Yacht surveys in Mallorca

Westmar Surveys is based in Palma. Mallorca is home ground. The island has the largest brokerage fleet in the Balearics and one of the biggest concentrations of boatyards in the Mediterranean. Most surveys are in the Bay of Palma. That is where the brokerage fleet is, and where the big lifts are. The rest are around the coast: Port d'Andratx in the southwest, Pollença and Alcúdia in the north, Cala d'Or in the east. There is no travel charge anywhere on the island. The survey is arranged around the boat's berth and the yard that lifts it. You can attend, or Westmar attends for you.

The yards and marinas

A pre-purchase survey needs a lift. In Mallorca the lift is rarely where the boat is berthed. Most of the yachts on Palma's Paseo Marítimo lie in Club de Mar, Marina Port de Mallorca, Moll Vell or Marina Palma Cuarentena. None of these marinas has a lift. The boats come out across the harbour at STP Shipyard Palma, the open yard at the head of the port. STP has six travel lifts from 30 to 1,000 tonnes, and the owner chooses the contractors. The Real Club Náutico de Palma has its own boatyard with a 100-tonne lift. Port Calanova, at the western end of the bay, lifts up to 75 tonnes and 25 metres, all year round. On the eastern shore, Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa in Can Pastilla and Club Nàutic S'Arenal each have a travel lift for yachts up to about 20 metres. Astilleros de Mallorca is a superyacht refit yard with slipways up to 1,700 tonnes.

Southwest of Palma are the marinas where much of the brokerage fleet lives. Puerto Portals has a yard inside the marina, Varadero Mundimar. Its 165-tonne lift takes boats up to 32 metres and works every day of the year. Port Adriano has its own shipyard with lifts of 320, 75 and 12 tonnes and a large hardstanding. Club Nàutic Santa Ponça lifts up to 65 tonnes. The Club de Vela in Port d'Andratx has a travel lift and a dry marina. Most pre-purchase surveys in Mallorca happen in these four ports or in Palma.

In the north, Alcudiamar in Port d'Alcúdia is the largest yard outside Palma, with a 150-tonne lift and a wide esplanade. The Reial Club Nàutic in Port de Pollença has its own travel lift. Marina de Bonaire, Club Nàutic Can Picafort and Club Nàutic Colònia de Sant Pere each run a lift of about 35 tonnes, which is plenty for a 40-foot yacht. On the east coast, Marina de Cala d'Or has two travel lifts, 45 and 65 tonnes. In the south, Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita lifts up to 50 tonnes and 20 metres.

Port de Sóller, Porto Cristo, Portocolom, Cala Ratjada, Porto Petro, Portitxol, Cala Gamba, Colònia de Sant Jordi and S'Estanyol have berths, but their cranes are built for smaller boats. A yacht of 40 feet or more in one of these harbours is inspected afloat at its berth. The haul-out is done at the nearest yard with a big enough lift. The passage there is short and is often used as the start of the sea trial.

Pre-purchase surveys

A full pre-purchase survey covers the hull, deck and structure, the engine and drive train, the electrical installation, plumbing and tanks, the rig and deck hardware, and the safety equipment. Findings are ranked by urgency, each with its likely cause. The report is issued within two to four working days, in English, Spanish, French or German.

A haul-out is strongly recommended. Keel attachment, seacocks, rudder bearings and stern gear cannot be properly checked afloat. The lift is booked with the yard. In Palma the yards are busy in spring and again in autumn, so the lift date is the first thing to fix. The hull needs time ashore to dry before moisture readings mean anything. How long depends on the weather. The engine must not be started on the day of the survey before the surveyor arrives. A cold start shows what a warm engine hides.

A viewing before you commit

Palma is easy to fly into, and a buyer can see several boats in one day. Before the trip is booked, Westmar reviews the listing: the photographs, the specification and the documents. This is the First Impression service. It tells you whether the boat is worth the trip and what to ask the broker first. If it is, Westmar can view the boat with you, or view it for you and send a written summary. For a boat in Mallorca a viewing can usually be arranged at short notice.

Rigging inspections and sea trials

Every pre-purchase survey of a sailing yacht includes a rigging inspection from deck level. An inspection aloft can be added when the age or history of the rig calls for it. One hour of sea trial is included. Longer sea trials, standalone sea trials and standalone rigging inspections for a boat you already own are available separately. The Bay of Palma is a good place for a sea trial. There is sea room, and in summer the afternoon sea breeze is reliable enough to load the rig properly. The bays of Pollença and Alcúdia in the north offer the same.

Fees

Pre-purchase surveys cost €28 per foot LOA for sailing yachts and €26 per foot for motor yachts, with a minimum of €900. The full fee card is on the fees page. Travel within Mallorca is included wherever the boat lies. Haul-out, lifting and yard charges are paid to the yard.

Buying in Mallorca

Every kind of boat is for sale in Mallorca: ex-charter yachts from the bases in Palma and Alcúdia, privately owned boats that have spent ten winters afloat in the same berth, northern European yachts sailed down and sold at the end of the season, and boats in refit yards whose owners changed their plans. Each history leaves its own traces. The survey looks for them: engine hours checked against the log, the state of seacocks and anodes after years in the water, the quality of the last yard's work, the age of the standing rigging on a boat that has crossed Biscay.

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