Straight swap 13m TSDY based in Greece for a 13/15m boat in French Canals

Bertramdriver

Bertramdriver

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 Jan 2013
Messages
1,491
Location
Oxford
www.williamsandsmithells.com
I'm not sure if this post is breaking thread rules but can't figure out where else to put it.
This is a serious offer. We want to swap our very sea worthy, fully equipped 13m TSDY, configured as a very comfortable long term live aboard cruiser, for a similarly equipped barge or steeler capable of cruising the French canals.
Our boat is based in Greece but the superstructure is too high for all but the larger French rivers, hence this post.
We're not looking for cash to exchange hands and possibly the swap could either be permanent or be made for a fixed period (say 3 years).
If anyone is interested pm me.
 
Hi Bob. Will do
It's a shame that when it's so difficult to sell boats and age intervenes, finding a method to use your assets constructively becomes so problematic. Once you've lived the Aegean / Ionian dream and you no longer have the fight left in you to deal with the (increasing) hassle, the canals do offer a refuge of sorts.
Maybe another Forumite knows of a boat swap site or some enterprising IT whizz would like to start a business. Maybe one of the high profile brokers would like to have a go.
Interestingly among my correspondents (read my book) there are some US mobo owners who would like to do this, rather than join the arc.
 
Funny you should say that Bert , last year we was looking at 'PX our then four year old boat 11.8 for a 45 or 46 foot with some kind of cash payment on our part , but we found it almost Impossible , each broker we approached said his client wouldn't be interested , that with out asking the client , But all said they would sell it for us and have buyers waiting for our type of boat , ( where have we all heard that before ) I think the case is the broker won't make as much on a PX . we ended up given in and keeping our much loved well fitted out yacht .

www.bluewatersailorcroatia.webs.com
 
sailaboutvic said:
I think the case is the broker won't make as much on a PX .

www.bluewatersailorcroatia.webs.com
Click to expand...

Not a question of a broker not making as much money - he gets the same commission on the sale of his client's boat irrespective of whether it is a cash sale or the seller takes another boat as part payment. You have to remember the broker does not own the boat so if there is a part exchange it is the seller who is taking the financial risk of having another boat rather than cash. The chances of finding a seller with a boat you want that is prepared to accept your boat as part payment is pretty close to zero - hence the response you and Bert are getting.

It is possible to do Part Exchange deals for new boats or boats a dealer (not a broker) owns because he is making a profit on buying and selling boats, not brokering privately owned boats. Inevitably the price offered for your old boat is likely to be substantially less than its market selling value as the dealer is taking the financial risk and needs to make a profit on selling your boat. Sometimes it is possible to do a good deal on a new boat because the time between accepting the P/Ex and the new boat arriving gives the dealer a chance to sell your old boat. Often the deal is that your boat goes on brokerage, but with an agreed P/Ex price if it does not sell before your new boat arrives.
 
Hi Tranona
I agree with most of what you said and I under stand your comment , and I can only comment about our case , we only approached Brokers that's at the type of yacht we was looking for on their books , ( Ben 45 or 46 ) five out of the nine brokers that we emailed with the request that if we visit and viewed the boat and if we was interested , would the owner consider an PX with us making the different in cash , the time it took them to reply ie very little time , my feeling is the offer was never made to the owner , my understand is that the broker has a duty to pass all offers no matter what they are to the seller , three brokers we phoned again told us it unlikely there owner would except an PX . End of conversation .
In case you are wondering while we emailed them and not just gone and seen the boats is because these boats where based all over Europe . the two we did go and see and sailed from Greece to south of France to view , so you see we not tyres kickers , the first one after calling the guy there times once just three hour before arriving to make sure the boat would be there to view , when we arrived we was told the boat was at another marina some one hundred miles away , and the other from a large UK broker who has a base in the south of France took the day off because it was a public holiday when he know we was coming . Every the Parent company in the UK couldn't believe it , this story goes on and it get worst so not going to bother to get into it .
If I was going to do it again personal I would try and find the owner and go direct to him with my offer , then it up to him if he want to put it thought the broker or not as it is him who has the contract with the broker and not me .
I still say broker are only really interested in a straight forward sale and I can't Blane them ,
In our case we have quite a new boat fully fitted out and where looking for a older boat bigger boat which we was looking to PX with cash , I can't believe with some many boats on the market there isn't boat owner with large boats that they have now too big for them and wouldn't consider down sizing .
I can understand if our boat was old or in a bad state of repair but all the broker we approached had full detail from the beginning what we was offering .

www.bluewatersailorcroatia.webs.com
 
Last edited:
PX boats.com.
Looks like someone has climbed on the band wagon. All they want is 2% commission from both sides with a minimum transaction value of £100k (£1k for both parties) plus conveyancing, re registration and survey fees.
Question is why haven't we heard more of them? There is the smell of "brokers bum" syndrome (they can't get off it) about the site. Why aren't they promoting it and the souls who have put their prized possessions up for offer. Especially the Dutch and Germans. Both prime markets
Never the less I might give it a go when I get back in the Autumn.

Email: info@pxboats.com

I might also see if there are any barge builders who would do a px directly.
 
Bertramdriver said:
PX boats.com.
Looks like someone has climbed on the band wagon. All they want is 2% commission from both sides with a minimum transaction value of £100k (£1k for both parties) plus conveyancing, re registration and survey fees.
Question is why haven't we heard more of them? There is the smell of "brokers bum" syndrome (they can't get off it) about the site. Why aren't they promoting it and the souls who have put their prized possessions up for offer. Especially the Dutch and Germans. Both prime markets
Never the less I might give it a go when I get back in the Autumn.

Email: info@pxboats.com

I might also see if there are any barge builders who would do a px directly.
Click to expand...

Unsurprising. Despite your and Vic's dismay that it is difficult to Part Exchange, it is little to do with lazy brokers. The key is in my observation "The chances of finding a seller who has a boat you want that is prepared to accept your boat as part payment is close to zero".

Think about it logically. Typically it takes a year to sell the sort of boat we are talking about. Why would a seller want to take on that risk unless the boat is EXACTLY what he is looking for as he has little chance of selling it on - unlike cars for example. More like houses where even with many more transactions than boats, there are still few exchanges except by developers selling new houses. Then just like boats the price will be at a significant discount to market value - on boats it can be 25%.

So, everything both practical and economic is against exchanges - but if a seller were prepared to do it they would instruct their broker accordingly, or indicate it in their advert if selling themselves. How often have you ever seen that?

Not sure a barge builder would be interested in your boat. What would he do with it? You find those dealers/builders who will P/Ex are those who have a brokerage or used boat dealership as well, and the boat they will take is likely to be similar to those they sell regularly.
 
I agree with everything you've said, however at no stage in my life have I accepted the status quo. I may not be rich, as a result, but I've done some interesting stuff.
I still think the exercise is worth a punt for a number of reasons, not least the belief that there are boaters in the canals who now want to venture into the briny, just as there are tired old salts who want to retire into the canals.
Sale and purchase is such a long and tedious process, and that matters when when you're running out of years.
 
We did a boat swap 5 years ago, private advert on B&O site. Worked very well, no money changed hands and I think we both sailed away thinking we both got what we wanted. We went bigger and older.
 
Bertramdriver said:
B&O site? I've checked and it's all hi fi stuff. Can you clarify please.
Pleased to get your post as I was becoming disheartened
Click to expand...

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/

This was us in Eastbourne where we did the swap over.

IMGP2821.jpg


Emptied both boats onto the pontoon and repacked. Great fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top