RIVA 52 SURVEY Pre Purchase Survey in (sunny) Spain
Following instruction from a Brazilian client – Last month we undertook a pre purchase survey in sunny Ibiza, SPAIN
The flight to Ibiza was fine apart from an hour delay at Stansted, which means I would be running an hour behind the whole day. That’s all right in the UK with normal working hours but in Spain ! Where they stop between 2 and 4 pm and the yard closes at 6pm, That didn’t leave me much time to run around a bigish boat and try to find something wrong about it
The boat was a Riva Rivale 16m (52ft) and was kept indoor at Ibiza Boat Center, a reasonably big yard where they mainly look after luxurious type of boats. Great to keep the boat indoor away from the weather but slightly hot under a tin roof. I am more used to be in cold wet shed on the Norfolk Broads. But hey ! a bit of sunshine is always good.
The local broker Andreas Moegle of Amo Yachts was very helpful in working out the local logistic. Picking me up at the airport and sorting out accommodation for my one night stay. Andreas is a busy broker who also runs a local charter boat company with all sort of type and size of boats. If any one fancy a quick ride to Formentera he would definitely find you the right boat.
After having passed all the safety check and been approved to walk in the boat yard, I found a very well kept boat. Well that was just my first impression from the outside, and I kept the same impression the whole way through the survey. The captain came shortly after and took me through the history and details of the vessel. A very interesting chap who has been extensively sailing in the Mediterranean sea.
The Riva Rivale is a well built ocean going twin screw medium Vee design. The hull design is built for good speed and reasonable fuel consumption. Powered by twin V8 MAN Engine of 662kw each gives plenty of oomph to the boat to quickly sail from Cannes to Monaco for the aperitif! And if no mooring could be negotiated in the harbor, the Riva Rivale can store a tender up to 3.2m in the garage!
The interior design is practical and of a high quality standard. Riva had design this boat with the idea of the owner self-handling it so to enjoy full privacy when sailing, however a version comes with a crew cabin for when in want of a chef / sailor.
The survey was pretty straight forward, following my routine I have found very little to say about the boat. It has been professionally maintained since it was built in 2005 and apart of the usual necessary maintenance i.e valves, stern tube and packing glands not much was wrong with the boat. Structurally Riva boats are built to last and have great character.
Lunch was the hardest bit of the survey. I mean I normally do the survey in one go. Well there I had to stop between 2 and 4pm for lunch as the yard was shut for siesta. Lunch was great with some great tasty local product or at least locally from the continent! But getting back into the engine room, cramped with two massive MAN engine and all the system of the boat nested all over the place and with just a small open man hole for fresh air, I was starting to feel slightly too big for the place !
However the engine space on this boat is really well designed. All systems come back there so no need to lift any cushions in the sitting room or dismantle half a galley to reach the water pump. Just not straight after lunch in a boatshed that is close to 37C
I managed to finish in good time before 6 o’clock and after having double check all my findings headed towards the hotel for a well deserved shower and a rewarding cool beer.
Now I could enjoy a bit of my Ibizean time, so I walked along the Passeo Maritimo keeping an eye on a few yachts and super yachts in case I saw someone I knew from my previous jobs in the super yacht industry. Unfortunately or not, no one was there, so that would be an easy evening for me. Had a nice meal in the old town and a bit of wander around and back to the hotel as every local people were just going out for their evening runs
It was really nice carrying out this survey in Ibiza.
Hopefully more of those European surveys to come and brighten our English winter days
For more information contact European Marine Services Ltd. Marine Surveyors & Consultants
EMS also undertake Boat Safety Inspections & Engine Inspections
www.europeanmarinesurveys.com
Tel: 01603 327 123
