Buying my first boat in Spain - advice please!

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Shankers

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Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy a small motor boat to keep in Spain. We're planning to keep it on the trailer, parked at a private house... and slip it at the local marina for the occasional week we're out there...

Aside from it being my first sea boat (so i'm still deciding what type to go for) can anyone give me some advice on the registration / paper work side of things?

The majority of boats i'm looking at online are registered in Spain... is this an issue? Will i need to re-register it to the UK?

Also, are there any registration issues to consider with the trailer?

Any advice, guidance would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance,
Shankers.
 
The simple solution is to either buy a British flagged boat or de register from Spain and then register as British. Get a RYA ICC qualification as well, this avoids the issue of having to take the Spanish competance test (which is in Spanish) If you have a Spanish registered car then you have to also have a Spanish registered trailer.

The easiest solution is to buy a UK boat, UK trailer and tow it with a UK car. SSR register the boat, dont need anything for the trailer and make sure that the car is legal in UK (Drive it back every year for MOT etc).
 
some years back, I organised the purchase of a small boat in UK,(for my uncle)
we registered the boat in Belgium (quite easy)
and then transported the boat to Calpé in Spain.
the boat remained registered in Belgium.

I think that if you buy a boat in Spain, it would be better to keep her registered in Spain,
there are some spain boaters on here, and will soon come along with more acurate advice.
 
thanks guys...

We gave up on the idea of buying in the UK and trailering down due to time restraints... so we're going out in June boat hunting near by to the area we stay in...

I have RYA power boat 2 already... which i think is the ICC... is that correct?

So if i buy a Spanish registered boat, one option is to keep it registered in Spain? That makes sense i suppose as it'll be staying in Spain i just wasn't sure if i was allowed to do that as i'm not a resident. i assume if this is the case that i'd need to fly a Spainish flag? if at all?

Does anyone know if keeping a Spanish boat registered in Spain will incur any additional costs / tax payments?

The car that'll be towing the trailer is a friend's so i suppose is already registered in Spain... but someone mentioned i needed to get the trailer registered so i'm not sure what the best advice is on that?

Is SSR the British registration?

Hmmm... cheers for the advice...slightly more complex than i thought!
 
If its spanish flagged I think you need to pass the Spanish skippers license (the exam is in spanish) and there are different safety kit requirements . I may be wrong

Easier to by UK flagged boat as per previous post, but you must have an ICC to drive a boat in Spain. You also need registration document either part 1 or part 2 and full insurance.
 
landlockedpirate said:
The simple solution is to either buy a British flagged boat or de register from Spain and then register as British. Get a RYA ICC qualification as well, this avoids the issue of having to take the Spanish competance test (which is in Spanish) If you have a Spanish registered car then you have to also have a Spanish registered trailer.

The easiest solution is to buy a UK boat, UK trailer and tow it with a UK car. SSR register the boat, dont need anything for the trailer and make sure that the car is legal in UK (Drive it back every year for MOT etc).
Click to expand...

Also make sure that the car is legal in Spain - can't stay for more than 182 days.
 
kashurst said:
If its spanish flagged I think you need to pass the Spanish skippers license (the exam is in spanish) and there are different safety kit requirements
Click to expand...
No, the license you need depends on which country the person is a resident in, not which country the boat is a resident in. Otherwise British citizens would not be able to charter a Spanish flagged boat without a Spanish license, for example.

Its not a good idea to transfer a Spanish boat to UK registration, because you will then lose any tax paid on the boat and trailer and then effectively only be able to sell it on to a Brit.
 
Shankers said:
Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy a small motor boat to keep in Spain. We're planning to keep it on the trailer, parked at a private house... and slip it at the local marina for the occasional week we're out there...
Click to expand...
When you say "slip it" do they actually have a slip you can use and have you checked the cost?
 
thanks guys....

Yes, Moriara Marina has a slip and it costs 10€ each time (in & out)... you can also leave the boat in the water (if there's a berth) for up to 10 days before paying a membership fee... so i think we're all good on that front.

So to recap...and please let me know if i've misunderstood:

i could take a UK registered boat from the UK to Spain and keep it registered in the UK even though it's staying out in Spain...

Or, i could buy a boat in Spain (this is the most likely option at the moment), however it's likely to therefore be registered in Spain...

My UK 'license', RYA Powerboat Level 2, is probably a suitable qualification to take out a Spanish registered boat in Spanish waters - i'm going apply for a ICC 'conversion' through RYA.

I think I can buy a Spanish registered boat, leave it registered in Spain, and keep it in Spain. Hopefully this avoids having to pay any tax on the boat (if it's already been paid). The only thing i don't know is if i can do this while being a UK citizen.

If the boat is registered in Spain it'll have a Spanish flag.

I expect i'll need a Spanish broker to do all the paperwork.

I'll need full insurance and proof of ownership for the Spanish water authorities.

Ive heard i might need a radio license and get an inspection certificate? does anybody know about these too?

thanks!
 
Hi Shankers

I have just done what you are planning back in march ,I bought the boat in the uk ssr'd it and got it delivered to Spain . I saved nearly £5000 including having it delivered from the north of Scotland to la manga in the south of Spain , the secondhand prices in Spain are just ridiculous, I would definately consider buying in the uk if I were you.
 
Shankers said:
I have RYA power boat 2 already... which i think is the ICC... is that correct?

QUOTE]

Hi Shankers

Welcome from a fellow newcomer.

I'm interested to see the answer regarding the ICC as I'm in a similar position RYA PB2, but I was thinking I'd have to do another ICC on MoBos later (?).

Hopefully someone can clear that up.

Best of luck
Alan
Click to expand...
 
Hi Guys,

we'll be keeping it in Moraira, Costa Blanca...so i'm looking at boats in Denia, Javea, Altea, Calp areas...

The Marina in Moraira will let us slip in and out for 10€ and if there's a spare berth, we can keep it in the water for up to 10 days in the year before having to pay a membership fee, so that's all good.

I've spoken to the RYA and they recommend converting my Power Boat 2 to an ICC... so if i could find my cert that'd be quite straightforward.

What i still don't know is, as i'm a British resident, whether i'm permitted to own a Spanish registered boat in Spain. Does anyone know about this?

thanks!
 
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