fin
New Member
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Post by fin on Jul 18, 2013 15:46:40 GMT
My wife and i are looking at buying a 54DS specifically for a 12 month tour of the Med, ARC crossing and Caribbean.
Dispite being regular charterers in various locations around the globe we are non- boat owners at this juncture. We are both aware that there are many,many pitfalls ahead of us.
Any hits, tips, advice would be really welcome
Regards
Fin
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Post by Zanshin on Jul 18, 2013 16:14:32 GMT
Welcome to the forum, Fin.
While I never owned a 54DS (I leapfrogged from a 49DS to the J57) I do have some comments.
The 54DS still remains Jeanneau's biggest selling boat, with reason. It was large, spacious, well-designed and fit a good niche in the big boat monohull charter business. While there are most certainly particular items to look at in detail when purchasing a used boat, the overall design is sound.
I fretted over a lot of things on my first (and second) boat purchase which, in retrospect, were not that important after all. Particularly for your first boat and for such a big investment you will need to find a broker whom you can trust. Once you find a particular model you will then have to hire a surveyor whom you -really- need to trust. You won't go wrong if you have broker-boat-surveyor and (of course) financing lined up when purchasing a 54DS.
Where are you planning on purchasing a 54DS and do you have restrictions such as 'no ex-charter' models in place? What cabin layout do you wish to have?
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fin
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by fin on Jul 19, 2013 7:54:44 GMT
Thanks for the reply.
We are looking to buy a boat in the next 12 months. At this juncture we are looking for the owners version 3+1 cabin version, ideally with lazy jacks, teak decks, Genset and watermaker.
in terms of charter or not - i was advised that underused yachts with low engine hours are generally underpriced relative to a boat that had received hard and constant use, so despite a higher initial outlay the overall cost of buying, running and deprecation at re-sale will be less and on top of that there will be less day to day expenditure and breakages. Does that sound right to you?
I am hoping to buy a 2008 model for in the reigon of £270-£280,000 UK pounds
Id love to hear your thoughts on this? Also if you can give me a steer on annual running costs (excluding marinas and moorings) and finally (sorry for exhaustive list) the cost to ship from Caribbean back to Europe at the end of our adventure?
Many thanks
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Post by Zanshin on Jul 19, 2013 11:26:31 GMT
www.yachtworld.com is your best best to get a good overview of current asking prices. I've found that often the underused yachts by private owners get put on the market for far too high a price, while the more realistic commercial sellers will list their boats with better pricing. Again, a broker that you can trust is indispensable as they can access the actual sold prices of boats as well as being able to see how long they have been on the market. VAT is going to be a big issue for you. If you enter the EU with the boat then it will immediately be liable for VAT. If it hasn't been paid then you'll get hit with a charge of 19%. If you buy the boat within the EU then it might be VAT paid, if the boat is in the Caribean then odds are that it hasn't. If you buy in the Caribbean (which has excellent used boat pricing as well as a great selection of boats) and then wait for a year before entering the Eurozone you'll have another year's depreciation on the boat and could thus pay a bit less VAT. I personally have nothing against buying an ex-charter boat. If one chooses well and gets a thorough survey done then the wear-and-tear will generally be limited to cosmetic and not structural problems. The diesel engines are usually well-maintened in charter boats (frequent oil changes, which private owners often neglect) and despite having a lot more hours than those in private boats these diesels are not even close to their total designed hour limits. Generators are often overworked on charter boats (in the Caribbean it is mainly air conditioning) and one should calculate on changing all of the batteries and augmenting the total capacity at the same time. Shipping via Dockwise can be done at list price or at a discount; the closer to sailing date Dockwise gets the cheaper the fares are, but they can fill up and then one has no choice but to sail the boat across on her own hull. A good delivery skipper with crew and a well-chosen weather window can be your cheapest option by far and wouldn't put too much strain on the equipment. The 54DS is a lot more substantial than a small boat for such a crossing.
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Post by lauriesail on Oct 7, 2013 0:20:21 GMT
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