Sandysoo

I am looking to purchase a boat in NL. I have received a contract in both Dutch and English. Is it normal for the contract to state that a 10% deposit is paid before the survey takes place? After all I am incurring the cost of the survey and until the works begin, the vendor stands to lose nothing in monetary terms.

I need a notary to deal with my purchase over in NL. Any recommendations?

I'm in the process of buying a boat in Holland. If all goes according to plan, I will need a solicitor/notary to check and confirm all is in order the with contract...well at least, I think this is what I need to do. Can anyone offer any advice on this, or possibly recommend a legal firm in or around Rotterdam, that could do such work? Thanks

Hi Talpa, I'm a newbie too and have been exactly where you are now less than a month ago. I would have to agree with comments made earlier that you have to follow your heart on this one. It's the same as when you buy a house. You can look at dozens of places, but you will know within seconds when one feels right. I had 10 boats to view over a long weekend in Holland recently. Boat no.2 was the one for me. I still viewed boats 3-10 but it really was just to confirm what I already knew. If you're not really getting that feeling then I would scour the ads for more viewings. Although it sounds like no. 3 was your favourite, but with some concerns. Speak the owners/brokers about your concerns and trust your gut instinct on what you get in response. Good luck! :-)

I've just received a copy of the last hull report and it states 20m on there :-)

Hi Keith, Thanks for the info. This is more in line with what the vendor and broker were saying about a 4mm requirement. Subsequent posts seem to show that this a relatively new thing with insurance companies so I'm not surprised it was not confirmed in previous posts. This then makes the point raised by the vendor relatively valid. He was saying that if he was selling the boat in NL the the price offered would be acceptable. However because of the additional work needed to carry out works to UK spec, he was looking for an extra €5k. Not sure that I agree with this as this effectively means that I am financing the works which he has undertaken to carry out...however I guess as these would not be needed if he was selling in NL, then he is entitled to try and recoup some of the costs. Thanks also for the recommended surveyor and insurance companies. I will try and contact them for some quotes and further advice. Do you know if the surveyor is lbased in the UK, or NL? Sandra

20m

Yes I remember. From what I can gather this is just a slipway rather than a shipyard...or am I talking gibberish? (again!). I've been quoted €750 for slipping and cleaning. Is this reasonable? I would have to add the cost of the surveyor onto that but at the moment have very little idea of what that would cost in NL. Any ideas?

Thanks for the link. This isn't the one by the museum area is it? I've had a few people recommend that one to me as well as the seller and the broker.

Thanks Teadaemon! That makes much more sense now. It's quite good because I'm learning more and more on a daily basis. So basically the seller and the broker who are both stating that the boat may need 5-10k of work to bring the boat to UK insurance spec of 4mm may be either misinformed, or possibly trying to pull the wool over my eyes!?

I think I'm going to have to repost my original questions with the correct measurements...This is getting a trifle embarrassing now!:-) Thanks for the update. Forgive my ignorance, but as a laywoman, a lot of what you posted means very little to me. Is 4mm the required thickness for UK insurance? I received a post earlier advising that it varied, dependant on which insurers you were going through.

mm not cm! Should have proof-read the post beforehand. I've actually posted this 3 times now....arrggghhh!

I posted this under the general section earlier today and got some decent responses but it's all gone a little quiet now and I need a bit more info. I thought this section might be a bit more appropriate... I'm in the process of buying a barge. It's quite likely that I will buy in The Netherlands and hopefully ship it across in the next month or two so. I wondered if anyone could recommend the following; 1. A good drydock/shipyard in Rotterdam 2. A surveyor 3. A solicitor that can handle the sale on my behalf. Also, is it correct that the hull thickness for insurance purposes n the UK should be a min of 4cm, as opposed to 3.5 in NL? Any additional advice anyone can offer on boat buying in NL would be much appreciated. Thanks! :-)