[DJORALEM]

My brother-in-law passed away three weeks ago in southern Chile. He left behind two large sailboats, which he used to take scientists to remote areas around the tip of South America - climatologists, geologists, etc. The larger of the boats is 70 feet long and has a specially designed hull for the rough waters of Patagonia - it is said to be able to sleep 15 people. The attached picture is of this boat.
We are not sailors and have no idea about how to find people who might be interested in such specialized boats. Any advice would be very much appreciated!
Donald

 

[Faster]

Assuming your only interest is in selling the fleet?

If you can get information on the boats (year, make/model, length, engine hours, photos) someone might be able to advise on a value... the remote location is obviously going to be a big factor.. probably your best bet would be to find a local who wants to get into that business. Not easy to do from afar..

Best of luck.

Option B.. take up sailing and do it yourself!

 

[DJORALEM]

There are 2500 people in the "town" where the boats are located - which is the last stop before Antarctica - so I don't expect to find many interested parties. Is it hard to find a way to have boats sailed by competent crews to less remote locations? How? Many thanks for any recommendations.

I do have some information on the larger boat and expect to have more after an up-coming trip there. I believe it was built in Germany and is one of only two of its type.

If/when I take up sailing, I suspect it won't be to explore the treacherous waters of Patagonia! I'm thinking the Caribbean might be better suited to my disposition!!

 

[SloopJonB]

Contact Skip Novak down there - he runs charters to Antarctica from southern Chile. He's about as experienced a sailor as it's possible to be.

You should be able to find him on the web.

 

[hellosailor]

DJ, if you can find out any of the clients from past charters, some of them might have ideas as to who would be interested in buying the boats.

If there is no one maintaining them, you might want to look into that as well, with someone at the marina or in the town. Boats that are left alone tend to have problems and devalue very quickly, no matter where they are.

I'd also suggest looking for the closest major port, wherever that may be, and trying to contact boat brokers there.

 

[MarkSF]

I have to say, if it was me, I'd think about paying a delivery crew to have it brought all the way home, to the nearest port to me. I would just find the sale much easier to handle if the boat is local, and you have a far greater pool of buyers.

Whereabouts are you?

 

[miatapaul]

No advice, but beautiful location! If I were in a position to do it, and near by I would consider it myself.

Good luck, and sorry for your loss.

 

[findrichard]

Your brother in law most likely had a crew to assist him with the sailing and maintenance of his fleet. I am sure the marina knows who these folks are and can assist you with locating them. They will be able to provide you with pictures and much information specific of your new boats. They would most likely be the best candidates to hire to help maintain the boats until you can sell them.

 

[jameswilson29]

My brother-in-law passed away three weeks ago in southern Chile. He left behind two large sailboats...

Habla con un abogado in Chile...

What legal right do you have to deal with the property? Why is this your problem? Why are you raising this issue on a sailing forum?

Brother-in-law died testate or intestate? Who are his heirs under Chilean law? Who is the personal representative of the estate? Is there a right of survivorship on the title documents?

This doesn't pass the smell test...

 

[findrichard]

Brother in law along with the word we sounds perfectly normal to me.

 

[DJORALEM]

Thanks to all for the advice. I have sent a message to Skip Novak. There are people in town who are taking care of the boats, but I don't think anyone has the skill necessary to captain the boats or the resources to buy them. We will find out more when we visit there next week. I have searched, to no avail, for nearby brokers - the closest seems to be in Valparaiso, which is a very long way north, almost all the way to Santiago. I still wonder how one contacts a potential crew - or is that something a broker would handle?
As for the "smell test," my brother-in-law had no spouse, no children and no will, which is why my wife has been legally appointed as executor for his estate. She and I are fluent Spanish speakers. We now have a Chilean lawyer, who will be advising us on that country's inheritance laws. I posted this question to a sailing forum precisely because I have no relevant experience and hoped that people on this site could help. I'm sorry if any of the readers feel that this was inappropriate, but hope that you all might have some sympathy for the difficult position my family faces.

 

[arf145]

Not inappropriate, Djoralem. Your situation is unusual for this forum, and sometimes unusual, and unreal, stories are posted by those just looking to watch the Sailnetters scramble. I think James' nose has gotten a little too sensitive.

Sorry about your brother in law -- it sounds like you're making progress on the boats.

 

[Faster]

Best of luck in finding a solution.. If the boats are truly well found and worth something it may well be worth your while to hire delivery captains to bring the boats to a viable market. Otherwise I think you run the risk of ending up 'giving them away'.. if indeed you can unload them at all.

Having to do all this at such a remote remove sure doesn't make it easier or less expensive as a process.....

 

[findrichard]

To bring those boats to the US will cost $100+ per day, per boat plus any provisioning and refitting costs determined necessary by the delivery crew as well as the costs of any associated with any necessary repairs needed along the way. I would recommend you get a few an itemized quotes from delivery companies and list them here for scrutiny.

I would then find a broker in the US and get his recommended listing and selling price for a quick sale. I would also get his costs to store the boats out of the water. I would then weigh all those costs against the cost of discounting the price of the boats to a point that would entice someone like me to spend money to go look at them in Chile.

 

[Faster]

While you may well be better off in a market like Brazil vs Chile (not sure) I'm not sure it would be necessary to bring the boats all the way to North America.

These are special purpose vessels, not all that common worldwide (again, if in good condition and of good pedigree) and a specialized buyer would not be shy about some travel to investigate a purchase. However southern Chile is a LOOONG way away....

 

[DJORALEM]

Very helpful re. delivery crew!
We are finding a bit more about the larger boat, including that it was built in 1992 by a German firm called WF Aluminium Yachtbau GmbH. It is 65.7 feet long, has a reinforced hull and added pilot house. I'll certainly have a clearer idea after our upcoming trip - I only wish it weren't the start of really bad weather in that part of the world!
Thanks to all who have responded!

 

[hellosailor]

DJ, do take plenty of good photos of the boats, inside and out. But first, make sure they are cleaned up. Assuming you will use the photos to sell the boat, boats do sell for more when the photos show an uncluttered, cleaned up boat. Usually the best way to do that is to secure any valuables, then just hire help to clean & scrub for the day.

If you can go over with the crew, find out what is "special" about the boats. Ask the builder the same question, what was custom contracted for them. You may find that the "custom" part consists solely of a heavier hull or bow construction, for working near ice. Or extra insulation, which can be useful anywhere in the world, and a heating system, again, useful in many places. Depending on how much of what is "custom" the boat may have a better market value elsewhere. Also, if the boat is Chilean flagged (titled) there may be paperwork issues and some buyer reluctance in other nations. The papers which should be secure on the boat someplace will tell you that, among other things.

If you were to bring it north to sell, obviously the voyage up to either California or Florida is a long one. Between the price of flying a US crew down, or sending a Chilean (etc) crew home, and daily rates for the travel, it wouldn't be cheap to bring the boat up.

You might also want to consider which US coast (I'd suspect the Miami market is larger) and contact a big-name broker stateside to ask if they'd be interested in the brokerage sale. They might be capable, and willing, to assist in the delivery home as part and parcel of the deal, which could save you from having to pay out the delivery expenses up front as well. Or, at least to refer you to someone.

 

[rgscpat]

It might be possible to have a delivery skipper and crew bring the yacht up the Chilean or Argentinean coast to a large port where the boat could be put on a ship for further transport -- that might be less expensive and less wear and tear than having the delivery crew get it all the way to you or to a major market. You might also check out the specialized yacht delivery ships and which South American ports they might visit.
Edit: Dockwise Transport's site doesn't show a regular pick-up/delivery location closer than Golfito, Costa Rica, so that option doesn't look useful to you.

 

[DJORALEM]

It will be a challenge to get the boats "uncluttered," since they are currently moored off-shore and the weather is really terrible - high winds and rain all day! Also, my brother-in-law was a bit of a pack rat, so I suspect there will be lots of stuff in the way of a good photograph. We'll do our level best!
Does anyone have any suggestions regarding an organization called "Ocean Cruising Club"? A family member has a friend in that group and we have received some contact information for a port officer in Ushuaia, which is the nearest sizable community (although in Argentina, not Chile). The idea is that scientific expeditions set off from that city for trips to Antarctica and there may be charter companies interested in a properly outfitted boat for that purpose.

I want to thank everyone who has responded to my inquiry. We really did feel as though we were "sailing blind"!

 

[krisscross]

Boats like that require constant upkeep. When neglected, their value can quickly go down to next to nothing. And taking them up north where they can be sold will be a costly undertaking. So don't wait too long.