Forums, Everything Else, Buying through a broker

Oreb at 03/12/2015 18:27:09
Hi there!
My plan is to fly over to the UK early spring next year and look at a few Contessa 32s, and hopefully be well on the way to owning one when flying home to Stockholm again. I have read up a bit on the purchase process over there, so that is no problem. What I don’t know is – How long does it usually take (after money has exchanged hands) before I am in posession of the boat? Is there some waitingtime for transfer of the title etc. The reason I am asking is because I want to leave the boat with Jeremy Rogers yard for a partial refit, and it will probably be easier to book a yard spot if I have a general idea on when they can expect the boat.
Sincerely
(And sorry for the swenglish)
Jan T
Stockholm

Brigitte at 03/12/2015 22:32:17
Nothing is certain. Typically the broker asks for the monies to be held in a dedicated holding account immediately after you’ve made an offer on the boat which has been accepted by the vendor. At this point the sale becomes legally binding unless the survey throws up something major, leading to a renegotiation. As you can see, if the survey or subsequent paperwork shows problems, it can all suffer considerable delay.

We actually refused to pay more than the 10% deposit up front and paid the balance after we were satisfied with the survey. The broker didn’t like it but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

There is a very useful publication by the RYA called “Buying a second hand boat” (available very cheaply second hand on Amazon) which is a comprehensive guide to the process. We followed the advice to the letter when we bought Brigitte and we are very glad we did when things briefly threatened to get sticky.

There are potentially nasty, expensive surprises if things go sour. The RYA book will tell you exactly what to expect and has examples of the documentation that should be used which will help you to spot any trouble before it happens.

Oreb at 03/12/2015 23:25:53
Oh jesus!
I just read through that publication, it gave me a few new gray hairs..The part about the buyer taking over any outstanding debts didn’t sound funny at all! We actually have a similar situation in Sweden, but it is much easier to check here, with central registers and whatnot. I guess I will have to create a long list and then follow it to the letter when buying the boat.
Thank you very much for the advice!

George Isted at 07/12/2015 12:13:03
I would not pay any more than a deposit (say 10%) to a broker before a survey is done. Same goes for a private sale.

Good luck finding a boat.

Oreb at 15/05/2016 13:10:42
10% deposit worked fine,survey is in, and I send the rest of the money to Sea Ventures on tuesday. After that, I will be the new owner of Carolina. Since this boat has a bit of history, I will not rename her. Right now I am organising insurance, booking yardtime at Jeremy Rogers to adress the minor issues (nothing out of the ordinary for a well maintained old boat) that popped up in the survey, buying a few sails/upholstery from Sanders, then me and two pals will sail it home to Stockholm in july. I am really happy. The boat has had a lot done to it, it has a monitor, lots of sails, spares etc.
Sincerely
Jan T
Stockholm

Speedwell at 15/05/2016 13:31:06

Congratulations! I bought CO710 Speedwell (previously Infinity) through Sea Ventures and my experience was excellent. I also had a minor refit at the Rogers yard over the winter. Good luck with Carolina and I hope you have many happy years of sailing in Sweden and maybe a little in the Solent over the summer before you depart.

Oreb at 18/05/2016 12:08:06
Thank you Speedwell!
Our plan is to do coastal hops from Lymington to Dover on your side, checking out the towns and sights as we go. This will be my first time visiting that isle of yours, so I really look forward to that part. Also can’t wait to get onboard, this has been my dream boat for many years. All this time I have read every book/article/forum post ever written about the boat, some called it cramped, but as I see it, it will be palatial, I’ve been on folkboats. That is cramped. My uncle had a Albin Ballad back in the 70s, we sailed that boat with 4 adults and us two children to Vaasa in finland and back, it was my best vacation to this day. I think this one will trumph it, it will be me and two mates onboard. Since I am the captain I felt a need to read up a bit on tidal waters, since we don’t have that in the baltic. So I am currently doing a yachtmaster theory course, I might take a course with some sailing school in Lymington as well, havent’t decided on that part yet.
the longterm plan is to go across the pond at least, but I wont do that until I know the boat inside and out.
Cheers
Jan T

George Isted at 18/05/2016 13:12:43
Congratulations Oreb, I know Carolina very well indeed having sailed on her and raced against her, I am sure you will be very happy with her.

I am not formally working over the summer and as a result I’m picking up various sailing/training/assisted delivery jobs. If you would like to spend some time on Carolina with a very experienced Contessa sailor with both inshore and offshore experience please feel free to contact me (GliYachtServices(AT)outlook.com)

All the best
George
Edited: George Isted on 2016-05-18 13:13:31

JonP at 18/05/2016 18:58:55
Hi Oreb (Jan),

Keep us up to date here on the forum as your plans come together. Those in the area may be able to meet up with you on your travels. I’m in the Felixstowe area and depending on dates, may be able to drop down to the Ramsgate/Dover area.

Congratulations on joining the fleet.

Kind Regards,
Jon Pulfer

Oreb at 20/05/2016 11:42:47
Will do!
Our dedicated chef will bring some sort of action cam, and I bought one of those gopromonstrosities, so chances are we will have a bunch of crappy movies at the end of it^^
In other news: I tried to buy a cobb grill for the boat, but items wont ship to sweden..Does anyone know if I can get ahold of one of these in Lymington?

doug at 20/05/2016 18:36:21
One of these?

http://www.force4.co.uk/cobb-stainless-steel-barbecue-charcoal-oven.html#.Vz9KqDL2ZpN

Force 4 have a store in Lymington