Non-UK-mainstream boats: Buying in Europe?

[Sticky Fingers]

Well folks, in the last few months since the sale of our yacht I've now been to look at about 20 or so used hardtop / coupe / flybridge boats around 43-46' in the UK, from all of the usual suspects (Sealine, Fairline, Princess, Broom, Rodman, Jeanneau, Bavaria, Beneteau ...) and what I have discovered is even 20 year old boats of the right size are too much money for my budget (about 160k). Even those in poor condition. Considering that some of them need maybe 50k or more spending on improvements I might be in trouble here...!

I can find something that's too small for our "needs" but it's proving hard to find a good one at the right size that ticks all or most of the boxes. Tried a cheeky offer on a couple, not expecting much and so far that's proved right.

The ideal perfect boat doesn't exist, I get that, but I'm pretty disappointed with what I've seen. The reality is that my budget is not adequate.

So I'm wondering if I should look at brands that are less common in the UK, and expect to buy in the northern mediterranean ideally France, Spain/Balearics, Italy, Croatia. Looking at boats.com or yachtmarket.com I see brands unknown to me like Belliure, Gobbi, Sessa, Gianetti, Atlantis, Airon, Cayman, Astondoa, Cannevali, Uniesse, Sarnico, Serapo ... the list is endless.

Appreciate that these models may have little or no UK support, and might be sun-damaged, would need transport to UK, and would then be harder to resell in the UK.

Is this a bad idea.

 

[markc]

I agree that a number of European brands would be hard to sell in the UK, and so you suffer at the other end of the deal. Maybe you should be looking for the brands you first mentioned, but in Europe and ship back to the UK? I'm a little surprised that with £160k and a 20 year age limit, that you can't find anything in the UK though.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Well I'm wondering about that too.

I can find boats in the UK. Just not good ones at my budget.

 

[Seastoke]

Well I'm wondering about that too.

I can find boats in the UK. Just not good ones at my budget.

Why don’t you post the models that would suits you , and peeps may know of one coming for sale.

 

[Greg2]

If a flybridge is on the options list this looks to be a tidy boat - well specced for UK or Med use and around your budget Fairline Phantom 46

NYA are a good outfit to deal with.

 

[jrudge]

I hAd a cranchi here that I advertised and could not sell. Boats.co.uk took it in px and sold it in a week. My dad was in the car trade and when someone walks in looking for say in this case a targa 34 and sees a newer cranchi 33 for 40% less they buy it but shifting them can be tricky !

At the end of the day the mechanicals will be Volvo or whatever and half the remaining parts will be from the same suppliers. Air con etc. You will just be done at the other end of the deal - simple take it to the med until it sells

 

[oldgit]

Have also found that you really need to travel well outside the golden triangle of the south and southeast.
During our "about to give up search" devoted a weekend to viewing boats in
Scotland
North Wales
Lincoln
Norfolk
and finally if all else failed
The Solent.
Contacted the skipper of the proposed first viewing ,the boat in Scotland regards how much we had to spend , he told me to get lost.
We bought the next boat in the search located in North Wales, while driving away received a phone call from the chap in Scotland saying he had changed his mind and would I like to view boat. It was still on the market up until quite recently .

 

[Sticky Fingers]

If a flybridge is on the options list this looks to be a tidy boat - well specced for UK or Med use and around your budget Fairline Phantom 46
NYA are a good outfit to deal with.

Hi Greg, yes I have been to see that one. It's revolting. Utterly horrible inside, shabby and unloved, leaking. It's the best example so far of what I mean about poor quality at top money. How an owner can let a boat get into that condition and then expect to sell it I have no idea, NYA were honest about it and sent me the a copy of the survey before I went. If it was 80k it might be a goer.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Have also found that you really need to travel well outside the golden triangle of the south and southeast.
During our "about to give up search" devoted a weekend to viewing boats in
Scotland
North Wales
Lincoln
Norfolk
and finally if all else failed
The Solent.
Contacted the skipper of the proposed first viewing ,the boat in Scotland regards how much we had to spend , he told me to get lost.
We bought the next boat in the search located in North Wales, while driving away received a phone call from the chap in Scotland saying he had changed his mind and would I like to view boat. It was still on the market up until quite recently .

Yes that's true. So far I've been to Lincoln, Norfolk, Ipswich, and various spots on the Solent but the pattern is the same everywhere. I'm kinda put off travelling to (say) Falmouth or Oban of whatever, when experience so far tells me it'll be a disappointing waste of time.

 

[AdeOlly]

@Scala - we’ve also been looking for a boat the past six months having sold our Prestige at the end of 2018. We’re looking at a much lower price point than you but the situation is the same. There is a massive shortage of decent boats which has not only pushed prices up to silly levels, but also means anything in good nick and sensibly priced sells fast. I’ve three times phoned to book viewings on newly listed boats to be told they’d just gone under offer.
With my kids now being teenagers and wanting to do many things other than be with mum and dad on the boat, we’re looking to downsize and I want less ££££ consumed in buying and running. Turning out to be mission impossible. IMO this is due to a perfect storm of reduced new boat sales post 2008, masses of boats heading into the continent due to pathetic Pound and easy access to cash, be it finance or equity released from property sales. I’m personally reluctant to overpay as we all know the used boat market is highly cyclical, and goodness only knows what chaos the next 12 months will bring to the economy....

 

[mcanderson]

If you do start looking in Italy, just remember that the buyer pays the commission on sale plus tax. You can do some negotiations on this, but be aware.

 

[Greg2]

Hi Greg, yes I have been to see that one. It's revolting. Utterly horrible inside, shabby and unloved, leaking. It's the best example so far of what I mean about poor quality at top money. How an owner can let a boat get into that condition and then expect to sell it I have no idea, NYA were honest about it and sent me the a copy of the survey before I went. If it was 80k it might be a goer.

Well that goes to show just how misleading photos can be!

 

[Sticky Fingers]

@Scala - we’ve also been looking for a boat the past six months having sold our Prestige at the end of 2018. We’re looking at a much lower price point than you but the situation is the same. There is a massive shortage of decent boats which has not only pushed prices up to silly levels, but also means anything in good nick and sensibly priced sells fast. I’ve three times phoned to book viewings on newly listed boats to be told they’d just gone under offer.
With my kids now being teenagers and wanting to do many things other than be with mum and dad on the boat, we’re looking to downsize and I want less ££££ consumed in buying and running. Turning out to be mission impossible. IMO this is due to a perfect storm of reduced new boat sales post 2008, masses of boats heading into the continent due to pathetic Pound and easy access to cash, be it finance or equity released from property sales. I’m personally reluctant to overpay as we all know the used boat market is highly cyclical, and goodness only knows what chaos the next 12 months will bring to the economy....

Yes I think that’s exactly right.

 

[kashurst]

Have a look at this website: Barcos a motor de ocasión 12-15 metros 100.000€-200.000€ 480 - Top Barcos
for your budget and age range there are quite a few possibilities. Buying a boat is Spain is easy.
my favourite after a quick scan is : Fairline phantom 43

however there are a few azimut 42's, Beneteau 1380's, Rodman 41's, a Sealine T51 and even a Riviera 3600 hard top sports cruiser - all of which should sell in the UK.

 

[maby]

Have you looked at smaller boats? You seem to be basing the size on that of the sailing yacht that you sold a few months ago, but you generally get a lot more living space in a mobo than you do in a sailing boat of the same length. I would think that you would get all the space and facilities of Scala from a mobo in the mid to high thirties.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Have you looked at smaller boats? You seem to be basing the size on that of the sailing yacht that you sold a few months ago, but you generally get a lot more living space in a mobo than you do in a sailing boat of the same length. I would think that you would get all the space and facilities of Scala from a mobo in the mid to high thirties.

Hi Maby, you might be surprised, unfortunately... the living space on a 42' mobo is tiny compared to the yacht although some designs are better than others of course. The engines / machinery spaces plus tanks use up to half of the volume. The best mid-thirties mobo we've seen is the Sealine SC35, it's smaller in every way except the cockpit.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Have a look at this website: Barcos a motor de ocasión 12-15 metros 100.000€-200.000€ 480 - Top Barcos
for your budget and age range there are quite a few possibilities. Buying a boat is Spain is easy.
my favourite after a quick scan is : Fairline phantom 43

however there are a few azimut 42's, Beneteau 1380's, Rodman 41's, a Sealine T51 and even a Riviera 3600 hard top sports cruiser - all of which should sell in the UK.

Thanks, not seen that site. That P43 looks promising (don't they all).

 

[markc]

Hi Greg, yes I have been to see that one. It's revolting. Utterly horrible inside, shabby and unloved, leaking. It's the best example so far of what I mean about poor quality at top money. How an owner can let a boat get into that condition and then expect to sell it I have no idea, NYA were honest about it and sent me the a copy of the survey before I went. If it was 80k it might be a goer.

I thought it looked very shabby in the photos - many of the linings needed replacing and it looked grubby. Plus no photos of the engine room. You do need a super critical eye when looking at photos as the photos always seem to show the boat better than in real life. It is worth really challenging the broker for high res pictures or better still, get him to do a Facetime tour around with boat so you can ask specific questions. I have done that when searching for a boat abroad - mainly after a wasted flight to France to see a boat that was in 'amazing condition', but was truly diabolical - I could easily have pushed the broker off the quay in disgust.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

I thought it looked very shabby in the photos - many of the linings needed replacing and it looked grubby. Plus no photos of the engine room. You do need a super critical eye when looking at photos as the photos always seem to show the boat better than in real life. It is worth really challenging the broker for high res pictures or better still, get him to do a Facetime tour around with boat so you can ask specific questions. I have done that when searching for a boat abroad - mainly after a wasted flight to France to see a boat that was in 'amazing condition', but was truly diabolical - I could easily have pushed the broker off the quay in disgust.

In NYA's defence they were open and transparent about it. I'd have been seriously unhappy if they'd said it was clean and tidy...! In suppose I'm expecting the same standards from others as I would have myself. But it's still depressing and demotivating... !

 

[mcanderson]

Two apps you might want to try for France are YouBoat and annoucesdubateau. Both offer good filtering and I found our boat on youboat.