Surveyor in Zadar , Croatia

[speedfiend]

Ok, for those if you following, I am buying a Princess V53 , originally in Marseille but now in Croatia.
Can you recommend an English (speaking) based surveyor for Croatia. Need it ASAP.
Thank you.
S

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Speak to Sinisa at http://www.maritimus-consultant.hr He will be able to recommend a local surveyor

 

[speedfiend]

Thanks, a good start.
S

 

[speedfiend]

Is it feasible to complete a deal within 4 weeks.?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Er yup, send the money today and the boat is yours today. But you don't want to do that. Act in haste and repent at your leisure is a proverb designed for boat buying. What can you tell us about this deal? Is the broker selling the boat British or foreign? Have you seen the boat yet? How many hours has it got? Who owns it?. How many owners? Having bought a few boats in Europe myself, including my present boat, here are a few tips

If the boat is advertised with a number of brokers, use the broker with a UK office if possible. Having a UK based English speaking intermediary will smooth the deal
Put down the absolute minimum deposit you can get away with (the less money at risk the better)
Ask whether the boat is subject to any lease or mortgage scheme and if so, insist that you pay the balance owing to the finance co directly yourself. This is a risk because you might not get a straight answer and there's no way of knowing for sure whether there is finance or other payments outstanding on the boat
Don't stint on the survey or engine inspection. If you can't find a local surveyor you are happy with, fly one over from the UK. Get a full engine report and oil analysis done by an accredited technician.
Don't be shy about negotiating the price downwards if either the survey or engine report shows up any faults and if the seller proves intransigent, be prepared to walk away
Insist on seeing copies of at least 5yrs title paperwork, VAT documents, CE/HIN certificate BEFORE you hand over the balance of money owing
On the day of final payment, ensure you are with the boat and that all documentation you require including the Bill of Sale to confirm your purchase is on the table in front of you before you pay over the balance
As soon as your money hits the brokers account, take possession of the boat and move it somewhere else immediately, preferably to another country. Change the name. This sounds a bit dramatic but if you are giving a large amount of money to a foreign broker who you don't know from Adam, you need to take physical possession of the boat immediately for your own security. Also if there is outstanding finance on the boat and you don't know about it, far better for you if the finance co doesn't know where the boat is

Now all this might take less than 4 weeks but it might take a lot longer than 4 weeks so better to go through the process methodically and carefully and miss your family holiday than to buy a dud

 

[Medskipper]

There are of course many surveyors here in England who say they will survey worldwide!
i would think it's better to find a good one and pay his expenses rather than try and find a local one?
I have done just that, I'm buying a Princess in the Netherlands, I know it's a lot closer but the principle is the same.
good luck.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

There are of course many surveyors here in England who say they will survey worldwide!
i would think it's better to find a good one and pay his expenses rather than try and find a local one?
I have done just that, I'm buying a Princess in the Netherlands, I know it's a lot closer but the principle is the same.
good luck.

Not forgetting that Zadar is a £200 Ryanair flight away from the UK so flying a UK surveyor out to Croatia and sticking him in a £70/night hotel for 2 nights is not a major extra cost and would probably pay dividends in the end. However highly recommended a local surveyor comes, you just never know where his true allegiance lies. However having said that, I once used a local recommended Italian surveyor for the purchase of a previous boat and he was both very thorough and cheap but maybe I was lucky.
To the OP, I used Jim Pritchard http://www.jimpritchard.co.uk to carry out a survey in Italy when I bought my latest boat and he was excellent. Well worth the cost of flying him out there

 

[speedfiend]

Hi Guys , thanks for that. I will update you as to progress. I have approached Sinisa, who is happy to do the survey.
Will his qualifications/registration be acceptable to a uk finance firm?
Also I have to have a Tonnage Survey which he says he can't do.
Is this important, what is it exactly?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Will his qualifications/registration be acceptable to a uk finance firm?

You better ask the finance company!

Also I have to have a Tonnage Survey which he says he can't do.
Is this important, what is it exactly?

I'm guessing that the finance co is insisting that the boat be Part 1 registered in the UK, which is normal. For that you need a tonnage survey and only a qualified surveyor can do that. I have used a company called Solent Registrations on +44 1489 589560 in the past to arrange this survey and manage the registration process. Btw for Part 1 UK registration, you are going to need at least 5 yrs of documentation to prove title ownership to the boat so make sure this exists before you buy the boat

 

[Tranona]

Hi Guys , thanks for that. I will update you as to progress. I have approached Sinisa, who is happy to do the survey.
Will his qualifications/registration be acceptable to a uk finance firm?
Also I have to have a Tonnage Survey which he says he can't do.
Is this important, what is it exactly?

You need an approved MCA tonnage surveyor - you can get a list from the MCA. Easiest if your chosen surveyor is also MCA approved as they can do the measurement at the same time. They usually show this on their CV or against their entry in the YBDSA list. The actual measurement is not a lot of money, but the surveyor has to actually be there so you will have to pay his travelling costs.

Also worth checking your surveyor is acceptable to your insurer, again another benefit of using a UK based surveyor - and your contract with the surveyor will be covered by UK law.

 

[LionsDen]

Jim Pritchard is very conversed with the Princess Boat brand amongst others he does a lot of survey work for PMYS as well so knows what to look for - Good luck :encouragement:

Jim can also undertake the tonnage survey for you - just make sure he brings his ball off string with him

 

[speedfiend]

Thanks again all.
I think tomorrow I will be giving Jim Pritchard a call.
Mike, you were bang on the money in what the finance company want- namely a title past 5 years ( current owner bought from new 5years ago) & a tonnage survey. Sinisa doesn't have this and is not ydsa Iims SAMs registered.
So would make sense to get JP to do it all.
3.5 weeks left, to my summer holiday !!!
S