U.S. Buyer Purchases Yacht in Spain, Part II: Survey Options & Logistics

Note that this story was originally published by John Burnham at Rightboat: https://www.rightboat.com/blog/u-s-buyer-purchases-yacht-in-spain-part-ii

In Part 1 of this story, we recounted helping a couple search for their next yacht, which led them from the U.S. Northeast to Mallorca, Spain, with broker Charlie Mann’s help. There, they put down a deposit on a Hoek-designed 56-foot sloop in early January, 2025.

Boat markets at this time of year were obviously slow in New England. Thankfully, Palma was

much more temperate, and the deposit was made, the only funkiness being that the deposit

was in dollars on an offer that was in euros. So, the buyers were still beholden to any exchange rate fluctuations.

The next step was to identify a surveyor acceptable to the buyer. In this case, the buyer had a

surveyor that he knew and trusted from prior boat transactions, which simplified things. It also made it easier on Charlie, because he didn’t have to send over a list of contractors and

potentially have to make a recommendation—something that’s generally a no-no in the

brokerage world, yet buyers always ask!

Haul Out in Palma

Does the Broker attend the Pre-Purchase Survey?

The next step was determining whether or not Charlie as the buying broker would attend the

survey. It’s one thing if the boat is 30 miles away. It’s another if it’s an ocean away. While the

broker’s attendance at the survey is often expected and the client typically covers travel and

accommodation expenses, it is not always the case.

Ideally, of course, the buying broker should be present. Brokers generally consider that it’s their priority to attend the survey, and if reimbursement for expenses occurs, so be it. The key is to act professionally and respectfully, balancing the need to be involved with an understanding of the expectations around expenses.

Why should the broker attend the survey? We find that they can play a crucial role throughout the survey process. Acting as a representative, the broker not only serves as a liaison between the buyer and the selling party but also helps translate technical surveyor language into terms the buyer will understand. The broker’s presence also ensures a smoother process flow, whether simply in facilitating logistics—such as providing refreshments—or discreetly managing interactions between buyer and seller to maintain a positive atmosphere. In the case of this survey in Palma, Mallorca, the issue was easy to deal with because the buyer wanted Charlie there and was quite willing to pay for it.

The In-Sater Survey Underway

Managing Logistics

In addition to managing the sea trial and survey, Charlie and the buyer were able to work

together to keep an eye forward on logistics once the boat transaction was completed; in this

case, the logistics involved delivery of the yacht to the States. Logistical planning for the sea

trial and a short haulout was already complicated in and around Palma by the Palma Boat Show and Regatta Week in Mallorca, which increased boat traffic and the load on local services.

Eventually, plans were completed with a surveyor and dates were set for when the boat would be available. Since many European yachts are managed separately from their sellers, the team coordinated on extra logistics, including having the seller or an available captain on site. The selling broker handles the paperwork, while the yacht manager oversees local operations.

Everything began going smoothly, and after Charlie and the buyer flew through Germany, they arrived in Spain.

Now it was March. And the buyers were two months into a deal where they had yet to see the

boat in person! So when the buying party arrived in Palma, they took a taxi straight to the boat. They didn’t board her at that time, but just wanted to lay eyes on her. Later that night the owner arrived, and early the next morning the buyers met with the selling broker and the

owner.

The Short Haul Survey in Progress

Sea Trial and the “Short Haul”

That day, the survey commenced. They did the sea trial first, then proceeded with the in-water survey. Everything went well, with no major findings; the boat was essentially as advertised. Of course, there were a number of smaller things (something that happens 100 percent of the time on any boat survey), but there were no deal breakers.

The most interesting part was the “short haul” that followed. For a yacht broker in New

England, we’re used to doing the sea trial and then driving the boat to the pit or to a dock,

where the yard pulls/pushes the boat into the slings, hauls the boat, and then moves her over

land to a place where the surveyor can get to the bottom and its running gear.

What made this short haul different was the massive size of the boat yard as well as the 100-

foot-plus yachts scattered all about. For comparison, the lifting capacity at one of the larger

boatyards in New England (Portsmouth’s New England Boatworks) is 200 tons. The lift capacity at the marina in Palma is 1000 tons! So, there were many more hands and eyeballs needed to make sure the boat got seated correctly and didn’t incur any scratches or scuffs! But all went well, and all that was left was to wait for the oil analysis (samples were sent back to a lab in the U.S.), and then vessel acceptance.

Assuming that all worked out well, the yacht was going to be put on a ship and transported to

the U.S. These transport ships operate on a schedule that, if you miss one, it could be weeks

before another ship was available.

Stay tuned for Part III where we cover getting the boat shipped, and back to the States into her new owners’ hands.