Reading a Galeon designation
With Galeon, the number gives an idea of size and the letters the configuration: Fly for flybridges, HTC for hard-top coupés, Skydeck for models with an upper deck, and other letters for the sport versions. A Galeon is compared first with boats of the same configuration.
Models are renewed regularly, and the same length can cover very different generations. The exact designation and the build year stop your boat being compared with a newer or older model.
Moving systems come first at a viewing
Side terraces, a hydraulic bathing platform, opening doors and roofs are a large part of a Galeon's appeal. They are also the first things a buyer tries, and the survey will test them one by one. On the larger models the list grows: tender garage, passerelle, electric blinds.
Have the rams, seals and controls checked before listing the boat, and keep the invoice. A system that fails on the day of a viewing becomes a negotiating point for the buyer. Run a full test yourself a few days before the first viewing.
What makes a used Galeon valuable
- the engines and drive (sterndrive, shaft or pods), with the hours on each engine;
- documented servicing: invoices for the engines, the drive and the hydraulic systems;
- the glazing: seals, watertightness, no sign of leaks inside;
- comfort equipment: generator, air conditioning, stabiliser, thrusters;
- the interior finish chosen when the boat was ordered, and its condition;
- the flag and VAT status, backed by documents.
Flag and VAT: have the answers ready
Galeon boats cruise all over Europe, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, and a single boat may have changed country several times with its owners. The buyer will want to know where VAT was paid and which document proves it. Keep the original invoice, even for a boat you bought second-hand: it is often the document that answers the question most simply.
If the boat is sold VAT-unpaid, the reason must be clear. State the VAT status as it is in your valuation request: it is one of the price adjustments. Indicative valuation. It does not replace a survey.
