⚓ Report: Sessa Oyster 34 (1999)

€59,000 (was €69,000) · VAT declared paid · 10.30 m · 2× Volvo Penta KAD43P diesel, 230 hp each (1999), approx. 1,000 hours · Palma de Mallorca · seller: broker

💶 The price: 🟡 Average, but the year needs clarifying

Against the average of all listings (about €62,000) the price is in line. Against the 1999 boats only (about €54,000) it is roughly €5,000 higher (+9%), partly justified by the diesel engines and the 2024 generator. Remember these are asking prices, not sale prices.

🚩 What doesn't add up / what to ask the seller

1. The year has changed between listings. The same listing (same broker, same 1,000 hours, same "two months of use" wording) on other portals stated 2004, 10.60 m, €69,000. Now it says 1999, 10.30 m, €59,000. The price drop arrived together with the change of year. Ask for the CE certificate and the registry extract: year of build, year of first registration and hull number (HIN).
2. Length: 10.30 or 10.60 m? The difference may come from the extended bathing platform. Ask whether the modification is documented: hull length decides registration category and how much you pay for a berth.
3. Engine hours "approx. 1,000". Ask for the exact hours of each engine and the service invoices. 40 hours a year is low: fine if true, but the maintenance history must back it up.
4. Proof of VAT paid. Original invoice or official document: without it, "VAT included" means nothing.
5. Sterndrives. The KAD43P is the DuoProp sterndrive version. Ask when bellows, gimbal bearing and drive oil were last replaced.
6. Osmosis and hull. Ask for the year of the last epoxy treatment, if any.
7. Flag and owner. Spanish-flagged? Any mortgages or debts on the boat? Ever used for charter?
8. "Non-contractual information". Ask for the listed equipment to be written into the contract.

🔧 What to have checked on this model

• KAD43 supercharger (belt-driven, with electromagnetic clutch). The best-known weak point: forums report superchargers that fail to engage, slipping belts, loss of power and black smoke. On the sea trial the engines must reach full rated rpm and the supercharger must cut in around 1,700 rpm.
• Intercooler, heat exchanger and exhaust elbows: they clog and corrode; have them removed and inspected.
• DuoProp drives: bellows, galvanic corrosion of the aluminium drive and the transom, water in the drive oil.
• Ask the surveyor for moisture readings on hull and deck, windscreen seals, tanks and wiring, plus an oil analysis on both engines.

📋 Paperwork

• If it stays under Spanish flag you pay the Spanish transfer tax (ITP) on the boat's fiscal value. Use a local gestor.
• Re-flagging to another EU country: deletion from the Spanish registry, then registration at home. The CE certificate is required. With proof of EU VAT, no duties apply. Confirm everything with an accountant.
• Survey: €1,000-2,000 including surveyor, haul-out, sea trial and oil analysis.
• Transport: with 480 l of diesel the estimated range is 130-180 nm, marginal for a Menorca-Sardinia crossing. By ship or truck: €3,000-8,000 (get quotes).

💸 The true cost of buying

Typical yearly costs: berth €3,000-10,000, insurance €700-1,500, maintenance €3,000-6,000. Fuel extra.

✅ Bottom line

The boat may well be worth it: well equipped, diesel engines, new generator. But the listing has already changed year, length and price, and that must be cleared up first. Start with an offer between €50,000 and €53,000 and do not go above €55,000, and only with a clean survey. The two decisive checks: the documents (real year, CE certificate, proof of VAT paid) and the engine survey (superchargers, cooling and DuoProp drives).

Sources: yachtall.com · boats.com · cosasdebarcos.com · todobarco.com · bandofboats.com · boat24.com · marineengine.com and ybw.com forums (KAD43)