I don't know much about boats but I found this video informative and very interesting. Good job on laying out the negatives and positives of buying a boat overseas. You learn from mistakes and your mistakes (thankfully very few) will hopefully not be the pitfalls others make. I look forward to seeing more videos from Sea Bee Sailing.
You really organize your ideas, data and thoughts well. This has been most enlightening. I am planning on buying in Croatia too so all info on this subject is great. Thank you for sharing your experience!!!
Greetings from Hvar, Croatia! 😎👍🏻 I'm actually looking at buying a sailboat, I'm local, in the business for 7 years and I still find your videos helpful...good work! 👍🏻
This is by far the most informative video I've encountered about the purchase process and your checklists are invaluable. Looking forward to seeing more episodes.
I have to say .. this video is very useful and you are an extremely thoughtful person … and a good psychologist…. Especially about the comments on old male boat owners… totally true !!!!
Hi, thank you for all this information. This is a great video and no doubt many people will find importance with your experience. Once again, excellent !!
@@SeaBeeSailing I hope I can achieve my dream. The Elan 434, 444, 45 and 514 sailboats are very good in terms of data on sailboatdata. As for physically I have never seen it. But those are some of my dream sailboats and your video has given the picture a bit. I would love to see your sailboat set sail on your adventurous journey. Greetings from Indonesia.
Excellent information sharing about the complex 'used boat buying process'. I found a few very good points you made there. Thanks a lot. Subscribed. Cheers.
Such a great suite of factual videos. It certainly switched a few lightbulbs on for us! We are in Australia and plan on visiting Croatia to do exactly the same! Elan Vs Beneteau..
Kia ora Thank you so much for this. I will certainly email you for your check sheet as could not find it. Fantastic journey. One Deb and I are just begining.
Thank you for watching. You can find the boat check list on our website www.seabeesailing.com on the page called Sea Bee at the bottom under resources.
Thank you for a clear and organized description of your process. Ihave two questions tho: !1why would anyone flag and deflag a vessel 2)what is ti status
Congratulations!! This could be one of the best video I have ever seen in relation with a boat buying process and her flag change. I am EU citizen and I suffer the bureaucracy duties in our countries. Your tip on agent help is valuable especially for foreigners. Good winds in your Med adventure.
Iam Polish Canadian...in four years get pension move to Europe and buy similar boat to cruising .Thanks for information...Stay dry and happy with your excellent boat.🤜🤛🇨🇦...
Loved the video very informative, Can you please share the sites you used to find your boats on your short list? and share the broker you ended up using.
Charter boats are: 1) cheaper; 2) have more engine hours; 3) have not ideal layout for liveabord owners; 4) have significantly more small little wear and tear problems … BUT …. They are used a lot and are always 100 maintained and reliable because charter companies cannot afford disgusted tourists getting stuck with boat failure and then have to refund their holidays … so, if you look for a boat that looks good (and pay more money) buy a privately own one, but if you are ready to do some works and some engine maintenance … get a charter boat any time (from a serious charter company, not local paps and moms improvised family business)
Since we posted the video we spent a season in Croatia and have the chance to observe how charter boats are being abused. Now I understand why reputable charter companies retire boats after only few years - about the time these boats start to give up. It breaks my heart
@@SeaBeeSailing can you go into detail about how they get abused? I've chartered a boat several times in Greece and really can't understand how much (serious) damage even an inexperienced skipper can do.
Loved this video; we bought an Elan in October 2019 (in Croatia!) and would agree with pretty much everything you’ve said. We approached it very similarly but your spreadsheet/organisation game was absolutely top notch and much better than ours! The only tip I’d add is if you’ve never sailed the model in question before, consider combining with a charter holiday and spend a week on board one. If it’s one for sale that you’re considering and you express your interest up front then the seller will often agree to refund the charter fee if you buy. We in fact had a lovely week aboard one for sale (for under $1,000 as at end of season) but ruled it out due to too many signs of poor maintenance. But it confirmed we loved the model, just not that boat (and it was still a lovely holiday)!
@@SeaBeeSailing our boat is in Baška Voda, not too far up the coast. We’re still in London; travel to/from the UK and juggling work are still challenging for Brits 😔. We’re hoping to get out there in August (🤞🏻) and then longer term we hope to move aboard full time for a sabbatical in 2023
@@dannybsky007 we hope you make it to your boat in August or sooner!! Yes, we have sailing friends just like you stuck in the UK right now and separated from their boats. It’s not easy! We really hope things things will turn around and maybe one day we will meet on the water. You are not too far north of us. You are in a great sailing area. All the best!
Hi Guys, Love the vids, very informative and going through the boat buying stages, this is invaluable. Can't seem to find your checklists on your website, am I looking in the wrong place?
Thank you for sharing you systematic approach. I like like the way you structured your approach and how calm you were. Where could I download your checklist when buying the boat? Thank you in advance. Wish you beautiful and safe journey :) Best regards from sLOVEnia (where Elan yachts are made)
Glad it was helpful! You can download the checklist from our website. Below is the link. The checklist is at the bottom of the page. www.seabeesailing.com/boat
Thank you for this video... Simple, direct and clear, help us a lot! I would like to ask you two questions: 1) After first cideo, I understood you bought your vessel from a private owner, correct? 2) You commented (34’) for non-EU flagged, it is not necessary check in another country, correct? But, in this case, how I can prove the boat it was not in EU Seas area? Thank you again and fair winds!
Thank you for reaching out! 1- correct 2- in our case (for Croatia) the vessel needed to leave EU territorial waters. I understand (from the skipper I hired) , the authorities may ask for your digital log (GPS track of your positions during your passage) in form your chart plotter. hope it helps
Kivanç bey, harika bir iş yapmışsınız. Videolar gerçekten çok ustaca çekilmiş ve bilgi yüklü. Öncelikle bunun için teşekkürler. Ben de MI, USA de yaşıyorum ve 2025 için tekne alma ve teknede yaşamaya başlayarak bir dünya turu yapmak planlarım var. Paylaşımlarınız harika; sizinle eğer sakıncası yoksa temasta kalarak fikirler almak isterim. Dünyanın neresindeyseniz rüzgarınız kolayına ve pruvanız neta olsun. Sizlere harika bir 2025 diliyorum. Cemal Aydoğan
This is very interesting. I've often wondered if there's any money in buying a boat then sailing it to US or elsewhere for resale?? Would you make any money after import duty, taxes etc?? Of course too late for trade winds so maybe spend winter sailing the Med....ok if you have the time lol.....
there aren't many. Yachtworld has the most boats. It has been a while so I dont know if there are new players. Yatchall and boattrader are other options.
Great video. Thanks. Perhaps I missed it, but who pays brokerage fees (buyer or seller) and how much are they typically? Did you hire a broker to represent you for the boat purchase, or just the de-flagging?
Seller pays the broker. We did not hire a broker- at the time of purchase, boat was registered with USCG (US flag). Since we are US citizens we did not need to de-re flag. Only transfer of ownership
I would actually really be interested in your opinion regarding charter boats since you seem to have had a chance to look at alot of them. I tend to think they get a bad rap because i think the charter companies are forced to do a good job maintaining them well through out their lifetime. I feel that the damage a bad charter skipper (especially in the Ionian) can do is somewhat limited, and probably easily fixable.
3+ years in the med, I can tell those poor charter boats are abused. Nevertheless, I am not against purchasing an ex-charter. My advice is never the better. One year of use in busy charter shows how quickly these babies get tired.
What is interesting as a US person you fly over to get a production EU boat, while I’m here in EU looking at the US boats :) Pacific Seacraft definately on my radar, as well I like UK manufaturers especially twin keels. Do you plan to take your boat to the ocean later in time?
We love Pacific Seacraft. Our original plan was to buy either a Pacific Seacraft, Tartan or Saber - a more heavy displacement blue water cruising sailboat and start sailing from California. But as our plans changed we realized a well made production boat would work well for our needs to sail the Med and also easier on our budget. This is what lead us to discover Elan boats. We are really loving sailing the Med and plan to be here a couple more years at least. The current thought now is to make an ocean cruising from here to the Caribbean in a few years. Best of luck to you and with your boat shopping!
@@SeaBeeSailing I see, well for me the time is yet not right, would need to sort out remote working, its a bit a pain from a legistlative perspective, and than I will be looking for a 2 cabin 30ft will need to keep the cost low as possible. Good winds and calm sea to you :)
It depends on your nationality, the flag you fly, whether or not the VAT on your boat is already paid and where and how long you are going to keep your boat.
Its not true for your trip to Slano. You can o with ferry to Island Pelješac to avoid borders ;) But now we are bulding the bridge to Pelješac ;) Regards from Croatia
You are right about the ferry. I did not consider the ferry on my trip to Slano. We just learned about the construction of the new bridge. How exciting.
"All that is needed is to leave EU waters and turn back to where you left off". I guess unless you are sailing in an Austrian lake, you can leave EU waters and return back within a day. Hence EU rules are pretty convenient for dodging EU taxes, similar to the situation we have in Turkey (most boats here are US flagged, mostly from Delaware - I guess a place set up in US just for the purpose of int'l tax evasion). I wonder if it is an EU-wide rule or specific to Croatia. Hard to imagine Netherlands would let go 21% VAT so easily...
Thanks for reaching out. For Croatia, it is the minimum requirement to leave EU waters and it can be done in a day. As for Delaware registration. There are one of two ways you can register your boat in the US and fly the US flag. USCG or State registration. As far as I know, USCG requires the owner to be a US citizen. Delaware (State) registration may be a work around where you can register your boat under a business entity in that state.
Why the F would anyone want to buy a "boat, car, house or anything" this guy is great, the pro & cons are confusing, the problem is they keep moving the gold post!!!!!!
I don't know much about boats but I found this video informative and very interesting. Good job on laying out the negatives and positives of buying a boat overseas. You learn from mistakes and your mistakes (thankfully very few) will hopefully not be the pitfalls others make. I look forward to seeing more videos from Sea Bee Sailing.
I guess this is the most methodical boat buying guide I have ever come across. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
You really organize your ideas, data and thoughts well. This has been most enlightening. I am planning on buying in Croatia too so all info on this subject is great. Thank you for sharing your experience!!!
Glad to help. Let us know if we can be more help. Best of luck with your search!
Greetings from Hvar, Croatia! 😎👍🏻
I'm actually looking at buying a sailboat, I'm local, in the business for 7 years and I still find your videos helpful...good work! 👍🏻
Thank you for reaching out. Now is a good time (Oct) to shop for a boat.
This is by far the most informative video I've encountered about the purchase process and your checklists are invaluable. Looking forward to seeing more episodes.
Thanks for watching and for such a nice comment!
I have to say .. this video is very useful and you are an extremely thoughtful person … and a good psychologist…. Especially about the comments on old male boat owners… totally true !!!!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you
Excellent and informative video. I live in Croatia as a British citizen and currently going through the purchase process. Enjoying your series.
Feels good to be able to help fellow sailors. Let us know if we can be more help. Best of luck
What a fantastic video tutorial about buying in EU/Croatia. It's exactly what I've been thinking of doing. Well done and thanks a million!
Glad it was helpful!
It's obvious this video was thoughtfully planned and produced. Well organized and very instructional. Thank you.
Thank you for recognizing how much effort goes into producing videos
Hi, thank you for all this information. This is a great video and no doubt many people will find importance with your experience. Once again, excellent !!
You are so welcome!
This is a great video. Thank you for the effort in putting it together!
You are most welcome
I intend doing this in the next couple of years. This is invaluable information. Thank you so much for sharing.
You are most welcome!
Very insightful. Will keep notes if we ever plan to buy a boat. Love your videos. Keep it coming folks 💙
Me too🤞
This is so helpful! An exhaustive and organized primer on how to achieve a sailing dream. Great video!
Glad it was helpful!
Fantastic video, very instructive. Thanks!
You are most welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.
Excellent, very informative video. Thanks for your efforts. Best Regards..
Very helpful video for buying a used sailboat. Very informative. Good channel. Thanks bro.
You got it! Happy to help
@@SeaBeeSailing I hope I can achieve my dream. The Elan 434, 444, 45 and 514 sailboats are very good in terms of data on sailboatdata. As for physically I have never seen it. But those are some of my dream sailboats and your video has given the picture a bit. I would love to see your sailboat set sail on your adventurous journey. Greetings from Indonesia.
Well researched and excellent personal first hand advice
Thank you!
Thanks for the excellent details they help a lot especially the TI status
You are most welcome
Very important and informative video…. Am impressed. Thanks!
This is very helpful thank you. ❤
You're so welcome!
Super helpful- thank you!
Great video - well done!
Many thanks!
Great Video. Very Informative.
Thank you!
Very good points. Valuable expérience. Thank you.
Our pleasure!
Excellent information sharing about the complex 'used boat buying process'. I found a few very good points you made there. Thanks a lot. Subscribed. Cheers.
you are most welcome
Such a great suite of factual videos. It certainly switched a few lightbulbs on for us! We are in Australia and plan on visiting Croatia to do exactly the same! Elan Vs Beneteau..
Our pleasure! Let us know if we can be more help
So did you??? How did it go? I am really frightened that I will probably find only mistreated ex charter boats and come back home empty handed!
Kia ora
Thank you so much for this.
I will certainly email you for your check sheet as could not find it.
Fantastic journey. One Deb and I are just begining.
Thank you for watching. You can find the boat check list on our website www.seabeesailing.com on the page called Sea Bee at the bottom under resources.
@@SeaBeeSailing Ah sorry 'man' look.
Thank you. Really enjoying your channel.
Very informative and systematic video🙏
Teşekkürler, Selamlar
you are most welcome. Rica ederiz
Great video
Great video, thanks
Hi couldn’t find the check list link, tho it’s many years since the video was posted. Interesting and informative as usual 👍👍
it is on our website, under the boat tab- scroll down towards the bottom
Thank you for a clear and organized description of your process. Ihave two questions tho:
!1why would anyone flag and deflag a vessel
2)what is ti status
1- in order to register the boat under the new owner's name.
2- temporary importation.
Congratulations!! This could be one of the best video I have ever seen in relation with a boat buying process and her flag change. I am EU citizen and I suffer the bureaucracy duties in our countries. Your tip on agent help is valuable especially for foreigners. Good winds in your Med adventure.
Thank you Tomas! Glad it was helpful.
Thanks... Great information!!
Thanks. Looking forward to future videos.
You bet!
Answered a lot of question's for me, thank you.
Glad to hear it!
Iam Polish Canadian...in four years get pension move to Europe and buy similar boat to cruising .Thanks for information...Stay dry and happy with your excellent boat.🤜🤛🇨🇦...
Best of luck! Let us know if we can be more help.
Thank you for this amazing video
Absolutely. Glad it serves the purpose
Well done. Looking forward to seeing your adventures videos.✋⛵️
Thank you! Hope you doing well brother
good to see u back...
Thank you! Good to be back
Loved the video very informative,
Can you please share the sites you used to find your boats on your short list? and share the broker you ended up using.
Pls reach out to us via our website.
Charter boats are: 1) cheaper; 2) have more engine hours; 3) have not ideal layout for liveabord owners; 4) have significantly more small little wear and tear problems … BUT …. They are used a lot and are always 100 maintained and reliable because charter companies cannot afford disgusted tourists getting stuck with boat failure and then have to refund their holidays … so, if you look for a boat that looks good (and pay more money) buy a privately own one, but if you are ready to do some works and some engine maintenance … get a charter boat any time (from a serious charter company, not local paps and moms improvised family business)
Since we posted the video we spent a season in Croatia and have the chance to observe how charter boats are being abused. Now I understand why reputable charter companies retire boats after only few years - about the time these boats start to give up. It breaks my heart
@@SeaBeeSailing can you go into detail about how they get abused? I've chartered a boat several times in Greece and really can't understand how much (serious) damage even an inexperienced skipper can do.
Gold , thank you so much.
Sail safe
You are most welcome!
Loved this video; we bought an Elan in October 2019 (in Croatia!) and would agree with pretty much everything you’ve said. We approached it very similarly but your spreadsheet/organisation game was absolutely top notch and much better than ours!
The only tip I’d add is if you’ve never sailed the model in question before, consider combining with a charter holiday and spend a week on board one. If it’s one for sale that you’re considering and you express your interest up front then the seller will often agree to refund the charter fee if you buy. We in fact had a lovely week aboard one for sale (for under $1,000 as at end of season) but ruled it out due to too many signs of poor maintenance. But it confirmed we loved the model, just not that boat (and it was still a lovely holiday)!
Thank you for your comment and your tip is an excellent one - such a smart idea! Thank you and thanks for watching!
Are you and your boat still in Croatia? If so where are you located? Our home base marina is ACI Slano.
@@SeaBeeSailing our boat is in Baška Voda, not too far up the coast. We’re still in London; travel to/from the UK and juggling work are still challenging for Brits 😔. We’re hoping to get out there in August (🤞🏻) and then longer term we hope to move aboard full time for a sabbatical in 2023
@@dannybsky007 we hope you make it to your boat in August or sooner!! Yes, we have sailing friends just like you stuck in the UK right now and separated from their boats. It’s not easy! We really hope things things will turn around and maybe one day we will meet on the water. You are not too far north of us. You are in a great sailing area. All the best!
Hi Guys, Love the vids, very informative and going through the boat buying stages, this is invaluable. Can't seem to find your checklists on your website, am I looking in the wrong place?
It is posted on our website, seabeesailing.com. Go to the page called Sea Bee and scroll down for the check list and other resources
@@SeaBeeSailing found it, super stuff 😊
Thank you for sharing you systematic approach. I like like the way you structured your approach and how calm you were. Where could I download your checklist when buying the boat? Thank you in advance. Wish you beautiful and safe journey :)
Best regards from sLOVEnia (where Elan yachts are made)
Bingo! I found the check list :)
Very grateful
Glad it was helpful! You can download the checklist from our website.
Below is the link. The checklist is at the bottom of the page.
www.seabeesailing.com/boat
Thank you for this video... Simple, direct and clear, help us a lot!
I would like to ask you two questions:
1) After first cideo, I understood you bought your vessel from a private owner, correct?
2) You commented (34’) for non-EU flagged, it is not necessary check in another country, correct? But, in this case, how I can prove the boat it was not in EU Seas area?
Thank you again and fair winds!
Thank you for reaching out!
1- correct
2- in our case (for Croatia) the vessel needed to leave EU territorial waters. I understand (from the skipper I hired) , the authorities may ask for your digital log (GPS track of your positions during your passage) in form your chart plotter.
hope it helps
May I get your format and noted you mentioned in the video?? am serious looking into Croatian used boats so it will help me a lot!!!
Kivanç bey, harika bir iş yapmışsınız. Videolar gerçekten çok ustaca çekilmiş ve bilgi yüklü. Öncelikle bunun için teşekkürler. Ben de MI, USA de yaşıyorum ve 2025 için tekne alma ve teknede yaşamaya başlayarak bir dünya turu yapmak planlarım var. Paylaşımlarınız harika; sizinle eğer sakıncası yoksa temasta kalarak fikirler almak isterim. Dünyanın neresindeyseniz rüzgarınız kolayına ve pruvanız neta olsun. Sizlere harika bir 2025 diliyorum.
Cemal Aydoğan
California dan selamlar Cemal bey. Elbette - ne zaman ne konuda sorunuz varsa cekinmeyin.
This is very interesting. I've often wondered if there's any money in buying a boat then sailing it to US or elsewhere for resale?? Would you make any money after import duty, taxes etc?? Of course too late for trade winds so maybe spend winter sailing the Med....ok if you have the time lol.....
Hi, It is me Cemal Aydogan again. If you don't mind can you share which internet side did you use to search for the boats; Yachtworld?
there aren't many. Yachtworld has the most boats. It has been a while so I dont know if there are new players. Yatchall and boattrader are other options.
Great video. Thanks. Perhaps I missed it, but who pays brokerage fees (buyer or seller) and how much are they typically? Did you hire a broker to represent you for the boat purchase, or just the de-flagging?
Seller pays the broker. We did not hire a broker- at the time of purchase, boat was registered with USCG (US flag). Since we are US citizens we did not need to de-re flag. Only transfer of ownership
Update: passport is no longer needed to reach Slano or Dubrovnik from northern part of Croatia: there is a bridge now bypassing Bosnian border.
I would actually really be interested in your opinion regarding charter boats since you seem to have had a chance to look at alot of them. I tend to think they get a bad rap because i think the charter companies are forced to do a good job maintaining them well through out their lifetime. I feel that the damage a bad charter skipper (especially in the Ionian) can do is somewhat limited, and probably easily fixable.
3+ years in the med, I can tell those poor charter boats are abused. Nevertheless, I am not against purchasing an ex-charter. My advice is never the better. One year of use in busy charter shows how quickly these babies get tired.
Is it possible to get a copy of the spreadsheet?
it is posted on our website
What is interesting as a US person you fly over to get a production EU boat, while I’m here in EU looking at the US boats :) Pacific Seacraft definately on my radar, as well I like UK manufaturers especially twin keels. Do you plan to take your boat to the ocean later in time?
We love Pacific Seacraft. Our original plan was to buy either a Pacific Seacraft, Tartan or Saber - a more heavy displacement blue water cruising sailboat and start sailing from California. But as our plans changed we realized a well made production boat would work well for our needs to sail the Med and also easier on our budget. This is what lead us to discover Elan boats. We are really loving sailing the Med and plan to be here a couple more years at least. The current thought now is to make an ocean cruising from here to the Caribbean in a few years. Best of luck to you and with your boat shopping!
@@SeaBeeSailing I see, well for me the time is yet not right, would need to sort out remote working, its a bit a pain from a legistlative perspective, and than I will be looking for a 2 cabin 30ft will need to keep the cost low as possible. Good winds and calm sea to you :)
5:17 I mean, not necessarily if you're liveaboard lol. Then its pretty split.
I wander to know that do I need pay VAT in Croatia.
It depends on your nationality, the flag you fly, whether or not the VAT on your boat is already paid and where and how long you are going to keep your boat.
Great video! Looking for your Facebook so I can send you a message with a few questions if you don’t mind. Safe travels!
No worries. Not quite active on FB though Instagram may be better option
Its not true for your trip to Slano.
You can o with ferry to Island Pelješac to avoid borders ;)
But now we are bulding the bridge to Pelješac ;)
Regards from Croatia
You are right about the ferry. I did not consider the ferry on my trip to Slano. We just learned about the construction of the new bridge. How exciting.
Fist time seeing this guy , but he has a Turkish accent and sounds like a Doctor ?
Turkish yes, doctor no 😀
"All that is needed is to leave EU waters and turn back to where you left off". I guess unless you are sailing in an Austrian lake, you can leave EU waters and return back within a day. Hence EU rules are pretty convenient for dodging EU taxes, similar to the situation we have in Turkey (most boats here are US flagged, mostly from Delaware - I guess a place set up in US just for the purpose of int'l tax evasion). I wonder if it is an EU-wide rule or specific to Croatia. Hard to imagine Netherlands would let go 21% VAT so easily...
Thanks for reaching out. For Croatia, it is the minimum requirement to leave EU waters and it can be done in a day. As for Delaware registration. There are one of two ways you can register your boat in the US and fly the US flag. USCG or State registration. As far as I know, USCG requires the owner to be a US citizen. Delaware (State) registration may be a work around where you can register your boat under a business entity in that state.
Why the F would anyone want to buy a "boat, car, house or anything" this guy is great, the pro & cons are confusing, the problem is they keep moving the gold post!!!!!!