Pre-Purchase Survey Preveza Steel Ketch

Todays Inspection and Ultrasound Survey was on this Carena 40ft long keel, centre cockpit ketch, designed by H.Lemstra in Amsterdam and built in 1990. She would make a fast, safe and comfortable passage-maker and live aboard. 

Sand blasting time I think!

Thinking about buying a Yacht in Greece. 

MARINE SURVEYORS AND APPRAISERS FOR BOATS AND YACHTS

Pre Purchase Surveys, Valuation Surveys and Damage Surveys for Motor and Sailing Vessels up to 24 Metres Length over all.

Looking for new Yacht Insurance after Brexit?

If you have recently had to change Insurance Company after Brexit and they are now requesting a Condition Survey and Valuation, I can help you.

Our Insurance Survey 

When you want to insure a boat, or have to renew an existing policy, your insurance company will need an Insurance Survey in order to determine its insurability for the intended use. This type of survey is often referred to as a Condition and Valuation Survey. The scope of an Insurance Survey approaches a Pre-Purchase Survey, but its focus is on structural integrity and safety and it is less detailed. An assessment of the boat's Fair Market Value is part of this type of survey. 

An Insurance Survey requires several hours, depending on the complexity and condition of the boat. My survey report is similar to a report for a Pre-Purchase Survey, but somewhat less detailed.

We guarantee a 48 hour delivery of a personalised and comprehensive survey report in PDF (electronic) format with a bound quality hard copy to follow on request.​ 

Pre-Purchase Survey Greece - Yacht Surveyor - Dragonfly 1000 for sale

Just a reminder for readers. I will be in Lefkada and Preveza for at least 10 days from mid April 2021. Covid should not be a problem as we travel with a fully authorised work permit. 

This weeks assignment was in Leros Surveying this Trimaran.

The Dragonfly 1000 was designed for easy and safe single-handed sailing. All controls for sails, centreboard and folding floats are operated from the cockpit. A windshield protects the helm station. 

The Swing Wing system allows the floats to be winched alongside the main hull, reducing the beam by about 50%, making handling round piers, docks and marinas easy and allowing the boat to fit in a standard marina berth. 

A kick-up rudder and centreboard reduce the risks of causing damage when sailing in shallow water.

A rotating mast is standard, increasing the efficiency of the rig and contributing to her exceptional performance. An even livelier version is built with higher mast and carbon rigging for the more experienced and speed-loving sailors.

 The superior build gives the boat full off-shore cruising capability (rated with European CE Mark Category A).

Artemis Leros Boatyard Ltd

Amel 52 Mango 52 for sale in Lefkada Greece.

I have managed to keep working during the lockdown in Greece, so after another week in Preveza todays assignment was this Classic Amel 52 footer. She is the Amel Mango production built 1987 with an 80hp Perkins, retractable Bowthruster. Electric furling systems for main (inmast) and genoa, inmast furling mizzen manual. Accomodation for 8 throughout in 2 double cabins, companionway bunks and saloon. 2 heads & showers. Goodies include a rev cycle aircon, + electric radiators, freezer and washing machine!

The French built Amel is well known to cruisers worldwide as a strong and able offshore vessel, easily sailed by a cruising couple or single handed, outfitted in a way that provides maximum comfort and safety with abundant, easily accessible storage for all the things one needs for long offshore passages.
Some history on Amel is necessary reading to understand, what a sensational boat this one is. Henri Amel was one of life’s perfectionists – even in the early 1970’s he didn’t see why long-distance cruising should be a damp, uncomfortable or strenuous experience.  The result of these convictions, allied to his extensive experience at sea on both yachts and ships resulted in a distinct blueprint for serious long-distance cruising vessels that the French AMEL boat yard retains to this day.  This extraordinary yard which Henri Amel left in perpetuity to his workers, is fantastic and very unusual, with a passion and single-minded approach that few modern yachts can mimic.

Pros and Conns.
The shrouds are fastened to the sides of the boat so the Genoa angle can not be brought in to point very high, But 30-35 degrees is a max. 
The boat can be apparently lifted by the chainplates!! 

The hull to deck joint is laminated this coupled with the deck stepped masts makes for a bilge so dry.

 Retractable Bowthruster. This is probably not ideal. The bowthruster lifts up into a pocket in the forward stateroom. 

1000's upon 1000's of Yachts in the Ionian! If your looking at a Yacht in this area give me a shout. Message me on this page below. 

Oh so French. The interior is fantastic African mahogany with teak covered plywood soles in the galley and saloon. The staterooms and walk through are carpet. The headliner is cream vinyl. You feel like you entered a French nobleman’s boat during the renaissance. The frilly upholstery and dainty details contrast deeply with what you usually see. 

Surveyors comments: I was impressed with this boat, construction is solid. The hull and deck are glassed together while in the mold. The boat stays in the mold until all the structural stuff is glassed in. Instead of thru deck penetrations they glass in permanent backing plates that are threaded to accept the bolt. Very watertight boats and well insulated so not much condensation. Rather than hope rudders don't leak the rudder is designed for water to circulate through! 

 

Yacht Survey in the Ionian on this Beneteau

I was back Surveying this Beneteau Oceanis 423 Yacht in the Ionian today at Cleopatra's Yard in Preveza. Strange to see so many boats on the Hard this time of year. 

Strange times! 

These production built boats get a good review generally. The hull is hand-laid solid fiberglass with a vinylester barrier coat. The hull and structural hull liner are bonded using polyester adhesive. The deck is balsa cored.

She has plainly benefited from the copious experience of both its builders and her designer. And she also benefits from being an ideal size. She's a big 42-footer: You can fit her out with everything you could possibly need for cruising, and put a hard dinghy or RIB on the foredeck to boot!

Thinking of buying an ex-charter yacht in Greece?

Thinking of buying a yacht in Greece? There are good bargains to be had here, especially in the autumn at the end of the charter season. But there are pitfalls to be aware of too.

The majority of boats listed with brokers here are ex-charter yachts, known as Greek professional yachts. Some people shy away from ex-charter yachts, believing it equivalent to buying a second-hand vehicle from a car hire firm. While a single private owner may keep a yacht in better condition, not all charter yachts are hammered or poorly maintained.

In fact, what most people don’t realise is that a lot of the professional yachts in Greece are owned by individuals not by charter companies. The owners must charter them out for a certain number of days each year in order to benefit from VAT and other advantages given to professional yachts.

Often the owner will charter for the minimum number of days to retain professional status and to cover the annual mooring and maintenance costs of the yacht.

If you are prepared to spend time looking around you’ll find a big difference in the appearance of yachts of the same age, with some  looking ‘tired’ from heavy use while others seem years younger.

 

FINDING A SUITABLE YACHT

A search on the Internet will bring up numerous websites with yachts for sale in Greece.

A company that we have recently dealt with and found good are:

Network Yacht brokers – Contact Contact info@nyblefkas.com

THE SURVEY

Having found a yacht you want to buy I strongly recommend that you have it surveyed by a professional surveyor. It is not unknown for a charter yacht to suffer major hull damage, be patched up by an unscrupulous owner, and then offered for resale with no mention of the damage.

“Buyer Beware” should certainly be your motto.

If you are not knowledgeable about boats a survey is essential.

A survey will not only protect you from buying a boat with technical problems but it is also required by most insurance companies.

Surveys cost from 500 Euros. There can be major difference in price between surveyors so check what they offer you and what comeback you have if they miss a major defect!

GREEK FLAG

99% of Greek professional yachts are Greek-flagged.

If the boat is flagged in another country then the rules of that country will apply and you need advice from a qualified broker.

If you are not a Greek citizen or an EU citizen resident in Greece you will need to change flag if the boat is intended for private use.

You can normally keep Greek flag if you intend to set up a charter business in this country.

SALES PRICE

We were once advised never to pay a Greek the price he asks for anything, as he will always expect you to bargain…

This is certainly true when it comes to boats. You should be able to negotiate down from the initial asking price. A good survey may give you ammunition for this, as few used boats will be without any defects.

The surveyor should be able to advise you what the ‘going rate’ is for the type of yacht you are interested in.

We have heard that some brokers in Greece do not work on a fixed commission basis. They will agree a price with the owner that he/she will accept. They then try to obtain as high a price as possible from the purchaser. Their commission is the difference. The extra they add to the ‘owner’s price’ can be quite considerable.

VAT

Greek professional yachts will have been purchased VAT exempt. If you are an EU national, you will be required to pay the VAT in addition to the purchase price.

The VAT rate in Greece is 23% but often you can negotiate with the Seller and it is not unknown for deals to be reached where you pay only an additional 5% and the Seller handles the payment of VAT.

You may be exempted from payment of VAT if you are involved in commercial activity that includes boat chartering.

If you are a non E.U. Citizen you won’t need to pay the outstanding VAT, but you will require the yacht to be custom cleared from the E.U. This takes several days and costs about 800 Euro.

 TYPICAL PURCHASE PROCEDURE

Having found a yacht, you negotiate a price with the broker and reach an agreement. You should be supplied with an inventory for the yacht so you know exactly what is included in the sale.

You need a solicitor to act for you during the sale. Your solicitor will protect you by ensuring that there are no encumbrances or debts on the yacht, and that the ownership situation and titles are clear.

The solicitor will prepare an M.O.A. (Memorandum of Agreement) stating all the details of the transaction, including terms, dates and payments, and what comes with the boat. This Memorandum should be conditional on a survey.

The M.O.A. will be signed by both Buyer and Seller.

You arrange a survey of the yacht and, on the basis of this, either agree the price, re-negotiate, or in some cases the wisest action may be to walk away!

You normally pay a deposit of 10-20% of the purchase price to your solicitor as soon as possible in order to have a legally binding agreement. Your solicitor will pay this to the seller after all the necessary documents have been handed over to him.

You must send the balance of the purchase price to the solicitor in time to comply with the provisions negotiated when drafting the Memorandum of Agreement. The solicitor will pay the full purchase price to the seller only after he has made sure that all legal and tax requirements have been taken care of by the seller and after all required documents have been handed over to him by the seller.

As part of the sales process the yacht will be deleted from the Greek registry. Upon deletion an official ownership certificate will be issued from the Hellenic Registrar of Shipping. The certificate will confirm that the boat is free from encumbrances and liens.

In the meantime you can arrange registration for the boat in your country.

After completion of all the paperwork you can take over your boat here in Greece or you can arrange to have it delivered to wherever you intend to keep her.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

When we bought our boat the process seemed to take forever! Brokers we have spoken to give around 5 weeks as the duration of the purchase process from signing of the M.O.A. to deletion from the Greek Registry. However, I think these may be Greek weeks and a little longer than elsewhere!

You can only sail your yacht after a Bill of Sale has been issued and officially signed by both Vendor and Buyer and the Deletion Certificate has been issued. Buying a yacht is a fairly lengthy and bureaucratic process here in Greece but many of the procedures are there to safeguard your interests and ensure the yacht is free of debts or any other financial burdens.

Do not be tempted to take any shortcuts or accept any bits of paper presented to you by an eager seller supposedly to speed up the process!

If you need that Survey or any help at all contact me at the earliest at Yachtsurveysgreece.com

Pre-purchase Yacht Survey in Leros

I was back in Leros Marina carrying out a Pre-Purchase Yacht Survey on this Catamaran yesterday. This 1980's highly regarded Prout Snowgoose 37 has earned a well-deserved reputation as an exceptional blue water passage maker. With nearly 100 reported circumnavigations completed, you would be hard pressed to find another line with this track record.

Lifting her out for the bottom inspection

The low draft greatly increases the skipper’s anchoring options when storms approach, and makes her ideal for exploring the shallow waters found in coves around the Greek Islands.

The Prout family began building cats in the 1950s, and their boats have been well known and respected in the United Kingdom and Europe for half a century.

The interior is well executed with abundant storage and counter space. The liberal use of teak creates a warm and elegant atmosphere not seen on many modern day cats.

Surveyors comments: The Snowgoose 37 is a solid, capable world cruiser with a proven track record. It may not be as flashy as newer-designed cruising cats, but when the ocean is in an unpleasant mood the last thing on your mind is flashiness!

Thinking about buying a boat and need help, email me at  info@yachtsurveysgreece.com

Yacht Surveyor for Insurance in Preveza, Lefkas

Becoming a regular survey stop 'Cleopatra Marina' in Preveza - seriously thinking of relocating!