Buying Abroad

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Nosealegsyet

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In the good old days when the pound was a lot stronger than it is now, did any of you buy abroad- or even Ireland, in order to save money?What was the process like ? Did you have to pay VAT when you imported it? Did you save a lot in the long run? Thankyou
 
Nosealegsyet said:
In the good old days when the pound was a lot stronger than it is now, did any of you buy abroad- or even Ireland, in order to save money?What was the process like ? Did you have to pay VAT when you imported it? Did you save a lot in the long run? Thankyou
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if you said what boat you wanted there mite be some one on here knows where there is one for sale jez loves finding boats for peeps
 
I have bought boats (including my current one) from abroad numerous times.
I have bought in Greece, Sweden, France, USA and (almost) Italy.

The process varies from country to country and all are a little different to the UK but nothing too daunting.
Lots of EU countries have better registration systems that make ownership and status more transparent than the rather poor UK register.

Currently, if you buy a boat in the EU there is no VAT to pay as we are all part of the common market and customs union.
 
Bought our current boat 13 years ago from Snip yachting in Ouistreham France. Roland Vegriete, the owner of Snip, made it a very pleasant experience looking after repairs, upgrades, surveys, deregistration, and VAT status certification.
 
tjbrace said:
Bought our current boat 13 years ago from Snip yachting in Ouistreham France. Roland Vegriete, the owner of Snip, made it a very pleasant experience looking after repairs, upgrades, surveys, deregistration, and VAT status certification.
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So there is a registration system is there for boats? Similar to registered cars or not?
 
Whitelighter said:
I have bought boats (including my current one) from abroad numerous times.
I have bought in Greece, Sweden, France, USA and (almost) Italy.

The process varies from country to country and all are a little different to the UK but nothing too daunting.
Lots of EU countries have better registration systems that make ownership and status more transparent than the rather poor UK register.

Currently, if you buy a boat in the EU there is no VAT to pay as we are all part of the common market and customs union.
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Thanks Whitelighter.Do the brokers make sure there is no outstanding finance on the boat?What about shipping costs from other countries? Is that how you got the boats homes by shipping them in a container?
 
Nosealegsyet said:
Thanks Whitelighter.Do the brokers make sure there is no outstanding finance on the boat?What about shipping costs from other countries? Is that how you got the boats homes by shipping them in a container?
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It would have to be a pretty small boat to fit in a container. Normal methods from Europe are low loader and transport by road, or hire a crew to bring it over.
 
Nosealegsyet said:
Who is Jez?
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Jez = Whitelighter

Re: Bringing back from Europe - once you take into account fuel, berthing, crew, food, wear and tear on the boat - if the boat is in the Med, sticking it on a lorry is what most people choose to do. Unless its a trip they really want to do. How much this will be will depend on a) the size of the boat and b) the journey. See this thread for some recommended transport companies:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?519565-Boat-transport-from-west-Wales-to-the-solent-34ft

On a smaller boat, you can navigate through France via the canal system . See http://www.michaelbriant.com/ for research material.

Anticipating your next question... ;) you might be interested in European "RIghtmove" equivalents (which Jez kindly provided me with many moons ago)
https://www.inautia.com/
https://www.cosasdebarcos.com/
https://www.annoncesbateau.com/
https://www.boatshop24.com/en/ . (.com, not .co.uk)

If you use Google Chrome as a browser, it should automatically offer you the option of translating these sites into english where necessary.
 
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Spain , France and Italy ( + others ?) registration system requires taxes like VAT to be accounted for .
This is an important difference to UK style part 1 or 3 .

Basically in the EU with country's that have compulsory reg a private owner has all ready ( and the host state ) dealt with the vat .
Obviously charter Co s may be different. So make sure you boy from a pvt individual .

EU Brokers find Brit buyers problematic with VAT as they bring to the EU Brit issues that basically don't exist with there compulsory boat ref system.
 
Bought 1 in France and 2 in Spain. I find it is easier to negotiate I think this is because the mooring cost is higher. That said do your homework on all the costs involved and look at comparable boats locally to see if it makes sense.
 
If you buy in the USA you will need to get the boat certified to RCD II. Unless the boat is almost new, this will almost certainly mean putting new engines into the boat. On top of shipping costs and VAT it will almost always be uneconomical.
 
westernman said:
If you buy in the USA you will need to get the boat certified to RCD II. Unless the boat is almost new, this will almost certainly mean putting new engines into the boat. On top of shipping costs and VAT it will almost always be uneconomical.
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Thanks Westernman. Im not going to purchase anything, or start seriously looking until February.I have a lot to learn yet, I dont want to be vunerable, through lack of knowledge, at the minute its all a minefield, but hopefully it will all start to sink in soon.
 
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