YES, I AM CERTIFIED. CONTACT SEA TURTLE OVERSIGHT PROTECTION (S.T.O.P.)

IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PUT DOWN, FICO SCORES MUST BE AT LEAST 720 THESE DAYS

Hi Evan, SAILING-TRAINING andTHINKING AHEAD ABOUT INSURANCE: Yacht insurers have lost money most of the past 5 years and are getting a bit more difficult.When you buy a catamaran the insurance underwriter will want to see a "sailing resume" and they look for "comparable experience" and prior yacht ownership. Some require at least two years' experience of owning a yacht (under Florida law, for example, a yacht is defined as being 32' or longer). In some underwriters' eyes, a sailing monohull of similar size constitutes "comparable experience" to a catamaran. Powerboat experience helps but doesn't guarantee you will get coverage because dealing with storms on a sailing yacht is different. So, if you do not have this experience, we should talk about your situation "sooner than later". A lot of newbies tell me "I want to wait and get trained on my yacht" BUT you will probably not be able to get any coverage and you will never get a loan. It just doesn't work that way. If you do not have enough experience they will probably say either "Sorry, we cannot insure you" or "We can insure you but you must have a licensed captain in command whenever you move the yacht" or "you must have a licensed Captain for the first 100 hours and when he/she signs a statement that you are qualified to operate the vessel then that restriction is lifted".Having to have a Captain is impractical and expensive. So, it's good to get some training and/or "comparable experience" sooner rather than later. It doesn't look good to the insurance company if you get Certified and then 2 weeks later you buy a yacht. The best approach for newbies is to get Certified at an Accredited sailing school . After you get Certification it helps to charter the same size catamaran as you want to buy (and you may need a captain) for a week. I used to own America's oldest sailing school (Castle Harbor of Miami...founded 1949) and we have trained thousands of people to sail. After hurricane Irma destroyed all of our docks we suspended operations. Bluewater Sailing School of Ft Lauderdale has week-long live-aboard accelerated ASA "Combination" (ASA 101, 103,104, 114) courses in Ft Lauderdale, USVI and Bahamas and I recommend them ... Or you may have an ASA (American Sailing Association), RYA (Royal Yachting Association in Canada or Commonwealth countries) or US Sailing accredited school closer to your home. It's better to do this as soon as possible and not wait. Some buyers think they will wait and get trained on their boat but this can cause big insurance complications...Instructors do not like doing classes on boats they are not familiar with and it is harder to find those that will. I do have three ASA-Certified Catamaran Cruising Instructors who will sometimes do this BUT USUALLY ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED AT LEAST ASA 101 AND 103. ROUGHLY-SPEAKING, COSTS AND TIME-REQUIREMENTS:We think the best way to learn sailing is to take it in graduated steps with time to practice between each step . The steps are best done in progressive sizes of sailboats. So, Learn To Sail (ASA 101...costs around $700 and takes 3-4 days) should be in a 20'-25' monohull daysailers because these help you get the feeling of balance when sailing. Then Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA 103- costs around $700 and takes 2 days) should be done in a larger size (like 28'-36' monohulls) to see how these handle. Then, ASA 104 (Intermediate Coastal Cruising or sometimes called Bareboat Chartering costs $1600 and takes 4 days) and should be done in 38'-44' monohulls or catamarans. The 104 is a live-aboard course. Other schools offer week-long 101-103-104-114 "Combination" courses (costs $3,300-4,200/person) where you live aboard a catamaran for a week and cruise around with an Instructor. This is a LOT of material to absorb and test for and many students forget 70% within a couple of months. This combination-accelerated course is best for those with some prior experience who need to get it done fast or need Certification to charter in one of the 9 countries that require the 104 level Certification. Learning To Sail (the basic 101 type courses) in a large cruising catamaran is like learning how to drive in a big city bus! Not the best way to start out. "Plan B": let's say you have little experience and are NOT getting financing. I have a European A-rated insurer who will relax the qualifications BUT the deductible will be 10%-20%. Lenders will not allow this and usually require a 1-2% deductible, but if you are self-insuring the yacht and this deductible is acceptable then we can go with this policy until you get the experience to qualify for the other policies. ..........................................

SOMETIMES THEY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THAT. SOMETIMES NOT.

NO PLANS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA...POSSIBLY NORTH FLORIDA BY NOVEMBER 2024

@@Catamarans if you have a list, put me on it.

It takes at least $300k to find something that works for that...if you eMail me I can send some ideas: [email protected]

IN THE PAST YEAR THE PERCENTAGE OF BUYERS REQUIRING LOANS HAS DROPPED TO 40%. I BELIEVE IT'S BECAUSE INVESTORS HAVE NO FAITH IN "INTANGIBLES" (LIKE STOCKS, BONDS, MONEY MARKETS) AND WANT TO OWN SOMETHING "REAL"; LIKE REAL ESTATE (WHICH HAS HAS GOTTEN CRAZY-HIGH IN MANY AREAS SO WE SEE CASH BUYERS FOR THE TYPES OF YACHTS THAT HOLD VALUE, COLLECTOR CARS, AIRCRAFT AND PRECIOUS METALS.

I do a few...contact me by eMail. Thx

Hey Sage, best to speak to a broker in Oz for the latest updates

IT'S MUCH EASIER TO FIND OUTSIDE SOUTH FLORIDA. I CAN HELP WITH THIS.

Forget it for now unless you have money to burn. Nobody has really figured out how to do this cost-effectively.

@@Catamarans I can't believe that some people might actually believe you know what you are talking about. Yu still haven't answered for the Lagoons you have sold to hapless individuals.

Hi, I dont know of anyone. sorry

Thanks. The webmaster is working on that.

@@Catamarans great thank you.

Rita I can't easily send selling price histories here...can you send me an eMail at [email protected] and I will send complete info including photos, specs, initial asking price, final selling price, how long it took to sell, where it was, etc

Every situation is a bit different but all cash appeals to most experienced sellers who have suffered under lenders' demands that delay closings by a week on average...I do know of one source of loans based on equity after you take title

Hi Thanks for the question. The market is slowly cooling off as 5-10 catamaran listings are added each day (like we see every year as the Caribbean high season comes to an end). This does not translate into lower prices immediately but leads to lower prices later in the summer. The other catalyst for lower prices are the hurricanes forming off the coast of Africa. Some Europeans can only get insurance with 10-15% deductibles and when these Sellers "wake up" to the fact that their yachts have not sold because of waning demand and they could suffer a large uncovered loss they panic and ask us "What will it take to get my yacht sold in 1 month??". When we tell them "You must reduce the price by $30k and it will get sold fast." When some of these large price reductions are seen, the other Sellers realize the market has changed, and if they want to sell they must also reduce price or be "left in the dust". So prices usually tumble in late July and this is when you should be ready to lock-in a first option as fast as you can. Because if you wait until late August when the "snowbird buyers" flock into the market in anticipation of the upcoming high season in the Caribbean you will miss the best deals (which are "long gone" by end-September"). Prices only rise from late September until December and usually stay in the stratosphere all winter. The US dollar has strengthened against the Euro quite a bit lately which brings opportunities to buyers who have USD if they buy Euro-denominated yachts.

Just buy in a low demand area at that low demand time and sell in a high demand area at the high demand time...I can explain more about this if you email me

@@Catamarans haha, ok, I was meaning I have a bunch of jewels I need to sell first. But you are right, I should look at smaller price boats to start and build up to the one I want.

Well, send me an eMail at [email protected] and I will send you info about traditional marine financing but also creative ways to finance yachts

In my opinion this issue is way overblown. Consider the following: - If you speak to any experienced rigger they will tell you that any catamaran that experiences tropical storm winds of over 80-90 knots will severely stress the standing rigging and cause the shrouds to separate from the bulkheads. They were not designed to go through hurricanes. This yacht PARLAY was hit with Hurricane Irma's 155 mph winds and turned over! This was the source of that problem.- There has never ever been a mast lost because of the bulkhead issue. - The source of this hysteria are the videos by the guys who bought PARLAY. a "Constructive Total Loss" and re-named it PARLAY REVIVAL. I surveyed and sold PARLAY to the previous owner seven months before Hurricane Irma ... We used a first class SAMS-accredited surveyor who did a complete rigging survey and I was there and helped him with that survey personally. I can tell you there were no signs of bulkhead issues before Hurricane Irma wrecked the yacht. That rig was in perfect condition. - There have been only 40 claims submitted to Lagoon out of almost 1,300 boats-built and many were in the areas that hurricanes Maria and Irma transited. Six of the claims were a result of some riggers in Martinique who received the wrong rig-tuning tension instructions and over-tightened the shrouds. So, only 34 yachts were affected by non-hurricane reasons. That is 2.6% of production which, in my opinion, is "next to nothing". Lagoon has stated that they will repair any 450's under age 6 that follow the claim procedure. - I used to own a boat yard in Florida and have fixed up 9 hurricane-damaged yachts and I'd never do it again because it's much more difficult to DIY today than 20 years ago. The PARLAY REVIVAL guys are discovering this the hard way. If they only would have spoken to me before making this CTL purchase decision I could have saved them and lot of "blood, sweat and tears" (not to mention money).

@@Catamarans Whoa….Whoa….hold on there sales person; to correct you there are over 50 vessels with bulkhead issues and very few of them experienced hurricanes. The fact is, this vessel, the Lagoon 450 has a design flaw in that the bulkheads have a very weak design subjecting them to failure after normal ocean use. The fact is, is that many are in use as offshore cruisers and not Tran-oceanic passage makers. If they all were used as trans-oceanic passage makers, they All would have bulkhead issues! Ask yourself this question: Why did lagoon change the bulkhead design after the Lagoon 450?

@@Catamarans lagoons are poorly designed. Look at the thickness of the bulkheads and the lack epoxy and glassing. The bulkheads are not strong enough compared to the weight of the boat. Even in moderate seas over time you would expect failures.

Exactly, lagoon's are one of the worst yachts you can buy.