Seeking info on De Groot La Palma

[Shenigson]

Hi, all,

I am looking at purchasing a 1974 De Groot La Palma (12M). I am on the US West Coast, and, as you can imagine, they are a rare beast here. I don't know the backstory of the boat. The current owner (15 yrs.) said it was built in "Denmark," so he obviously hasn't made much of an effort to figure out how it got here or its history before he bought it. I've been through these forums and found some great information, but I am looking for help with some specifics while I wait for the survey.

First, how would I definitively distinguish between a factory built vs. a kit built boat? If this vessel was factory built I'm sure it would have been delivered as a raw hull and fitted out here. In that case would there be a hull number somewhere? Are there clear indicators of a kit build?

Regardless of the build, are there areas of concern that are particular to this hull?

Lastly, would anyone be willing to share interior photos? I've been able to find some online, but there aren't many and I'd welcome ideas since the interior of this boat is pretty crude.

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[ChromeDome]

No, not made in Denmark. It is Dutch:

De Groot Scheepsbouw & Reparaties Bv
Boat models/brands: Beachcraft, Palma
Manufacturer of sailing boats (sailboats/cabin boats), motor boats (motoryachts/cabin boats), built until 2012

Dutch boat sales portal bootentekoop.nl said (translated by Deepl):

"Boats of the brand De Groot
De Groot is a boat brand from the water sports sector. Botentekoop currently has 2 boats of the brand De Groot for sale, of which and 2 used boats. These boats are advertised by private sellers, professional brokers and boat dealers.


What are De Groot brand boats for?
Boats of the brand De Groot are used for various commercial and recreational boating activities, for example.

What type of boats does De Groot manufacture?
De Groot designs and manufactures boats such as motor yachts.

What is the best De Groot?
Some of the most recent striking models of the De Groot brand are: 13.75 and Aak."

Try a Google search for "de groot" booten site:.nl and "de groot" 12 m

Not for sale anymore, and you need to register to view, but 57 photos of one:
De Groot 12M TSDY For Sale, 12.19m, 1971

As for concerns: No boat is better than the TLC it has received. For steel boats corrosion is major point and a survey that include material thickness measuring would be crucial. Youtube has several videos on restoration of steel boats - some of them a bit scary.

This is series of many episodes (boat in Berlin, Germany, English audio), made as time laps: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUsYuHgNS1aNglyj8-sInSw

 

[Shenigson]

Thanks for the links. These were useful -- great interior shots in the sale listing.

 

[ChromeDome]

Far from all ads / photos are good, but Boatshed and Norwegian Båter til salgs | FINN Båt commonly are useful.

Even if only for the information and inspiration as the boats for sale might be far away from you.

 

[PCUK]

I built a 12M DeGroot here in the UK. DeGroot sold kits of the same parts they used for factory builds so it may have been home built in Denmark. My kit was pre-blasted and primed with weld primer so no rust. 30 years on no rust apart from the usual dinks which are easily repaired. As long as the surveyor thickness tests the entire hull you will have no problems. Great boats by the way. If you search on Boat Shed you may find my pics and a video walk through.

 

[Shenigson]

I built a 12M DeGroot here in the UK. DeGroot sold kits of the same parts they used for factory builds so it may have been home built in Denmark. My kit was pre-blasted and primed with weld primer so no rust. 30 years on no rust apart from the usual dinks which are easily repaired. As long as the surveyor thickness tests the entire hull you will have no problems. Great boats by the way. If you search on Boat Shed you may find my pics and a video walk through.

Thanks PCUK, I'll definitely look for yours. @ChromeDome shared a BoatShed link of a good looking example with lots of pix and a video, but twin engines, so I think it must be a different boat. If I remember correctly from an early De Groot thread, yours had a 300hp Cummins. Boat Shed is down at the moment, but I'll keep checking. Thanks again.

 

[PCUK]

You've got a good memory! Yes, 300hp Cummins with 30hp BMC wing engine on a folding propeller. I can send you pics of mine if you pm me your email address.