Wanted - 38' Flybridge

I would strongly advocate using a marine lawyer to conveyance for you. They are able to see through foreign Lakers and it gives you the options of saying ‘not me, you know lawyers’ when negotiating or getting a deal done.

Cost for a normal deal is in the region of £800-£1200. I have used Ian Collette at Ward & McKenzie for a couple of transactions now and I highly recommend them. Website here: http://www.ward-mckenzie.co.uk/
 
Thanks for the recommendation Jez – I am sure they will be invaluable, as I would not want to do it without professional advice.

I’ve been having a trawl of the usual sites, and have re-read many old posts on this forum, including re-reading Petem's epic buying saga for start to end. With this in mind, I’ve collected my thoughts below in the hope of benefiting from the wealth of experience on here.

Shortlist:

Overall comfort and liveability and resell-ability are more important to us than top speed / sea keeping, so our shortlist is:

Princess 38/ 40 – probably our joint favourite, but not many around, and would probably need to be an early model to be able to afford one.

Azimut 39 – the other joint favourite. Again, not so common in the UK, but there is a reasonable selection for sale across Europe – and can probably pick up a slightly newer one than the Princess.

Rodman 38 - not as pretty to my eye, but the layout would work for us and we maybe able to afford a newer boat. They seem to come well spec’d, but there are not many in the UK, as I don’t think there is a UK distributor. This maybe a problem when we come to sell; having said that; the few examples that are in the UK do seem to have sold OK.

Fairline P38 – nice, and strong residuals, but reasonably priced tidy examples seem to be as common as rocking-horse poo and the flybridge seems a tad smaller than the boat above

Outline spec:

Possibly controversially for a UK based boat; I’m attracted to having a passerelle; as I think have a large crane on the back of the boat will help with launching/ retrieving the tender, and I could have a tender with a larger engine. The Princess sometimes came with a mini retractable crane, which might do the job even better (as it would not be in the way).

We would also like a generator, mainly to keep fridges / freezer running.

Retrofitting passerelles / cranes / generators seems to expensive, so buying a boat with one fitted would seem like a sensible option.

I think diesel heating is essential for the UK, but I’m thinking most boats with passerelle and generator will be ‘med spec’ and not have this. From reading other threads I believe this can be retrofitted for c£3k, which I think will be less than the costs of a decent passerelle / generator.

Some boats have large davits for a tender. These seem to prevent any movement across the swim platform- which for us would seem to be a PITA.

I’m very conscious I have not lived on a boat with these features, so what I picture in my minds eye, may be less practical in real life (e.g. see Jez’s feedback re: practicalities of eating on the f/b).

Potential Markets:

Aside from the UK, most boats appear to be in France, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Turkey & Greece. Of the non-UK destinations are there any which are recommended, or best avoided? IMHO Turkey and Greece just seem too far away to be practical – but am I missing a trick?

The market

It seems to be a seller’s market at the moment. My perception is boat prices seem to have increased from 2 – 3 years ago, and that is borne out by the price I sold my boat for (+10%), and comparing today’s boat prices with quoted from threads from 2016/17. This feels like a blip to me, as it does not seem logical that 10 – 20 yo boats residuals are increasing, so I may need to wait a while to pick something up for a more reasonable price.
 
I’ve been having a trawl of the usual sites, and have re-read many old posts on this forum, including re-reading Petem's epic buying saga for start to end. With this in mind, I’ve collected my thoughts below in the hope of benefiting from the wealth of experience on here.

Shortlist:

Overall comfort and liveability and resell-ability are more important to us than top speed / sea keeping, so our shortlist is:
Broadly all good - I think 'sea keeping' is a widely over stated attribute especially in this class. Since you arent looking for an Itama, everything else in your bracket will be much of a muchness.

Princess 38/ 40 – probably our joint favourite, but not many around, and would probably need to be an early model to be able to afford one.

Azimut 39 – the other joint favourite. Again, not so common in the UK, but there is a reasonable selection for sale across Europe – and can probably pick up a slightly newer one than the Princess. dont blame you, lovely boats. Plentiful in europe

Rodman 38 - not as pretty to my eye, but the layout would work for us and we maybe able to afford a newer boat. They seem to come well spec’d, but there are not many in the UK, as I don’t think there is a UK distributor. This maybe a problem when we come to sell; having said that; the few examples that are in the UK do seem to have sold OK. Lack of dealer representation isnt a problem. They've had dealers in the past, and I think they might have one still (they were at SIBS). At the age you are looking at they are well out of warranty and all the bits fitted will likely be mainstream stuff

Fairline P38 – nice, and strong residuals, but reasonably priced tidy examples seem to be as common as rocking-horse poo and the flybridge seems a tad smaller than the boat above

Outline spec:

Possibly controversially for a UK based boat; I’m attracted to having a passerelle; as I think have a large crane on the back of the boat will help with launching/ retrieving the tender, and I could have a tender with a larger engine. The Princess sometimes came with a mini retractable crane, which might do the job even better (as it would not be in the way).

We would also like a generator, mainly to keep fridges / freezer running. Fridges and even freezers should be 12v capable. You will find genset noise a bit intrusive at that age. There are still a very worth while thing to have and I fully endorse getting one, if only for the AC option mentioned above

Retrofitting passerelles / cranes / generators seems to expensive, so buying a boat with one fitted would seem like a sensible option. Definitely, if you can get a boat with all the kit on its a much more cost effective way to go provided it all works 100%. fixing kit can be expansive as well.

I think diesel heating is essential for the UK, but I’m thinking most boats with passerelle and generator will be ‘med spec’ and not have this. From reading other threads I believe this can be retrofitted for c£3k, which I think will be less than the costs of a decent passerelle / generator. If you are getting a med spec boat, especially if it comes from the med, with generator and passarelle its very likely it will have air conditioning. If you get a boat with AC then you wont need a diesel heater. AC on reverse cycle works extremely well to warm a boat. In my opinion much better than a webasto heater. I even heat half my house with reverse cycle heat pumps when I can

Some boats have large davits for a tender. These seem to prevent any movement across the swim platform- which for us would seem to be a PITA. Totally agree davits suck. A passerelle works well, a dedicated crane even better (perversely I have both and much prefer the crane). Be careful about lifting limits though, a pass on those size boats will probably have a maximum lift of 200kg. And that's if factory installed. Lots of boats had dealer fit pass (mine did) so make sure the transom was also strengthened to cope (mine was but badly, now fixed)

I’m very conscious I have not lived on a boat with these features, so what I picture in my minds eye, may be less practical in real life (e.g. see Jez’s feedback re: practicalities of eating on the f/b).

Potential Markets:

Aside from the UK, most boats appear to be in France, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Turkey & Greece. Of the non-UK destinations are there any which are recommended, or best avoided? IMHO Turkey and Greece just seem too far away to be practical – but am I missing a trick? Er, so I quite publicly bought a boat in Greece once. There are probably a few around here who remember it. Worked out ok in the end and I made a profit when I sold it but I probably aged an extra 5 years in the process. I would avoid Turkey - they aren't in the EU (we still are - just), so there will be import and tax complications on top of the normal foreign transaction obstacles. France and Spain are pretty easy to do, I've been involved with a purchase in both (my current boat was french). Lots of boats in the med are actually German owned and they are pretty easy to deal with as well (my Greek boat was German flagged). Croatia is by all accounts straight forward and Italy is a mixed bag. i personally had a very bad experience trying to buy there but I think I was just very unlucky, there are a few Brits who have bought very successfully with no problems and there are Italian forum members who will likely help out.

The market

It seems to be a seller’s market at the moment. My perception is boat prices seem to have increased from 2 – 3 years ago, and that is borne out by the price I sold my boat for (+10%), and comparing today’s boat prices with quoted from threads from 2016/17. This feels like a blip to me, as it does not seem logical that 10 – 20 yo boats residuals are increasing, so I may need to wait a while to pick something up for a more reasonable price. I agree on the market. From a UK point of view a lot of the inflation is currency driven. I know I cannot replace my boat for what I paid, not even close. What I will say is buying a boat in reality is never a sensible use of your money in purely economic terms. Enjoyment and fun is where the value is, and I really wouldn't worry about the state of the market and second guessing it. Used stuff appreciates all the time, cars do it, houses do it so why should boats do it? in fact look at a lot of 1980s stuff - it sells in £ terms for more than it was bought for, its just inflation. If you find a boa in good condition with the spec you want at a price you are comfortable with then buy it and start the enjoyment payback. If you worry that you might find a better/cheaper one tomorrow youll never buy a boat again. Just my 2ps worth
 
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If you buy a boat from Europe, presumably all the electric sockets are not UK standard. Using travel plus adapters would drive me up the wall. I'm not very good with electrics. What does it take to change them to UK sockets? Eg. it is just replacing the sockets themselves, or is there more to it than that?
 
Whitelighter said:
Er, so I quite publicly bought a boat in Greece once. There are probably a few around here who remember it. Worked out ok in the end and I made a profit when I sold it but I probably aged an extra 5 years in the process.
Click to expand...

I don't remember that, probably before I joined the forum...
However, being Greek, I'd recommend to steer clear of the Greek beaurocracy, drives me mad!
If you however really really want to get a boat from Greek waters, I can point you to an office that will help you smooth the process a bit.

Agree on all the rest, get a med spec boat from EU and ship it up, job done. I'd probably get a newer Azi out of your list above.
In the greatest scheme changing sockets and adding a diesel heater is really nothing to loose any sleep about.

cheers

V.
 
2004/5 Volvo DP6

I'm looking at a couple Rodman 38s with 375hp D6 shafts. One is 2004, the other is 2005. Both are relatively low hours i.e. <500

I've searched the forum and it seems I need to:
1. get the engine serial numbers and contact a Volvo dealer to ensure the necessary upgrades have been done.
2. I need a Volvo engineer to check the diagnostics for error codes
3. Check the plastic bits and bobs have been replaced with glass / brass

Is there anything else I should be aware of ? (Obvs would get a sea trial with an engineer )


DW
 
the only oddity I have found on my Rodman 38 is the fuel fillers. They are slightly recessed into the deck. Check they screw down correctly - you can feel them tighten onto the seal. One of mine didn't - lump in the gel coat stopped it screwing completely shut.
The fuel tanks will have sumps with drain valves so take 2 adjustable spanners (sorry can't remember if its 17 or 19mm) and a 1 litre plastic measuring jug, to see what comes out during the survey. (owner permitting).

The flybridge helm seat is a bit close to the helm if you are taller than 5'6". Easy to solve, the backrest unscrews and with a decent piece of marine ply it is very easy to extend the seat base back a few inches and refit the seat back. The early sofa style flybridge seats only have the metal rails for support and a small extra cushion. It's much more comfortable without the extra small cushion. We have fitted wrap over cushions onto the metal tubes for extra comfort. Later boats have a better seat back - I think from about 2007 onwards. Doesn't really matter as my usual crew are on the sunpads or lying on the sofa.

To inspect the bilges under the forward bedroom etc, there is a hatch in the floor in the hallway, next to the door into the two single berths. Lift the carpet, on press-studs. It's where all the toilet plumbing and holding tanks live. Should be clean and bone dry and smell only of fibreglass and glue. If you lift the single mattress in the twin berth room in the centre of the boat there are two lift out panels so you can check the bilges in the centre of the boat and the shower pump-out box. You may find a bit of water in there as you can guarantee the Rule float switch will be broken. (the £8 ebay ones are better)

Apart from that the Rodman is much the same as any other flybridge, so check the ownership and vat situation, haggle, survey, haggle again, go for blast, drive it like you stole it, check both engines get to max RPM for a D6. Should be a very smooth quiet ride, free from rattles and squeaks. Steering is a bit heavy but I rarely use it (autopilot). Fingers crossed you find a good one.
 
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Thanks Kashurst

Jez's suggested question 'Does everything on the boat work as it should' has yielded some enlightening responses so far, from 'its got osmosis' to 'the generator doesnt work' to 'it's a bit tatty'.

All request for paperwork have been met with the same response - "we will show you this when you get here"

D
 
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