Bargain boats: hurricane-damaged, long-forgotten, what have you

[heavyworks]

Originally Posted by Sailortobe

Why not search for "boat donations" in your area of interest like boat angel etc.
They have derelict boats that I'm sure they'll sell you.

Boat Angel looks like an excellent resource! I shall peruse the donated boat sales section. Thank you, indeed.

[heavyworks]

Originally Posted by Cynara

First where do you plan on reselling the boats.

If it is in Europe then do you have to rewire, may have to do that anyway.
Do you have people on both sides that really know boats

Make sure you have a great business plan so you can get the money to start, don't use your own money.

Thank you for the insight. A good business plan is must, I totally agree. This preliminary research thread is meant to be the basis for the decision to whether we should go forth with such a business model/idea. I am thankful for the plethora of responses focusing on different aspects of this problem statement.

[heavyworks]

Originally Posted by carlosproa

The powerboat market is huge and buyers are not as savvy as sailboat buyers. You can pile more than one in a double container, and be able to ship replacement parts with it. I am assuming you are looking at powerboats as with sailboats there is the added complication of transporting the mast, and in the case of monohulls, added weight of keels that May exceed the tare limit weight of the container.
With the great import laws you have in Turkey - 6670, very little if none import taxes are due as long as the vessel has an overseas tittle and is transferred into Turkey flag ownership.
So why not? If labor is cheap, and you can squeeze the necessary materials as part of the import process- you should be OK

All great points to consider. Keel and mast are big problems for sailboats as those seem to bump up the shipping costs outrageously. So, sailboats are mostly out of the picture - or at least, they are not the priority in this case.

And thank you for the law number reference, but I think 6670 might be outdated.

https://www.internationaltradecompli...nd-passengers/

In the meantime, I shall get the updated information from my accountant in Turkey.

Also, thank you for the up spirit!

[heavyworks]

Originally Posted by jay2rocket

If you limited yourself to boats that can fit in a shipping container this could be workable. I knew someone in Oakland, CA (a big port) that - purely as as sidejob - bought (only great condition) used Toyota 4WD pickups, the simple ones that can be easily maintained, and put them in shipping containers and shipped them to Africa where a partner - also as a sidejob - sold them.

That could eliminate or at least simplify many problems at once. Definitely an idea to consider.

This thread is certainly delving into something.

Here is what I found on the topic:

“By Container - assuming your boat does not exceed certain size limitations. For example, to ship inside a 40 foot container the boat length needs to be less than 39'5" or 12.03 meters. Its beam may not exceed 8'6" or 2.59 meters unless it can be loaded sideways into a high-cube container where the beam can then reach 8'9" or 2.65 meters. The height must be less than 7'9" or 2.385 meters; if loaded sideways into a high-cube container the limit is 7'7" or 2.31 meters.”

https://www.wcshipping.com/blog/ship...ly?hs_amp=true

[heavyworks]

I am a newbie, yet I have come to appreciate the experience, knowledge, and humor of this community so swiftly! Thanks to every thoughtful, positive or negative response so far. You guys rock!

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by heavyworks

I am looking for boats in Florida, mainly in the Tampa Bay region, that are priced well below average. They can be damaged in a hurricane, or be rarely used and now long-forgotten in a marina slip somewhere, or they can have their own reasons for being low-priced. I don’t mind. I would like to buy them, ship them over to Turkey, have them refitted there, and sell them in the local market there.

1) Does anybody have or know of such boats? Where and how can I find them?

2) Do you think this is straight out madness or possibly a viable business idea?

Why , bother, you’d never recover your costs and if you declare them as repaired , insurance will be a huge issue. Also while not applicable turkey , if you repair well known brands , you need to get them CE certified as insurers won’t touch them.

You’ll also carry all the warranty issues and the issues of operating a business in turkey.

Why bother , just broker some boats locally. , you make a cut either way

[cdy]

Even if you get the boat for free - and then put in $20K of work into it - you end up with a $10K boat

This plan might work if you were working with high end boats - but buying up old Cals, Rangers, Pearsons from the 70's and 80's in Florida and then shipping them to Turkey for repair is a losing endeavor.

If you were buying used Hinckley's and redoing them and selling to high end clients - that possibly would stand a chance - but a much bigger investment upfront

[goldenhind]

Originally Posted by heavyworks

I am looking for boats in Florida, mainly in the Tampa Bay region, that are priced well below average. They can be damaged in a hurricane, or be rarely used and now long-forgotten in a marina slip somewhere, or they can have their own reasons for being low-priced. I don’t mind. I would like to buy them, ship them over to Turkey, have them refitted there, and sell them in the local market there.

1) Does anybody have or know of such boats? Where and how can I find them?

2) Do you think this is straight out madness or possibly a viable business idea?

Why Turkey? Shipping is VERY expensive. Look to Cuba,with right connections, this idea might work there.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by goldenhind

Why Turkey? Shipping is VERY expensive. Look to Cuba,with right connections, this idea might work there.

Who would buy it in Cuba

[barnakiel]

Write offs have been restored to bristol by knowledgeable owners.


The trick is to know which one is a bargain and which one is ... a write off.


b.

[Dwayne Lister]

The plan as stated ie: ship to Turkey for repair/refurb and "sell into the local market" is a non-starter.
I won't re-iterate the very valid points above with regard to values or costs etc. but would point out that importing used vessels (for sale) into Turkey is actually illegal.
Turks can't purchase used non-Turkish vessels (ie: those not imported and sold in Turkey when new in the first place)!
There is no "local market" for such vessels.

[carlosproa]

Originally Posted by goldenhind

Why Turkey? Shipping is VERY expensive. Look to Cuba,with right connections, this idea might work there.

Haha it will end up in South Florida with 60 balseros on top.

[seandepagnier]

If the boat is worth anything you should be able to sail it to turkey without concern. It is better to refit in florida.

Consider that florida is a very hot humid environment and any boat that spends significant time here is likely to have more rotten wood than is initially obvious. It can be much more work to remove the rotten wood than to replace it.