C E marking and importing

[geardownthreegreens]

Hi guys
I've only been boating for a couple of years and now looking to sell my boat.
Now, after looking at the prices of boats in the U.S i'm thinking of going that way.
My questions are; what should i look out for when importing,transport times,anyone with any horror stories lol
What would be the rough cost of importing,say a rinker 232BR with trailer,any ideas.
Also,whats with this C E marking my current Bayliner has it but what exactly is it and what would the rough costs be to have it done.
Lastly,where does one come off with the VAT.Any means around avoiding being ripped off by this man.Could i ship it to France to avoid it?

Any thoughts or ideas or anyone with previous importing experience, please have your say.I'd like to try and find out as much as possible.

Thankyou all for your time and any reply you may leave
All the best
Simon

 

[MMcK]

I have brought a boat back from the US a few years ago, the VAT used to have an exemption as long as you were away from the uk for more than six months and did not sell the boat within a year of return, it would be worth talking to the VAT man to see if this is still the case, unfortunately it does not help with the RCD, you can get an individual certificate but it is not cheap, but given most boats in the USA are about the same in dollars as we pay in pounds it is worth looking at and six months cruising in the casrribean can be quite pleasant.

 

[gjgm]

do a search, its a common question >Brokerben knows all about CE certifying, so you could PM him.
The general consensus is that potentially you can save money, but much of the initial advantage gets eaten up.
Shipping, £2-4k, Vat 17.5pct, import tax,Ce certifying, required work to meet certification, lack of dealer support, flying to check the boat, surveys.... yes, you can save money and some have;many think the final advantage gets a bit slim.

 

[geardownthreegreens]

Thanks for that guys, appreciate your time in replying.

Simon

 

[Sea Devil]

Have a look at the CE plating page on the sailing part of my web site... I think it covers most things as well as the people who will do the plating..

 

[BigEd]

Register a boat under US flag in Delaware (USD 250 for 3 years), pay VAT and forget about any CE problems.

 

[geardownthreegreens]

Thankyou very much for the further input guys,i do appreciate anything posted. I will look into this.

Simon