SPYRO
RIVA SUPER OPERA 85 About SPYRO Introducing the 25.9-meter motor yacht SPYRO, a stunning Riva 85 Opera crafted in Italy by the prestigious Riva shipyard.
THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · Portugal
Distinguish the marina from the commercial tourism quay, then confirm the boat, berth and handover arrangements with the correct authority.
Buying a boat Madeira requires a careful look at the actual facility as well as the yacht. Official sources distinguish the recreational marina at Funchal from a separate maritime-tourism quay, with different management responsibilities. That distinction helps buyers ask the right operator about occupation and services. This guide connects verified local facility facts with national condition and transfer checks, without inventing an island berth price, demand trend or delivery timetable.
Identify the boat's current registration, the proposed berth and the operator responsible for the services you need. Obtain written answers before treating a viewing location as a continuing occupation arrangement. Ask the relevant authority or a locally qualified adviser about any regional requirement or cross-border issue that remains unresolved. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Key facts at a glance
DGRM places the Marina do Funchal within the port on Madeira's south coast. (Current official marina directory; no individual revision date displayed.)
DGRM – Official directory descriptions used for geog ·DGRM places Marina Quinta do Lorde at the south-eastern end of Madeira. (Current official marina directory; no individual revision date displayed.)
DGRM – Official directory descriptions used for geog ·APRAM's port plan identifies Associação Marina do Funchal as manager of the recreational marina. (Porto do Funchal waste-reception plan dated January 2024, covering 2024–2028.)
APRAM ·The same plan identifies the Cais de Recreio do Funchal separately as an APRAM-managed maritime-tourism facility. (Porto do Funchal waste-reception plan dated January 2024, covering 2024–2028.)
APRAM ·The future owner or legal representative applies through the DGRM ownership-transfer service. (Current official service page; no revision date displayed.)
DGRM – Ownership-transfer service ·Section 1
DGRM describes the Marina do Funchal as lying within the port on Madeira's south coast, and Marina Quinta do Lorde at the island's south-eastern end. These official descriptions identify different locations for arranging a viewing and the services around it. They do not establish current vacancies or transferable berth rights. As a practical recommendation, ask the seller to identify the exact facility and berth, then contact the responsible operator about your planned ownership and stay before treating occupation as part of the deal.
The DGRM directory describes the Funchal reception pontoon as lying to starboard after entry. That is an orientation detail in an undated directory, not complete or current navigation advice. As a practical recommendation, use the relevant authority's current information and the operator's instructions when arranging an afloat trial or delivery. Confirm who will command the boat and what permission is required for movement. Do not turn a facility description into an assurance that the planned arrival can proceed regardless of conditions.
Organise the visit around the boat and the work you need to commission. As a practical recommendation, ask where professionals can gain access, where an out-of-water examination could occur and how the boat would be moved if required. Obtain written quotations for the planned services and identify anything that cannot be examined during the visit. No official source used here establishes an island-wide waiting time, shortage or price premium, so those claims should not drive acceptance of incomplete records or unexplained condition concerns.
Broker tip: Identify the exact facility and responsible operator before booking attendance. Confirm occupation, access and movement arrangements directly, and obtain current navigation information rather than relying on an undated directory description. See also our guide on how to buy a boat in Portugal.
Boat on a marina berth being prepared for sale.
Funchal location
Section 2
APRAM's port plan identifies Associação Marina do Funchal as managing the recreational marina. It separately identifies the Cais de Recreio do Funchal as an APRAM-managed maritime-tourism facility. As a practical recommendation, use the precise facility name when requesting a berth, service or permission. A document with the words recreational quay in its title may concern commercial tourism operations rather than ordinary private yacht occupation, so check its stated scope before treating an apparently relevant tariff or rule as applicable to your purchase.
The same plan assigns waste management at Marina do Funchal to the marina association. Its broader waste-reception arrangements distinguish facilities managed directly by APRAM from those outside that scope. As a practical recommendation, ask the actual operator where waste, oils or other material from inspection and maintenance must be delivered. Define responsibility for clearing the boat and berth at handover. Do not apply a commercial quay's procedure or assume a port-wide service is included merely because the boat lies within the same harbour.
Keep facility scope clear when budgeting. As a practical recommendation, request a current quotation that names the boat, occupation period, applicable tax and any separately charged services. Ask the operator to identify the conditions attached to the quoted arrangement. An undated published tariff does not establish a current charge for your case, and a maritime-tourism schedule does not establish a private leisure berth price. This guide therefore supplies no unsupported Madeira-wide berth average and does not claim that an existing occupation permission passes automatically to the buyer.
Broker tip: Use the precise marina or quay name in every request. Confirm its operator, current tariff and scope, particularly when a document concerns maritime-tourism operations rather than your proposed private use. Readers often go on to our guide on whether you need a boat survey in Portugal.
Mooring line and fenders on a marina berth.
Marina management identified
Looking at a boat in Portugal and want a second opinion before you commit? Speak to one of our brokers.
Section 3
The national periodic inspection has a stated purpose: checking safety conditions and minimum mandatory equipment. Article 24 also provides a scoped initial-inspection exemption for appropriately assessed and CE-marked craft with the required EU declaration. Neither point means a buyer should accept an unsupported statement about condition. As a practical recommendation, review the existing certification and ask the appointed professional to define the separate purchase inspection, its access limitations and what further investigation may be needed if a significant fault is found.
Third-party liability insurance is compulsory under Article 33 for types 1–4, powered type 5 boats and sailing type 5 boats longer than seven metres. As a practical recommendation, obtain confirmation of cover for your ownership and intended use before departure. Ask about relevant exclusions rather than assuming that a general insurance document covers every activity. Keep the insurance start, keys and physical handover aligned in the written completion plan, with any uncertainty referred to the insurer or qualified adviser.
Article 35 requires an appropriate recreational qualification or eligible registered-seafarer status for the person in command. As a practical recommendation, check that requirement for the intended skipper before agreeing an afloat trial or delivery. Ask who is responsible for the boat during each stage and how an aborted trial will be handled. A seller's confidence in the engine or their own cruising experience does not establish your command entitlement, inspection scope or acceptance conditions; record those matters separately and resolve questions before committing. No current private-leisure Madeira berth tariff, vacancy, waiting time or market-price trend was verified. The undated Funchal tourism-quay tariff was not treated as a current private-marina tariff. For these, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Review certification, define the purchase inspection and arrange suitable insurance and command qualifications. Record trial responsibilities and acceptance conditions before moving the boat or committing to an unresolved fault. Our guide on whether you pay VAT on a boat in Portugal covers a related point.
Boat keys and documents handed over on a chart table.
Inspection safety scope
Article 25 describes periodic inspections as checking safety conditions and minimum mandatory equipment. (Consolidated text last amended 13 October 2020.)
Source: Diário da RepúblicaArticle 24 provides a scoped initial-inspection exemption for appropriately conformity-assessed and CE-marked craft with the required EU declaration. (Consolidated text last amended 13 October 2020.)
Source: Diário da RepúblicaArticle 33 requires liability insurance for types 1–4, powered type 5 and sailing type 5 craft longer than seven metres. (Consolidated text last amended 13 October 2020.)
Source: Diário da RepúblicaArticle 35 requires an appropriate recreational qualification or eligible registered-seafarer status for command. (Consolidated text last amended 13 October 2020.)
Source: Diário da RepúblicaArticle 60 provides for adaptations of the recreational regime in the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores. (Consolidated text last amended 13 October 2020.)
Source: Diário da RepúblicaSection 4
DGRM's transfer service names the future owner or legal representative as applicant. It requires acquisition evidence and a copy of the booklet or equivalent still showing the seller. As a practical recommendation, compare the owner and boat identification across the records before signing. Ask for explanations of a mismatch while the seller is available to resolve it. Keep registration evidence separate from questions about outstanding finance, contractual authority or tax history, because a transfer application does not by itself answer every purchase risk.
DGRM states that its own ownership-transfer service is free while warning that additional local maritime-authority costs may apply. As a practical recommendation, confirm the complete route and current authority charges for this boat before setting the administrative budget. Decide who supplies documents, who submits them and who retains the receipt. If a different registry or an alteration to the boat's particulars is involved, seek the relevant authority's requirements rather than assuming that the ordinary ownership-transfer checklist covers the whole transaction.
Use a written completion sequence as a practical recommendation: identify the signed documents, agreed payment conditions, equipment inventory and physical handover arrangements. Verify bank instructions independently before making a transfer and obtain the actual terms if an intermediary proposes holding funds. Do not rely on a brokerage label as evidence of protected client money. Ask a locally qualified lawyer to review uncertain release conditions or title issues, and retain the signed agreement, payment record and submission evidence in one purchase file.
Broker tip: Agree the evidence, payment and handover sequence before completion. Confirm the transfer applicant and complete authority costs, then retain the signed agreement and application receipt with the boat's records. A related question is answered in our guide on how to register a boat in Portugal.
Boat registration at a marina office.
Transfer applicant
Practical support
Peter Mattey is a yacht broker at European Yacht Brokers with a BA in Law. He is not a Portuguese lawyer: for Portuguese law and tax we refer you to a locally qualified adviser. What we can do is help you plan the purchase, put the right questions to the other side and spot gaps in the paperwork before you commit.
If you are looking for a boat in Portugal, tell us the type of boat, your budget and the area through the enquiry form on this page and a broker will reply. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
The handover of a boat at the dock.
Your questions
No: APRAM's port plan distinguishes Marina do Funchal, managed by its marina association, from the APRAM-managed Cais de Recreio used for maritime-tourism activities. As a practical recommendation, identify the exact place involved before applying a tariff or seeking permission. Similar names do not establish that the same operating conditions govern private marina occupation and commercial tourism-quay use. (APRAM)
No: DGRM's facility directory provides descriptions rather than a live allocation service. As a practical recommendation, contact the operator about the actual boat dimensions, intended stay and ownership before commitment. Keep its written response separate from the seller's current arrangement, and do not infer a guaranteed place or a current waiting period from the directory's geographic information. (DGRM)
APRAM's port plan assigns waste management at Marina do Funchal to Associação Marina do Funchal. As a practical recommendation, ask that operator about the correct route for material arising from inspection or maintenance and agree who will clear the boat and berth at handover. Do not assume that arrangements for another quay elsewhere in the harbour apply automatically to the marina. (APRAM)
The DGRM service requires acquisition evidence and a copy of the boat booklet or equivalent still bearing the seller's name. The future owner or legal representative applies. As a practical recommendation, compare the identifiers and owner details before signing and keep copies in the purchase file. Resolve a mismatch or uncertainty about the seller's authority before relying on the application as part of completion. (DGRM)
No: Article 60 of the national recreational code provides for regional adaptation in Madeira and the Azores. This guide has not verified every resulting island procedure. As a practical recommendation, confirm the applicable registration, inspection and operating route with the competent authority for your boat, particularly where an existing foreign registration or a commercial-use proposal complicates the purchase and handover. (Diário da República)
This guide only includes facts checked against official sources. For anything it does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information, and ask a locally qualified adviser to confirm the position for your own boat.
Ready when you are
RIVA SUPER OPERA 85 About SPYRO Introducing the 25.9-meter motor yacht SPYRO, a stunning Riva 85 Opera crafted in Italy by the prestigious Riva shipyard.
Check it yourself
Official directory descriptions used for geographic orientation, not live berth availability or navigation instructions.
Port authority plan distinguishes marina management, the maritime-tourism quay and waste-management responsibilities.
Current recreational boating regime: registration, navigation classifications, certification, insurance and command qualifications.
Ownership-transfer service: applicant, online submission, supporting documents and service-specific costs.
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