Buying a 1970's boat... checks and agreements!

Zagato

Well-known member
Joined
2 Sep 2010
Messages
2,807
Location
Chichester Harbour
Visit site
I am buying a boat directly off the seller. We need to draw up a bill of sale but am not sure about VAT status Information, RCD/CE compliance, part 1 register or/and SSR register details. Is any of that relevant for an old boat under 10k that was built in the late seventies?
 

DownWest

Well-known member
Joined
25 Dec 2007
Messages
12,859
Location
S.W. France
Visit site
I am buying a boat directly off the seller. We need to draw up a bill of sale but am not sure about VAT status Information, RCD/CE compliance, part 1 register or/and SSR register details. Is any of that relevant for an old boat under 10k that was built in the late seventies?
Nope, for most of that.
The SSR lapses on sale and you have to re-register in your name. (Did I see somewhere that you can keep the same number?) If part 1, bit more paper required, but less than it used to need.
Wot Wandsworth said^.

One assumes that the sale is in the UK?
 

srm

Well-known member
Joined
16 May 2004
Messages
2,700
Location
Azores, Terceira.
Visit site
To claim VAT exempt status due to age you need to show the vessel was built before 1st January 1985 and also lying within the EU on 1 January 1993. Yachts complying with this criteria may be deemed VAT paid under the Single Market transitional arrangements.
If you plan on taking your yacht outside the UK documents covering the above would help should you have the misfortune of dealing with an over zealous official. Receipts are the best proof but I got a letter from a previous owner stating where the boat was on 1 January 1993 as a precaution and passed it on to the next owner. Ideally, you should be given a paper trail with bills of sale (or copies) for each change of owner right back to the original purchase receipt.
 

jamie N

Well-known member
Joined
20 Dec 2012
Messages
6,001
Location
Fortrose
Visit site
To claim VAT exempt status due to age you need to show the vessel was built before 1st January 1985 and also lying within the EU on 1 January 1993. Yachts complying with this criteria may be deemed VAT paid under the Single Market transitional arrangements.
If you plan on taking your yacht outside the UK documents covering the above would help should you have the misfortune of dealing with an over zealous official. Receipts are the best proof but I got a letter from a previous owner stating where the boat was on 1 January 1993 as a precaution and passed it on to the next owner. Ideally, you should be given a paper trail with bills of sale (or copies) for each change of owner right back to the original purchase receipt.
Easy enough to 'find' a convincing paper trail with modern technology.
 

Refueler

Well-known member
Joined
13 Sep 2008
Messages
17,338
Location
Far away from hooray henrys
Visit site
My boat is early 70's and came to Latvia from UK .... SSR later altered its requirements in that they could ask for proof of residence in UK for owner ... so I had to change to Latvian registration.

I had no bill of sale. No VAT exemption doc. It all went through as boat was identified as a an early boat built in the 70 to mid 80's. I had photos of her in UK mid 90's.

Hassle ? Not at all.

As another says - easy to create Bill of Sale and previous owners declaration of boat being in UK / EU during qualifying period.
 
D

Deleted member 36384

Guest
Implied forging of documents is ridiculous compared to the risk of being asked for VAT. If you ever were in the improbable position of being asked for proof of VAT and presented documents which were subsequently challenged, you could be in deep shit with HMRC.

The RYA bill of sale is an excellent idea. If Part 1 Registered and you wish to keep it registered Contact the UK Ship Register and follow their instructions. I doubt it is worth maintaining the boat on any register due to value. RCD / CE mark is not relevant as the boat was built before these came into force.

My experience, 1973 built, '74 launched Rival 41C. Bought the boat which has been Part 1 Registered from new, changed ownership via the team from Bristol that looks after Part 1. Used RYA bill of sale. No documentation provided by seller as proof of VAT status. I contacted the register and obtained all back copies of previous registers up to a date (1995 iirc), then contacted Southhampton council who hold the archive and obtained copies of all other Parts 1. A couple of things became evident. The yacht had changed ownership between a private individual and that individuals company, it was then used as a charter vessel. The yacht was sold back into private ownership. There are two yachts of the same name, but one supplemented "....... of Hamble" and one of them has sailed around the globe i.e. outside the UK for at least 2 years. Can anything be made of this, today, regarding VAT or RCD, not a jot, as the boat has been in the UK for decades.

There are two things I would be concerned about: is the seller entitled to sell the boat and what horrors await the new owner regarding hull and machinery integrity. VAT and RCD concerns are irrelevant, all in my opinion.
 
Top