RHEA 36 Trawler

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Saso

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Hello my boating friends,


Does anyone have experience with — or know someone familiar with — this boat?
I’m considering purchasing one, but I’m a bit concerned since there are currently seven of them for sale, which is roughly 70% of the total production.


That makes me wonder — is there something I should know or be cautious about?


Thanks in advance for your opinions and guidance!
 
Saso said:
Hello my boating friends,


Does anyone have experience with — or know someone familiar with — this boat?
I’m considering purchasing one, but I’m a bit concerned since there are currently seven of them for sale, which is roughly 70% of the total production.


That makes me wonder — is there something I should know or be cautious about?


Thanks in advance for your opinions and guidance!
Click to expand...
An interesting post for me as we knew the Rhea range built in La Rochelle pretty well and had a new Rhea 23 day boat. We also knew personally very well the founder of Rhea Marine Betrand Danglade and his wife Martine both sadly are no longer with us now. He decided to move the Trawler range to Turkey as manufacturing was much cheaper in Turkey. Betrand was very excited about this range. I did view one at the Grand Pavois La Rochelle boat show but never delved into the quality of the Trawler range. The boats manufactured in the La Rochelle factory by the airport had amazing quality. Motte Marine in Ile de Re would be good contact to discuss these boats. RHEA s philosophy s strong fast boats. Looking at ones for sale they look nice boats. Sorry I can’t find reviews published.
 
Dear Nigel52,


Thank you very much for your reply — I truly appreciate the effort you put into answering my post.
The design, appearance, spaciousness, and overall equipment of this model are absolutely ideal for my taste; in fact, I find it almost perfect, which is why I might not be as objective as a potential buyer should be.
That said, as I mentioned earlier, I couldn’t help but notice that quite a few identical boats are currently listed for sale — some of them have been on the market for over two years, based on the listing history I checked. I have not been able to determine exactly how many units of this model were built in total, and any estimate I’ve made is purely speculative, based on publicly available data regarding hull numbers and production years. Unfortunately, brokerage sources haven’t provided any concrete information either.

The only potential concern that comes to mind — and this is again purely speculative — relates to possible balsa core issues. However, I have not been able to find any verified information confirming this.


warm regards
 
I understand your concerns, but I would familiarize myself with the boat and, if it seems suitable, have it thoroughly inspected at sea and on land. These boats are not manufactured in large series, so it may be a coincidence that the cycle of changing boats is happening now. A careful inspection eliminates risks, and an expert inspector will be able to identify any problems.
 
Thank you all for your replies — I completely agree with the points you’ve made.


I must admit I’m at a bit of a disadvantage, as most of the boats are located in Turkey. I’m fully aware that, as in any other country, there are experienced professionals available for this type of work. However, if you ask me, I would find it much easier to locate such experts in places like Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA), where the language barrier is minimal and where marine inspections and similar services are far more common and standardized within a mature boating market. Unfortunately, this kind of expertise and infrastructure is not as prevalent in the Adriatic region — and I believe it’s likely the same in Turkey.


That said, I’ll do my best to find a qualified person for the job, and I agree with you that there might ultimately be nothing to worry about. The current market situation, with several boats available, is indeed favorable from a pricing perspective. Still, I can’t completely shake off a slight sense of unease — as the saying goes, “where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire.”


Warm regards,
 
Saso said:
Thank you all for your replies — I completely agree with the points you’ve made.


I must admit I’m at a bit of a disadvantage, as most of the boats are located in Turkey. I’m fully aware that, as in any other country, there are experienced professionals available for this type of work. However, if you ask me, I would find it much easier to locate such experts in places like Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA), where the language barrier is minimal and where marine inspections and similar services are far more common and standardized within a mature boating market. Unfortunately, this kind of expertise and infrastructure is not as prevalent in the Adriatic region — and I believe it’s likely the same in Turkey.


That said, I’ll do my best to find a qualified person for the job, and I agree with you that there might ultimately be nothing to worry about. The current market situation, with several boats available, is indeed favorable from a pricing perspective. Still, I can’t completely shake off a slight sense of unease — as the saying goes, “where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire.”


Warm regards,
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Have you looked at Nordi tug boats? It might be easier for you in the U.S.
 
I also have no relevant information (which won’t stop me)....Rhea was always a fantasy boat for me...the best of French boat building....unfortunately well above my budget (I ended up with a Beneteau trawler)...as said, you see lots in the waters around La Rochelle..... I used to read everything available about them, and never came across anything worrying. Of course, I have no idea about them nowadays
 
Saso said:
Thank you for your answer. Unfortunately i could not open the link attached. Please could you recheck it. Appreciated.
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It may only be accessible from a Turkish ip. On further investigation the company advertising it are Skylight Yachting and they seem to have a good few on their website
Yachts – Skylight Yachting
Put Rhea Trawler into your search and you should see them all.
 
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