Testimonials
Testimonials In their own words
“As cruisers, we have been to Marina Mazatlan several times in the last 5 years. We have come to know Ray and Jeannette of Mazatlan Yachts and Shelly and Mike in the La Paz office. We have talked to other cruisers and observed Ray and staff conduct many transactions. They have always acted very straightforward and with great honesty.
That is why when we decided to upgrade our 33′ sailboat, we contacted Mazatlan Yachts. They found the perfect boat and arranged transportation and accommodations for us. The deal went so smooth and easy, we were amazed. Our funds went straight from our bank to the Escrow company in Seattle, totally secure. Two weeks later we were back in Mazatlan on our new boat, with Ray even helping us get our Mexico Import permit. I recommend Mazatlan Yachts wholeheartedly and completely.
One item of note: Don’t be afraid of travel in Mexico. None of the cruisers or Ex-pats are the least bit afraid of the drug violence. The last thing the cartels want is to involve tourists. Use the same caution you would use at home or any other country you might travel in. Business in Mazatlan is way off because of the media hype which means there are great deals on meals, accommodations and transportation. Enjoy Mazatlan while you are there, it is a great city.”
Scott and Janet Haselton
“It was such a delight to work with Ray and Jeannette in buying our boat in Mazatlan. We flew in and they picked us up & took us to our pre-booked hotel. They took time with us and allowed us to look at all the options and boats without pressure. When it came time to present the offer & go to negotiations, they made it easy for us. After the agreement was reached, they had Norm Havercroft do all our paperwork to document the boat in Canada. What a breeze! They even helped getting in touch with everyone we needed, qualified surveyor, insuring our boat, moorage and importation. It was a great experience & we now have new friends through this process. Thanks for making it so easy.”
Stewart and Sallyanne Carver
“When I saw the listing on YachtWorld.com for a classic 60 ft Yacht I first hesitated… The listing sounded exactly what I was looking for. But the Yacht was in Mexico, and I was in Europe. 12000 Miles distance, a 2000 Dollar Ticket and a 20 hour flight are a good reasons to think twice…
The first phone contact with Mike, Shelly and Cindy from La Paz Yachts was a pleasure. Mike described all known critical areas and flaws of the Yacht he knew of. They helped organize a Hotel and picked me up at the Airport. But most importantly as it turned out: His descriptions were accurate and honest. A “no surprise” Survey and the Sea Trial confirmed this assessment and he brokered honestly between the seller and me ’till we reached finally a deal. All steps of the process from Survey to Title Insurance to the Escrow Accounts were conducted with the highest integrity and professionalism.
Though one last big obstacle remained: Since I wanted to do a total refit before taking the Yacht back to Europe, I would need qualified Yards and Craftsmen from sandblasting the hull to redoing the decks, from new electrics to canvas work to varnish. Within days Mike and his team hooked me up with Yards and Craftsmen in the La Paz Area, showed me examples of their work, helped me sort through the offers, making recommendations and helped negotiate the prices.
Having spent on and off 8 months in La Paz to refit my Yacht, I can sincerely say that I could not have done this large project without the help of Mike, Shelly and Cindy. And the result speaks for itself! They have gone above and beyond what I would have ever expected from any Broker. I can recommend them to anybody with the highest praise. And I am very proud to call them my friends today…”
Andreas Schmidt
“I would like to thank Ray Watson and Jeannette Sarrasin for all their help with the purchase of my Kelly-Peterson 44. You have to be confident with the brokerage when looking at a boat in Mexico from Brisbane, Australia. Ray and Jeannette were quick to respond to all my questions at every stage and assisted in the transaction without any sales talk. A point that has stuck in my mind and surprised the former owner was after Ray had picked me up at the airport and having dropped my luggage at the hotel we went to the marina. He introduced us and then Ray bid farewell making the point that the owner knew his boat better than anyone else. My dealings with other brokers were they tried to keep buyer and seller apart. While to some this may not be a big deal, it allowed for a thorough inspection with my questions being answered immediately and fully. Once the sale was completed Ray and Jeannette maintained their interest. They continued to provide help as I prepared the boat to cross the Pacific. I would have no hesitation in recommending their brokerage to any of my friends and I am confident they would be well looked after.”
Regards,
Michael Meyer
“We are a Canadian family of four who decided to sell it all & sail around the World. Our search for a boat led us to many brokers, including Ray & Jeannette of Mazatlan Yachts. Immediately, I knew that Mazatlan Yachts was different, they responded to my initial e-mails right away, something I can’t say for most of the others. Over the next 6 weeks we communicated on a weekly basis, they were quick to respond to our questions, concerns & requests for more information.
Once we were confident that this boat was the one for us, we made an offer & bought our plane tickets. Ray met us at the airport & drove us to Marina Mazatlan. After enjoying a few cold drinks we headed down to the boat. It was with relief we saw that the boat was exactly as Ray described it, no surprises here! we were then taken to Bungalows Mar Sol, the super affordable, family run hotel that Jeannette had reserved for us. Ray parked the van & took us to a local restaurant where we all enjoyed dinner. What a day we had, our family slept well that night!
Over the next few days, I met with our surveyor, we thoroughly inspected the boat & then made our final offer through Mazatlan Yachts. We had an answer back from the owner within an hour, the boat was now ours.
This is where the real expertise of Mazatlan Yachts showed. With the help of an agent in WA State, the boat transferred to our ownership in just a few weeks, only requiring us to sign a few documents along the way. Very professional, Ray & Jeannette have this important part of the process down to a science. I will say that it’s actually easier to buy a boat here in Mexico than back home.
Our relationship with Mazatlan Yachts did not end. They helped us find contractors, parts & get used to living in Mexico. Just last month Ray arranged a renaming ceremony and we are now officially Ocean Blue II
Five months ago we arrived in Mazatlan and met Ray & Jeannette. In a few days we will be leaving Mazatlan, sad to say goodbye to two good friends. It is our pleasure to recommend Mazatlan Yachts, you will be very happy & well taken care of.”
The Wilton Family (email us to discuss our experiences in person stevewilton@gmail.com)
“I was nervous about buying a boat in Mexico, which proved to be completely unnecessary. Everything was taken care of by Ray and Jeanette and visiting Mazatlan was a great vacation. The paperwork and title transfer went without a hitch and all my worries were unfounded. Title transfer took place in Seattle using the same title company that many Pacific Northwest brokers use. I got the boat I wanted, at a great price and then I got to sail it home, which was priceless.”
Steve Hanan
“Buying a yacht overseas and sailing it back home has to be done in the spirit of adventure and for many people it is only happening once in a lifetime. It is about finding the boat you want and that boat has to be in perfect shape, or you make it to the boat you want and in the shape you want. La Paz offers that opportunity. Every year an armada of yachts leave Californian waters destined for the Sea of Cortez utilizing La Paz as the port of supply. Many of these boats never return to California due to the prevailing wind conditions. This has created a buyers’ market. Most yachts arriving in La Paz are of the kind and well equipped for ocean voyages – just the type of yacht, which will interest an overseas buyer.
We searched the internet for available yachts to gain an understanding of the current market and price of the boat we wanted. Clearly yachts are currently cheaper in the US than elsewhere and there are more to choose from. The next step was to contact agents and gain more specific information. We contacted many agents across the States and specific information about the yachts in question was readily available including the process of buying and transfer of ownership and money. Pros and cons were exchanged in a transparent way and several agents offered to search for yachts if nothing of interest was available. However, our focus was soon directed to La Paz and La Paz Yachts.
“Buying a yacht in Mexico – is that safe?” was my wife’s first question. Because I had never been in Mexico I shared her concern. So, why not give La Paz Yacht a call. I quickly became clear that buying a yacht through La Paz Yachts was like buying one in the US, where customer satisfaction seem to be paramount. Speaking to Mike, Shelly and Cindy was straight forward and the focus quickly became “Why don’t you come over and have a look?” “Yeah, well! We don’t want to spent too much money travelling back and forth, on hotels and restaurants – and what about security, Mexico is a dangerous place!” Here La Paz Yacht “travelling agency” went into gear! Inexpensive accommodation was offered, assistance with travelling arrangements, and assurances about food and safety provided – too good to be true? Well, it was more than true! La Paz and the coastal Mexico we since have visited are pleasant places for tourists. The Mexicans are a generous and friendly people. Help is provided when needed, medical support of world first class, and the authorities go to great length to make tourists feel welcome. Here, little money goes a long way!
Now to the business of accepting a yacht! We were looking for a Hans Christian 38T and we found the one we wanted. Shelly and Mike took us from A to Z and we dug ourselves into the boat to have a close look. At this stage we had paid a bond of 10%, which were deposited in a trust account in US. This was done to ensure that we were serious about this particular vessel. If we later had changed our minds we will get the money back. It is really about covering buyer’s expenses when going through the boat and locking your rights. However, the costs are not many and essentially cover surveyors and costs of getting the boat in and out of the water for inspection and sea trial. This whole process was conducted by La Paz Yachts in openness and transparency – no stone was left unturned! Just remember, yachts are complicated pieces of technology, and the choice of surveyor(s) are that of the buyer – if you are unsure, get the real profs and there are a few of those in La Paz! Mike and Shelly will ensure that.
Now to the business of agreeing to a price! Here the old principles of camel trading prevail. It is between you and the seller. Mike and Shelly ensure that reason prevails and cross-table shouting is seen as a healthy part of the process! (Editorial comment: There is no yelling and screaming in La Paz negotiations!!!). Get your facts in front of you and provide a serious offer allowing for a bit of bargain space. If you are happy with the price it is back to work! La Paz offers a range of boat yards and workshops. Meanwhile La Paz Yachts takes care of the paperwork. Shelly, Mike and Cindy were there for us months after the deal was done – and they still are! And you are likely to end up with a beautiful yacht among beautiful people in a beautiful part of the world where home suddenly has a different meaning!”
IB & Yedrenka
“We thank you sincerely for the great professionalism with a touch of comfort care we experienced in the selling of our boat, “Laura”. We could not be more pleased with the service you provide and the expedite manner in which our boat was sold. We will certainly recommend you to anyone we meet that needs your services!”
Michael and Laura Michel
“After two years of week long chartering a sailboat out of La Paz we decided that we wanted to spend more time sailing in the Sea of Cortez. So we decided that purchasing a used sailboat would make economic sense for extended cruising. We had met Mike Rickman when he was providing the skipper’s briefing during his affiliation with the Moorings. He was now affiliated with La Paz Yachts (a branch of Mazatlan Yachts) so it made sense to call him about finding us a sailboat. He was leaving for a vacation to the US when we called so he put us in touch with his associate Shelly Ward. She began her search for a boat that met our general specifications. This resulted in locating several boats that fit the bill. We narrowed our selection down to a boat that was in Mazatlan. As it turned out our first selection was not going to be appropriate for what we wanted to do now that we had expanded our cruising area to include the west coast of Mexico. Ray Watson quickly reviewed the inventory and suggested a boat that was a couple of years older than what we had originally specified (therefore it did not come up in our original search). This boat (a Pearson 367 cutter rig) had everything that we wanted. We selected one of two surveyors that Ray had recommended and proceeded with the next step. The survey indicated a boat that was in great shape. We took possession of our “new” boat in September 2009 and have put on more than 3200 miles on the west coast of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez.
All of our interactions with Ray and Jeannette have been pleasant from the start. We can’t think of anything that was not provided or thought of by these two people. Their services ranged from picking us up at the airport, to making hotel reservations at Bungalows Mar Sol, setting up our re-naming ceremony, getting our slip set-up at the Marina and being there before, during AND after the sale to provide any type of help that we might need.”
Darryl and Donna
“When my wife and I were searching for our next sailboat we spent months (and lots of money) flying from coast to coast looking for the perfect cruising boat. Living in Scottsdale, Arizona we are landlocked so we depended on brokers and individuals for accurate information before flying to check out boats. After seeing several misrepresented boats on both coasts we reluctantly checked out several in Mexico. Finding several possibles in Mazatlan I called and talked to Ray and Jeannette and arranged to fly down to see what they had. Ray picked me up at the airport and brought me to a beautiful beach resort. I checked out the prospects, found my dream boat, negotiated the deal, arranged for the survey, then flew home. After the survey Ray helped renegotiate with the seller, connected me with the US based title company, and I finalized the deal in an amazingly short time. It was the best experience I have had buying a boat and this was our fourth boat. I highly recommend Ray and Jeannette and appreciated the honest way they described the boats by not overstating their conditions. They were also very helpful in every aspect of the buying process and I found buying in Mexico was as easy as buying in the States.”
Craig and Madeleine Myrmel
Mazatlan Marine Center SA de CV
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Blvd. Marina Mazatlan # 2211 Local 3 Fracc: Sabalo Cerritos Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico 82110 |
Tel 011 52 669 9133165 Fax 011 52 669 9133165 Email Us |
http://mazmarine.com
