And so the hunt begins

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I get the impression that boats are often cheaper in the Caribbean.

You could buy a cut price boat out there, sail it around the Caribbean for a season or two. When you return to Europe, make your first stop in Malta where the VAT rate is 18% and pay the vat there.
 
Frogmogman said:
I get the impression that boats are often cheaper in the Caribbean.

You could buy a cut price boat out there, sail it around the Caribbean for a season or two. When you return to Europe, make your first stop in Malta where the VAT rate is 18% and pay the vat there.
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I beg to differ on that. I think prices in the EU are significantly cheaper than in the Crabby-Ian
 
Sorry, am not going to divulge my budget, purely because I've already received several PMs from unrealistically ambitious sellers and only one from a realistic seller (but his SWMBO changed her mind about selling, sadly)
 
Frogmogman said:
When you return to Europe, make your first stop in Malta where the VAT rate is 18% and pay the vat there.
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Why go all that far in order to pay more than needed? Azores is a traditional stopping off point for those heading east towards Europe and (as pointed out earlier in this thread) the top VAT rate currently is 16%.
 
srm said:
Why go all that far in order to pay more than needed? Azores is a traditional stopping off point for those heading east towards Europe and (as pointed out earlier in this thread) the top VAT rate currently is 16%.
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There you go. I thought Malta had the lowest VAT rate in Europe.

Mind you, if you’re not averse to some creative accounting there are schemes in Malta where you can pay a much lower VAT rate, but I suspect only viable on very expensive boats.
 
Frogmogman said:
There you go. I thought Malta had the lowest VAT rate in Europe.

Mind you, if you’re not averse to some creative accounting there are schemes in Malta where you can pay a much lower VAT rate, but I suspect only viable on very expensive boats.
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The EU have tightened up on those schemes now. Not interesting anymore.
If coming across the Atlantic, the the Azores is by far the cheapest route to do it.

You probably have more to gain by haggling over the boat's value rather than choosing a country where the VAT rate is 1-2% less than somewhere else.

If the boat has come across the Atlantic, then there is of course a huge amount of wear and tear which the boat never had in the calm waters of the Carribean.
The sails will need completely knackered, the mast and rigging too, and of course the keel will have been subject to extraordinary forces and need repair, etc, etc,
The boat is worth a small fraction of its value when it started out. Particularly if you don't clean it up before the inspection!

My boat was imported from Canada to Cowes. It was brand new and had just been launched in Canada. The Atlantic crossing was its first real outing.
HMRC accepted a valuation of half the build cost.
 
Stingo - Have you thought about an Anderson 22? I know you want a catamaran, but for a modest budget, you could buy two Anderson 22's lash them together with some high modulus carbon fibre lampposts and wayhay!

What's the only boat better than an Anderson 22? A CatAnderson 22?? You'll be winning the Transat Jaques Vabre outright by this time next year! Be the envy of all the Anchorage! Have Ben Ainsley pestering you to skipper your boat in a squllion pound regatta!

What's not to love?
 
dunedin said:
You can’t possibly choose a boat on your own. That is against forum rules.

The required stages are
1) You post on here some partial/incomplete requirements (without mentioning any budget)
2) we then
a) criticise your requirements and tell you what they should be; and / or
b) recommend you can only buy the boat we prefer, doesn’t match any of your requirements and is wildly over your budget
3) You as original poster despair and never return to the thread - or forum
4) You buy another flat instead

That is how the forum process is supposed to work
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You forgot the anchor choice!!!
 
And so the hunt has ended.

Mr fussy-catamaran-fan will be paying the deposit on a Moody monomaran later today.

Geez, my standards have slipped. Oh well, never mind. At least I'll be afloat again by the end of January
 
Stingo said:
And so the hunt has ended.

Mr fussy-catamaran-fan will be paying the deposit on a Moody monomaran later today.

Geez, my standards have slipped. Oh well, never mind. At least I'll be afloat again by the end of January
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You'll be pleased to be afloat and there's lots you can do to make it more comfortable.
 
Stingo said:
And so the hunt has ended.

Mr fussy-catamaran-fan will be paying the deposit on a Moody monomaran later today.

Geez, my standards have slipped. Oh well, never mind. At least I'll be afloat again by the end of January
Click to expand...
Great. It's so much more important being afloat than not being afloat and waiting for your dream boat. Moody is a great maker. I nearly bought one once. Get a flopper stopper if the rolling is bad, which is the main downside of monohulls.

I'm signing today on a new mono too, I think... and cats were short listed. I'm not stuck on the issue.
 
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