Some very cheap boats in Europe at the moment

adey

adey

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Sterling/Euro exchange rate looks good for some bargain hunting.
Can probably find a Med berth for less than Premier Marinas too :D

President 385 for ~£20K
http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/1992/President-385-2790533/Spain

Azi 37 for ~£28K
http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/1991/Azimut-37-Fly-2818533/Italy

Sealine F43 for ~£57K
http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/1997/Sealine-F43-2814580/Croatia

Azi 39 for <£65K
http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/2000/Azimut-39-fly-lux-2092822/Italy

It does mean that mine's worth nothing now but the cost to change up would be less (or so I keep telling her!)
 
It has been slowly seeping into the UK brokerage market that there is a a large supply of small to mid sized flybridge diesel cruisers lying in Spanish/French/Italian/Portuguese marinas ,a couple of hours flight away looking looking for homes.
As well as being keenly priced due to owners feeling the euro pinch,the strong sterling euro ratio has made the boats extremely cheap even taking into the 5K it will cost to get it back home.
Having been searching the UK market for a while and seen a sucession of damp mouldy tired boats many with water damaged interiors and engine bays that defy description, all at what can only be described as "optimistic" prices.
The euro competition will hopefully put a bomb under UK brokers and sellers and instill in the market the idea that your 30 year old boat with two diesel guzzling engines,moulding victorian decor and nav gear out of noahs ark aint worth 50-60K. :)
 
To be honest, I've seen first hand some pretty tired looking med boats as well. The blazing sun and salty moist air can leave it's mark on a 10 - 15 year old boat if not looked after properly.
 
scubaman said:
To be honest, I've seen first hand some pretty tired looking med boats as well. The blazing sun and salty moist air can leave it's mark on a 10 - 15 year old boat if not looked after properly.
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The proof of the pudding being the fact that you purchased your own boat from the UK !

I hope "proof of the pudding" translates ok :) I typed without thinking about language barriers.


Henry :)
 
henryf said:
The proof of the pudding being the fact that you purchased your own boat from the UK !

I hope "proof of the pudding" translates ok :) I typed without thinking about language barriers.


Henry :)
Click to expand...

No need to fret on that score H........Scubaman's English is waaay better than that of many "natives" on here! :D
 
The Mallorca brokers reckon that if it is owned by a German it is like the day it was delivered. The English - its Ok. The Spanish - don't go there!

I looked at several German owned boats and they were beyond immaculate. Never looked at a Spanish owned boat so can't comment.
 
scubaman said:
To be honest, I've seen first hand some pretty tired looking med boats as well. The blazing sun and salty moist air can leave it's mark on a 10 - 15 year old boat if not looked after properly.
Click to expand...

I agree with this 100%. While it looks like a bargain, I bet once you get down and dirty, and survey the boat... it won't be as attractive a package anymore.

I was tempted to purchase from the Med in the past, but when it came to crunch, I ended up buying in UK / IRL
 
alt said:
I agree with this 100%. While it looks like a bargain, I bet once you get down and dirty, and survey the boat... it won't be as attractive a package anymore.

I was tempted to purchase from the Med in the past, but when it came to crunch, I ended up buying in UK / IRL
Click to expand...

With the present exchange rate at about 70p for a euro you can get a tired example back here for around 60% of UK asking prices,thats a lot of money (tens of thousands ) saved for any required renovations.
 
My last boat went from the UK to Finland, but that was a few years ago when it was almost 1 Euro to the pound. At 1.42 (and rising) and Europe in a huge mess there are some genuine bargains out there.
 
scubaman said:
To be honest, I've seen first hand some pretty tired looking med boats as well. The blazing sun and salty moist air can leave it's mark on a 10 - 15 year old boat if not looked after properly.
Click to expand...

Yup, me too, I looked at 2 boats that stick out in my memories, the first a 60'+ Azi in Spain advertised at €180k, when I saw it, well tired just didn't do it, said no thanks and left, 3 months later the broker was on the phone asking if I would consider offering €80k, the answer was still no.

The second, a nice but wanting some tlc, overpriced 60' Edership also in Spain ad at €219k now 2 years on at €125k.
 
I don't really see the med ( which is where we are based) as having boats any different to the UK or elsewhere.

The majority of boats are well looked after. There are guardinage services everywhere catering to this need and it is difficult to visit a marina without seeing a moderate number of companies on boats and cleaning them.

There will be old boats anywhere in the world where owners have lost interest. Any boat requires regular cleaning / maintenance, and if this is not done it will slowly go to seed. Yes there is sun shine and yes if you don't bother to polish the GRP then it will fade.

There is a risk of seeking to seem smug, and if it is the UK it must be better. We have the best taxis, the best tubes and so on ( I would beg to differ on both counts).

The med market is distressed so some point ( according to word on the street -but again I see little sign of this in Mallorca) , but the bigger variable at the moment is exchange rate which is significantly in our favour. Med boats have paserelles , AC and so on so will in general be better equipped.

Are med boats all 100%, no, but it is sweeping generalisation which i have seen no evidence of that they are all knackered old tubs.
 
It's an interesting development, feels a bit like when the Dollar went out to 2:1 and loads of Importers jumped in.

It's going to be a tough season for the Brit manafacturers, I'm sure they have margin to be competitive but there are a lot of European boats out there now at prices that are dificult to dismiss. They'd really benefit from a VAT reduction on the 18th but it seems very unlikely.
The pre owned market I guess will correct once demand picks up, prices will follow, to be a broker with UK and Contiemtal listings would be great. Bargains for customers willing to travel and UK listings set at Euro prices plus what delivery would cost and the hassle factor.


We are Med bound next June, (2016), so I'm currently considering getting some money across now, if anyone has a crystal ball and can tell me the top out number Id be grateful ;)...I imagine that fuel and berthing charges are all in favour of Med based boats with sterling earning owners right now, starting to wish we were headed down this year :)
 
Friend of mine keeps a Phantom near Cala D Or. The difference between his berthing fees now and those of a couple of years ago is considerable.
 
Having just returned from a stroll in a SoF marina I can't help but be amazed about the number of unloved boats I saw.

There were of course many very nice boats, mostly less than ten years old, but also many in a very dire condition. For intance I counted three Grand Bankses that would probably appear to represent good value in an ad, but which i would personally regard as too risky/a pain almost at any price.

Sure, polish and new upholsteries go some way but it's the mechanicals that would worry me, even after a survey.

I have no doubt that there are excellent bargains to be had, it's just that boats that have received very little, if at all, use for a longer period of time tend to go bad surprisingly quickly. Especially in the med conditions.
 
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