going to spend my lump sum on a boat (Very wise I hear you say ). Her indoors spends a good part of her free time watching a Place in the Sun and has sort of talked me round to buying a small property in Spain in the Murcia area instead of a boat.

My thoughts are that I will take one of my 17 foot speed boats there (or buy one there) and leave it on the property and launch when we want to use it. Or perhaps leave it on the hard in a marina in the months we are at the property.

I have my ICC to use the boat but was wondering if there is a whole load of red tape and other things that will cost regarding using a boat in this way in Spain.

We would be very grateful for any information you might convey

Regards

Dennis

 

[petem]

Proof of vat payment or the age of the boat would be handy but not a big deal on a small/ cheap boat like yours. Also, stick it on the SSR, get some insurance and you're good to go.

 

[Bigplumbs]

Proof of vat payment or the age of the boat would be handy but not a big deal on a small/ cheap boat like yours. Also, stick it on the SSR, get some insurance and you're good to go.

Thanks Pete. I bought most of mine of private sellers for a few grand each and have no VAT receipt as obviously they were not VAT registered do you think if I just cobble up a receipt it would suffice

Dennis

 

[petem]

Thanks Pete. I bought most of mine of private sellers for a few grand each and have no VAT receipt as obviously they were not VAT registered do you think if I just cobble up a receipt it would suffice

Dennis

What year is the boat Dennis?

Also, and of far more interest, have you considered what you might do to make it good for the med? Cool box, a bimini, an anchor, somewhere to sunbathe, etc all spring to mind.

I also wonder if they might sell well down there if you want to rationalise your stock and maybe move upmarket a little. Or of course it could just make space for another at home!

 

[Bigplumbs]

What year is the boat Dennis?

Also, and of far more interest, have you considered what you might do to make it good for the med? Cool box, a bimini, an anchor, somewhere to sunbathe, etc all spring to mind.

I also wonder if they might sell well down there if you want to rationalise your stock and maybe move upmarket a little. Or of course it could just make space for another at home!

The boat I would probably take is a bit of a classic Fletcher about 24 years old with a 75 hp merc on the back. We would intend to live at the property in say Oct and Nov and then Jan and Feb and probably July so most not in summer but would just like to escape the worst of the UK cold and Dark.

I would enjoy tinkering with the boat to adapt to med use so yes Bimini etc.

We should start looking at properties this year with a view to buy this year but her indoors cant get access to her pension to retire for a couple of years (We are currently 54 and 53 years old)

Dennis

 

[kashurst]

Hard standing in most marinas in the med is at a premium - you can leave a boat on the hard in a marina for a week or two but its expensive and they will want you gone asap. So its either get a berth (marinas can be pretty cheap in the murcia area) or you will need somewhere else to store it - at the new house?
documents: SSR, Insurance (ask co for spanish version), vhf radio license, VAT receipt preferably but shouldn't be a problem on a small older boat and take your passports or at least a copy - illegal immigrants an issue these days.

 

[NGM]

SSR and Insurance, and to be safe proof of ownership

Take a look here
http://www.pdmc.es

Typical basic mainland marina however it's just been completely refurbed. Berths have fingers and they have a large dry dock - the only one in the area. Staff are excellent.
Also it's on the Mar Menor - which is about perfect for your type of boat.

However, be aware the dates you potentially intend to visit. Nov - Mar will still have many lovely sunny days and good boating conditions but overall it will be a bit of a ghost town.
Certainly you would need to be careful with property selection too.

 

[markc]

A friend of mine keeps a boat here http://www.marinadelassalinas.es/ with an apartment nearby. It is a 21 ft Regal. The downsides are this area of coast has a lot of wind and it can be a bit hard to get to use the boat, however being close to Mar Menor can give some sheltered options. Keeping the boat afloat does mean the need to deal with the fouling etc as it's quite bad - on a trailer would certainly keep your maintenance down. Also, having myself just sold a house that I have owned for the past 12 years near Alicante, be very careful where you buy, and what you buy - you can easily end up in a ghost town out of season, or with a property that's impossible to sell, or terribly built! Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions

 

[Andy Bav]

This is a thought that has crossed my mind, and I find the whole subject of deciding where to buy a place anywhere in the med quite fascinating - where do you start !

I am no expert, but I assume the red tape on the property will be more complex that the boat which should be minimal. We are bigger than 17 feet, but we were boarded last year and they were asking for papers in particular the Registration Document, Passports and VAT status (she is registered in Guernsey, so a red flag for them) as well as the insurance document (your insurer will provide a Spanish Translation for you at no cost), but I also had the VHF and ICC licences to hand also, but they weren't interested in those.

As other have suggested, a wrong decision could end up with your hard earned being spent on a place that is located in a town that is like a ghost town out of season, so I wonder what prompted her to decide on that particular area ? As others have said, liquidity of the asset is a factor, and looking at the Estate Agents windows in Sant Carles reveals a number of pretty cheap, yet substantial(for the price), properties, and walking around some parts you can see where the builders simply walked away from a development during the crisis. So location will be critical.

If time is on your hands now would be a perfect time to do your homework - flights and car hire are dirt cheap and its right at the trough of the closed season - and just spending a week or so driving around potential areas could be an eye opener for you both. We went to Sant Carles (further North than Murcia) in January and February last year, and in the sun and out of the wind it was jeans and T shirt weather during the day. The town is basically a working fishing town, so restaurants chandlers were open.

I can't offer any specific advice but would be interested to see how your thought processes unfold, as for me, a nice place close to good and immediate access to a boat of any sort in the med is attractive.... its just a question of where.

Of course you could always talk her around to a bigger boat <cringe>

Happy hunting :encouragement:

 

[kashurst]

For boaty purposes the weather/wind in the Murcia area tends to be worst (the odd big storm aside) in August - when it's the hottest. You get a strong sea breeze every afternoon @ 3-00pm until @ 8-00pm. Lovely ashore but can make things a bit too lumpy for a smaller boat. Mornings usually OK as the sea settles down again. The best boaty weather tends to be mid September until January, places still open and it's a lot quieter. February until April wet, cold and it can rain a lot. May -June usually good to.

If you are considering houses to live in over the winter, look for one with a heating system (not that common - air con is though) as the houses are built to loose heat, not keep it and they can get cold and clammy if the weather is bad.

Some of the prettiest places are further north Altea to Javea with lots of sheltered bays etc.

 

[DavidJ]

Have a look at Empuriabrava
It has a resident population of 5000 so never dies and dependant on your budget you can get a waterside property. With a small Fletcher boat you could get beyond the bridges where prices are cheaper.
Also the fabulous Cap de Creus bays are just a 15 min blast away.
Downsides are August when 100,000 people arrive and it does get windy.
Local airports are Gerona and Perpignan

 

[petem]

Dennis, get your missus to have a look at "Sun Sea and Selling Houses" for a bit more inspiration.

 

[longjohnsilver]

I live in the UK and I will soon have access to my pension and I was initially going to spend my lump sum on a boat (Very wise I hear you say ). Her indoors spends a good part of her free time watching a Place in the Sun and has sort of talked me round to buying a small property in Spain in the Murcia area instead of a boat.

My thoughts are that I will take one of my 17 foot speed boats there (or buy one there) and leave it on the property and launch when we want to use it. Or perhaps leave it on the hard in a marina in the months we are at the property.

I have my ICC to use the boat but was wondering if there is a whole load of red tape and other things that will cost regarding using a boat in this way in Spain.

We would be very grateful for any information you might convey

Regards

Dennis

I towed our almost new Cap Camarat down to Spain this time last year. I keep it on its trailer in the local marina (Altea), it costs €1075 for the year, and this includes 3 launches and recoveries by the marina hoist, 21 days in the water and unlimited launching and recovering by myself. The marina hardstanding is very secure, the facilities are good, parking is included so overall it works well and I'm very pleased we bought a boat to use here.

We were asked for insurance documents, which I had from GJW in Spanish, SSR registration and my ICC. Nothing else.

 

[Bigplumbs]

Many thanks indeed for some excellent advice and things to think about. As far as budget for the property is concerned we have £50-£70 k depending on what we see so at the lower end of the market. It may surprise some of you but I don't care much about resale value as we have no children and once I buy something I generally never sell it. We want inland by about 30 - 40 mins in a car and are happy with a big urbanisation but I take your point about Ghost towns.

Lots and lots to think about but what we do know is we need some sun because as we get older the slog from Christmas to Spring seems a long haul. I still love the UK though and being an old Suffolk Boy my Heart is very much in East Anglia where I have more relatives than I can count

Dennis

 

[markc]

You'll get something for your budget inland, but bear in mind that you may want to sell to relocate in Spain once you have been there a while. I would stick to a Spanish town rather than an ex-pat urbanisation, especially inland.

 

[Bigplumbs]

You'll get something for your budget inland, but bear in mind that you may want to sell to relocate in Spain once you have been there a while. I would stick to a Spanish town rather than an ex-pat urbanisation, especially inland.

I appreciate what you say but with the amount of family I have in Suffolk we would never ever contemplate relocating to Spain full time

 

[petem]

...once I buy something I generally never sell it.

You do surprise us !

 

[TheOrs]

we have £50-£70 k

You do realise if you shop carefully that much money could buy you 15 to 20 small Fletchers!

 

[Bigplumbs]

You do realise if you shop carefully that much money could buy you 15 to 20 small Fletchers!

Believe me I have contemplated that.................. Lovely boats true classics and part of boating history. Who could not love them

Dennis

 

[Hurricane]

Just adding to Andy Bav's post
Also think carefully what you woul like to do with your boating bit when you get there.
Mar Menor was mentioned above.
Very similar to our lagoon at Sant Carles but our lagoon is open to the sea making trips down the coast easier.
For example a good day out from Sant Carles is a lunch trip to Alcanar - about 7 miles away - well lunvh trip usually lasts all day.
Also our lagoon is 7 miles long 1.5 miles wide and 6m deep - great holding makes it the perfect place for chiling out or playing with the toys etc.

I'm sure you will find property in your budget but be warned.
Buying property in Spain has its problems - especially when reselling.
Thirty years ago, my parents bought a villa in Las Fuentes - about 25 miles south of Sant Carles.
Lots of problems getting the money back when they sold.
But the weatyer is great and well worth the hassle so don't give up on the idea.