I'm buying a mid 2000s Beneteau Cyclades 443 remotely

[tomasv]

Hello Beneteau owners, we're in process of buying a 2000s Beneteau Cyclades 443. We are in north america and the boat is in Europe so this will be a remote purchase.
Do you know what the typical problems were with these boats were, what to look for? Any advice I can pass to surveyor? A water test is not possible, only a survey on land, should we expect any surprises when she goes in the water?
On that note, how do you know you found a good surveyor ? The broker is providing contacts but beyond that no other references.
We are planning on flying over in January and doing the Atlantic crossing from Europe to Caribbean so do not want any big surprises.
Thank you kindly in advance.

 

[Southpaw]

That is a long sail on a boat that you know nothing about. Are they going to do an engine analysts? Why not buy a boat in the Caribbean? I would not buy a boat that I couldn't water test. How many hours on the motor? Check the cutlass bearing and motor mounts. You can make anything look good in pictures.

 

[DougM]

Personally, I think that purchasing a boat remotely is a bad idea. Even with a survey completed by a respected surveyor is not a guarantee that all is well and will remain well. Without having the boat in the water, it's impossible to determine what works and what doesn't.
There are a lot of really good boats on this side of the pond, and you wouldn't have to risk an Atlantic crossing in an unfamiliar boat.

 

[KD3PC]

remote survey and no sea trial = a very unhappy buyer, let alone one who expects to float the boat and sail the boat, instantly upon arrival.

YES, you can expect issues when she is floated, especially if she has been on the hard for any significant length of time. On the hard does not stop the boat and it's systems from deteriorating. You may want to ask the yard to leave her in the slings so you can check out all of the systems not able to be checked while sitting on the hard. Just in case.

I would strongly suggest you appear AT the boat, the most well spent dollars or Euros you will ever spend. January will be rather cold, and storm laden to make a crossing of the north atlantic and atlantic. In a new to you boat, that has been on the hard, etc, etc

There are horror stories about boats, where the buyer IS present and the sea trial happens....let alone this process. I would punt and find a more local boat.

YMMV

 

[Justin_NSA]

I can't think of a riskier purchase. You don't even know the surveyor. And then you want to sail it across the Atlantic without any surprises?

 

[Roland5048]

There are a lot of Beneteau's, many between 5 and 10 years old coming out of charter in the Caribbean, especially in the BVI.
They are usually bare-boned, electronic wise, but mostly well maintained. The money you would save on travel to Europe, the exchange rate, other expenses, etc. would buy some neat electronics and other essentials. Maybe even a bigger boat. And, you would actually be able to see the boat, have it surveyed, and sea trial all in the same place. You also wouldn't have to cross an ocean in an unfamiliar boat to get to the islands. You're already there. For you and your crew's safety and life, I would reconsider your plan. Later, if you want to bring the boat back to NY, you can pick your weather windows and have a great time cruising the islands and up the east coast without risking being stuck in the middle of the Atlantic. Good luck.

 

[tomasv]

We are going the southern route, following the coast to Canaries and then along the equator to Caribbean. January is a good month for this crossing. Summer equator crossing carry hurricane risk.
It will take time to go Med to Canaries, during this time we fix problems and outfit as needed for the crossing.
We want to get the boat in Europe so we can sail the med and do the crossing before settling her in the Caribbean. We will check engine compression and overhaul before the crossing if needed. Thank you for the advice, will check mounts and prop shaft. Nice article here:
http://www.cruisingworld.com/how/check-shaft-bearing-hard

 

[onlinelee]

You don't say where in the Med you found this boat and what country it registered in... As a Brit living in Spain and having purchased a Spanish registered yacht, I found the whole process of buying rather frustrating!

 

[reworb]

I bought a boat 650 miles from home however it was in the same state, Florida. I used a surveyor who was recommended by the broker. We had trouble with the boat on the way home (crankshaft broke in the engine) luckily it was in the ICW and not out in Gulf of Mexico. Believe me it was a first class pain getting it repaired so far from home when I had to be at home. A friend of mine bought a power boat several hundred miles from home. I helped him bring it home, we had several problems that caused us to have to effect repairs underway again luckily we were in the ICW and not in the open ocean.

Two things I learned 1)I would never buy a used boat a long way from home, you really have no practical legal recourse (I'm an attorney) against either the seller or broker, unless you're spending in the multiple hundred thousand of dollars; and 2) this is the most important especially for a long ocean voyage never never set out on a long voyage on an unfamiliar boat get to know the boat well before you go.

 

[msade]

I live in Israel and most of the used boats here are bought from charter companies in Europe.
The regular practise is to to see the boat in advance and check it by a surveyor which is not connected to the seller. Then the money is delivered and the boat is registered under your name. After that we fly again to take and deliver the boat. The charter companies are maintaining the boats quite well. Still problems can surface .Due to winter storms January is a bad month to go in the Med especially from east to west.
Its better to sail on May and start ocean crossing on November possibly as part of the ACR (Atlantic Crossing Rally) . That way you will have enough time to fix problems before the crossing.

 

[Justin_NSA]

I would look into an escrow account, rather than handing money directly over to a seller or broker.