Engine spares (and tools)- how much do you carry?

[Kukri]

Experience of a Jabsco (already on my second) has persuaded me back to Blakes.

 

[jdc]

sheesh roberto hope you enjoy these self-imposed nightmares. Maybe avoid Brazil ?

Don't avoid Brazil, we had a great time there.

For importing spares it all depends on your courier. Fedex were great and we had no issues at all. They delivered to the office at the marina/sailing club where we were (in Vittoria, so a jolly long way from São Paulo or Rio) and communicated with us by email to tell us the import duty so we could leave cash with the marina office.
But TNT - really, really, absolutely useless. And no on-line tracking and no help line. NEVER, EVER, USE TNT.

In French Guyana we also tried DHL. The parts we'd ordered (replacement for the replacement which TNT had lost) did eventually arrive, but went by the curious route of Amsterdam -> Quebec -> St Louis (USA) -> Munich -> Amsterdam -> Paris -> Cayenne -> St Laurent du Maroni (where we were).

 

[Roberto]

Don't avoid Brazil, we had a great time there.

For importing spares it all depends on your courier. Fedex were great and we had no issues at all. They delivered to the office at the marina/sailing club where we were (in Vittoria, so a jolly long way from São Paulo or Rio) and communicated with us by email to tell us the import duty so we could leave cash with the marina office.
But TNT - really, really, absolutely useless. And no on-line tracking and no help line. NEVER, EVER, USE TNT.

In French Guyana we also tried DHL. The parts we'd ordered (replacement for the replacement which TNT had lost) did eventually arrive, but went by the curious route of Amsterdam -> Quebec -> St Louis (USA) -> Munich -> Amsterdam -> Paris -> Cayenne -> St Laurent du Maroni (where we were).

Another example, not us but a friend's boat we spent some time in All Saints' bay: they were one of the two prototypes of all-electric Lagoon (40ish feet), they had full support from then yard which obviously was very keen on the experiment success. One piece (not sure if it was generator, inverter or what) broke and the second was malfunctioning, weight around 70kg each, no problems Lagoon France sent them express through their Brazilian importer/agent, a couple of days later they were in the Customs warehouse in Sao Paulo, impossible to have them delivered to Salvador in reasonable time (he was supposed to persoinnally go and fetch them after while showing the boat documents), so the yard sent two other pieces to French Guyana, their next stop. The boat arrived there a couple of weeks later, they had to wait an additional two weeks before being able to get them onboard.

We were in Kourou with a broken forestay, I asked a local professional skipper about importing it from Martinique (which has a similar customs regime to Guyana, both different from mainland France), he said either be ready to wait for one month -and possibly receiving one with wrong measurement- or forget it. A Brazilian workshop soldered the remaining stud with the broken wire, off we went f

I mean, having spares delivered can surely be done, but before relying completely in Tom Hanks dedication, maybe think twice about what to leave at home and what to bring along.

 

[geem]

Another example, not us but a friend's boat we spent some time in All Saints' bay: they were one of the two prototypes of all-electric Lagoon (40ish feet), they had full support from then yard which obviously was very keen on the experiment success. One piece (not sure if it was generator, inverter or what) broke and the second was malfunctioning, weight around 70kg each, no problems Lagoon France sent them express through their Brazilian importer/agent, a couple of days later they were in the Customs warehouse in Sao Paulo, impossible to have them delivered to Salvador in reasonable time (he was supposed to persoinnally go and fetch them after while showing the boat documents), so the yard sent two other pieces to French Guyana, their next stop. The boat arrived there a couple of weeks later, they had to wait an additional two weeks before being able to get them onboard.

We were in Kourou with a broken forestay, I asked a local professional skipper about importing it from Martinique (which has a similar customs regime to Guyana, both different from mainland France), he said either be ready to wait for one month -and possibly receiving one with wrong measurement- or forget it. A Brazilian workshop soldered the remaining stud with the broken wire, off we went f

I mean, having spares delivered can surely be done, but before relying completely in Tom Hanks dedication, maybe think twice about what to leave at home and what to bring along.

It reminds me of the guy who has a T shirt printed that says’ no I am not local I am just waiting for parts’

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

So you've not been in the Pacific yet T21? In many places - even a few in the Atlantic/Caribbean (Cuba, Dom Rep & Haiti spring immediately to mind) getting things to the country that you're in is just the start, you still have to get it from the Customs shed and onto your boat.

That happened to me,..despite petitioning by friendly locals, customs held on to my cooker spares for 2 months.. in Norway!