hillyarder
New member
going to san diego for christmas. if i were to buy myself a present such as a radar or dsc vhf, what rules apply, or indeed are such things legal in the uk.
cheers
cheers
buying stuff in usa
- Thread starter hillyarder
- Start date
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Supplementary
In NYC next week. Need new oily jacket. Any recommendations for cheap chandlers?
In NYC next week. Need new oily jacket. Any recommendations for cheap chandlers?
David2452
Active member
Re: Supplementary
West marine stores or Boat U.S. are common as M&S over here you'll have no trouble finding one. US DSC vhf are totally different to EU type aproved. Most electronics are not much cheaper now, by the time you add the duty & Vat so make a careful comparison. Recently I noticed that some stuff is a lot dearer in USeg life jackets, inflatables, life rafts ect, must be the product liability insurance.
David
West marine stores or Boat U.S. are common as M&S over here you'll have no trouble finding one. US DSC vhf are totally different to EU type aproved. Most electronics are not much cheaper now, by the time you add the duty & Vat so make a careful comparison. Recently I noticed that some stuff is a lot dearer in USeg life jackets, inflatables, life rafts ect, must be the product liability insurance.
David
kdf
New member
Radar yes, DSC no. You will have to pay duty/vat on import (if you declare it)
hillyarder
New member
Re: Supplementary
saw a jrc radio for 515 quid. 699 over here. its a good difference but like you say, not sure of the tax involved.
saw a jrc radio for 515 quid. 699 over here. its a good difference but like you say, not sure of the tax involved.
David2452
Active member
Re: Supplementary
515 + 8% + 17.5% on duty and goods = 653.53, the radio will not be licencable in EU so even the small saving is acedemic.
The VHF is the only thing this applies to, other electronics you only need to consider price and after sales service.
Clothing, deck fittings, engine parts and filters, plugs etc are where the real savings are to be had.
David
515 + 8% + 17.5% on duty and goods = 653.53, the radio will not be licencable in EU so even the small saving is acedemic.
The VHF is the only thing this applies to, other electronics you only need to consider price and after sales service.
Clothing, deck fittings, engine parts and filters, plugs etc are where the real savings are to be had.
David
hillyarder
New member
Re: Supplementary
i think i'll forget the radio then but the other stuff looks tempting. i'll have fun looking anyway.
i think i'll forget the radio then but the other stuff looks tempting. i'll have fun looking anyway.
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Re: Supplementary
If you're in San Diego try & find a copy (or two) of Latitude 38. It used to be free - don't know if it still is. It's the Caliifornian mag for cruisy sailors, and a damn fine read. Very little advertising except local businesses and classifieds, lots of articles written by readers, almost no manufacturer puff. Non glossy.
Wonder if that approach would catch on here?
Or try www.latitude38.com
If you're in San Diego try & find a copy (or two) of Latitude 38. It used to be free - don't know if it still is. It's the Caliifornian mag for cruisy sailors, and a damn fine read. Very little advertising except local businesses and classifieds, lots of articles written by readers, almost no manufacturer puff. Non glossy.
Wonder if that approach would catch on here?
Or try www.latitude38.com
jimboaw
New member
Check out EBay for some deals on gear. Most will not ship "worldwide" but if you have friends over here they could tranship for you. I am just about finished a 2 year refit in Florida and have saved megga bucks.
hillyarder
New member
Re: Supplementary
Thanks twister ken. if i find one i'll bring you one back.
Thanks twister ken. if i find one i'll bring you one back.
southchinasea
New member
Re: Supplementary
I'm interested in the 'licenceable' and 'approved' issues. I've been shopping
around for a VHF and am constantly hit with "ahhh it's not an approved type for
here". Isn't this all complete ball cocks? A VHF is a VHF surely. Yes I understand about DSC and registration MMSI etc. but is this not about protecting various
countries pricing?
Cheers
Jon
Hong Kong
I'm interested in the 'licenceable' and 'approved' issues. I've been shopping
around for a VHF and am constantly hit with "ahhh it's not an approved type for
here". Isn't this all complete ball cocks? A VHF is a VHF surely. Yes I understand about DSC and registration MMSI etc. but is this not about protecting various
countries pricing?
Cheers
Jon
Hong Kong
davidhand
New member
Check out www.westmarine.com before you come over. I find it hard to see how you will gain much, Raymarine are made in Portsmouth aren't they? and US radios are different. I just bought a Bruce anchour but I could have got it alot cheaper in UK. Lattitude38 is a good mag though; it's a San Francisco publication however and you may have trouble getting it in San Diego. Have a great holiday, I am coming to Portsmouth about the same time.
David2452
Active member
Re: Supplementary
Jon, Type approval's not about pricing. It's more about not having cheap rubbish sets splattering between channels causing mayhem.
David
Jon, Type approval's not about pricing. It's more about not having cheap rubbish sets splattering between channels causing mayhem.
David
southchinasea
New member
Re: Supplementary
Hi David, maybe so but a Ray 53 DSC I can get in OZ for considerably less
than here is apparently 'not approved' for use elsewhere. Maybe I'm just
getting old and cynical!
Cheers
Hi David, maybe so but a Ray 53 DSC I can get in OZ for considerably less
than here is apparently 'not approved' for use elsewhere. Maybe I'm just
getting old and cynical!
Cheers
kdf
New member
Re: Supplementary
Ah. Not all DSC units are created equal. A DSC from the U.S. is a Class F device. This is a single transmitter/receiver, limited functions etc. In Europe minimum allowed is Class D which while being more expensive to make, do have more features and are more flexible.
If you are visiting Europe you may use a class F but those of us that are resident must have a class D.
Ah. Not all DSC units are created equal. A DSC from the U.S. is a Class F device. This is a single transmitter/receiver, limited functions etc. In Europe minimum allowed is Class D which while being more expensive to make, do have more features and are more flexible.
If you are visiting Europe you may use a class F but those of us that are resident must have a class D.
Strathglass
New member
Re: Supplementary
If one ignores the country pricing which a reflection of the restrictive practices carried out by many nations, there is another problem. The US channel numbers are not on the same frequencies as the UK/international channel numbers.
If purchasing a VHF in the states it is essential to check that it has a US/International switch (many handhelds have this).
I have such a set. It works fine in the UK.
Iain
If one ignores the country pricing which a reflection of the restrictive practices carried out by many nations, there is another problem. The US channel numbers are not on the same frequencies as the UK/international channel numbers.
If purchasing a VHF in the states it is essential to check that it has a US/International switch (many handhelds have this).
I have such a set. It works fine in the UK.
Iain
yachtbits
Member
most stuff supplied on the US market is not CE marked.
As a retailer, I can not sell Non-CE products, not sure where you would stand legally if you wanted to sell the items at a later date.
If you've got a list of stuff, let me have a copy and I'll see how good a price I can do for CE marked stuff. Might be cheap enough to not want to carry it back. Also, don't forget your baggage allowance limits at the air port!
kev
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachtbits.co.uk>http://www.yachtbits.co.uk</A>
sales@yachtbits.co.uk
marine electrics & electronics
As a retailer, I can not sell Non-CE products, not sure where you would stand legally if you wanted to sell the items at a later date.
If you've got a list of stuff, let me have a copy and I'll see how good a price I can do for CE marked stuff. Might be cheap enough to not want to carry it back. Also, don't forget your baggage allowance limits at the air port!
kev
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachtbits.co.uk>http://www.yachtbits.co.uk</A>
sales@yachtbits.co.uk
marine electrics & electronics
pugwash
New member
Re: Supplementary
I checked this out on this very forum more than a year ago and got a lot of conflicting answers. I concluded you can use what you like (more or less) but you need approval to retail it. So I bought a US-made vhf (non-DSC) in New Zealand (where it's legal) for about £110 and it works fine, but it lacks a small handful of channels such as 37.
I checked this out on this very forum more than a year ago and got a lot of conflicting answers. I concluded you can use what you like (more or less) but you need approval to retail it. So I bought a US-made vhf (non-DSC) in New Zealand (where it's legal) for about £110 and it works fine, but it lacks a small handful of channels such as 37.
hillyarder
New member
Kev you little scamp. I wasnt thinking of anything in particular, just generally what therules are. but i do fancy a cheap(ish) radar and a dsc vhf.
kdf
New member
Re: Supplementary
New Zealand maybe but not here in Europe. In Ireland unless it has a CE mark and you also have the appropriate VHF license you can be fined and the gear taken away and pounded into dust.
New Zealand maybe but not here in Europe. In Ireland unless it has a CE mark and you also have the appropriate VHF license you can be fined and the gear taken away and pounded into dust.