Advice: When in October to buy an ex-charter boat in the Med?

[tanre]

Hi all, I am hoping that next year I will be able to actually contribute to this forum rather than picking everyones collective brain for info, but as a fledgling, I don't know how much I have to offer right now)


I am booking my fights to Croatia (Split or Dubrovnik) with the goal of purchasing a used Lagoon 400. I believe that the sailing season comes to an end at the end of October.



Originally, I was guessing that if I get there around the 17th, I would have the last couple weeks of October to find something, but then I read that some charters stop around the second week of October, so I modified my plans to arrive around the 11th. My plan is to drive up and down the coast to all the marinas I can find and ask around (after obviously researching whats for sale on yachtworld et. al.).



If I am trying to offer on boats prior to them being out of charter, but before many others may be showing up to the area with the same idea.



I can only spend 90 days in the EU, so I don't want to make it where I am too early and definitely don't want to be too late.



Any advice as to specifically when? Thanks

[goboatingnow]

Randomly approaching charter companies will get you nowhere , the sailing season doesn’t end abruptly , some companies will be offering selective charters until Dec

When a charter company decides to sell , they place the boat with a broker as they tend to have good relations with specific ones. These brokers will tend to have advance knowledge of what’s likely to come out of the charter fleet.

At present the charters are expecting a bumper year and are unlikely to be considering releasing boats. Most boats are staying in charter except very tired stuff in my experience ( 2021)

I don’t quite get the logic behind your approach.

In my experience charter companies can decide to sell at any time and often list boats that are actively being used because they already have the replacement boat in service or are expecting it. There’s no set time for this but it does tend to be in the 2nd half of the year.

Boats are in high demand. I’d get on the ground sooner rather then later , but you could find you need to research and narrow down remotely and make offers cause good stuff is selling in days at the moment.

If you are under time pressure you need to have zeroed in on the target boats and have your money ready to go. Otherwise you will get gazumpted.

If I am trying to offer on boats prior to them being out of charter, but before many others may be showing up to the area with the same idea.

It doesn’t work like that. The charter companies will place the boat with a local broker who typically has relations and way more advance knowledge then you . He will then advertise etc.

If your lucky you may find there is a small time window before the brokers lists them publicly.

Since most boats in charter are ex-VAT you are now competing with hoards of U.K. buyers who can now by vat free , good luck there will be plenty of company !!