Import from USA

[Duster]

Has anyone imported a used boat from the USA , if so can they recommend a shipper ?and how did the process go? I am considering doing so due to the vast price differentials UK/US, I go there on business at no cost to myself. The duty / VAT does not seem to spoil the calculation and the figure I have been quoted for shipping a 25 ft boat seems reasonable . As I intend to keep the boat long term I am not very bothered about the CE issue .

 

[andrewa]

Hi Mike

Yes I did it current boat was delivered Sept a Sea Ray 270, got mine in Florida and dealer did all the work, boat arrived in S'ton to the hour, cleared customs within 1 hour. If you want more info we can do it off line via the mail. Let me know what you want to do.

 

[gonfishing]

i have looked at this option as well, being a mere mortal who has to slave for his income,like us all, it was an interesting thought. made some enquiries ,bottom line is ,if you want a newish boat you will be stuck with C.E regs.i.e post 1995 or thereabouts. import costs haulage etc, are fair to reasonable, depending on which sea board of the States you intend to ship from(east /west coast) somewhhere in the region of £6000.00(around 24ft) depending on length, weight and height etc If, however you are looking at an older vessel I.E post 1995 however, are not subject to E.U regs ,but you must way up how much you want to spend, taking into account the need to go to the states, to view intended purchase,survey,etc.etc in our case the dream was nice, reality .Nah. For the amount of money i am willing to risk at this point in time, it turned out not to be feasable.But that is just me ,it may not apply to yourself. good luck and hope your dreams come true too!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

How did you get around the requirement to get the boat CE certificated?

 

[andrewa]

My boats a 1993 so is not applicable. Who checks anyway? When my boat came into the country there were another 16 boats being unloaded all used and some newer than mine, I think there were 4 nearly new sea rays, a couple of bayliners and yachts. I must admit I did not pay much attention. My shipping cost for a 29ft loa boat was $4000.00 and it was shipped by Hual. The dealer did everything for me I just wired the money and made a bank draft available for customs and excise the shipping company rep even picked it up from the bank. Biggest headache was getting a local trnasport company, I used Port to Port in the end and they were great. Flights to US cheap as chips at present, I used a Brit broker in Florida, been in business over 10years, tell him what you want he will find it. What kind of boat are you looking for?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

HM Customs are supposed to check but on a '93 boat you would'nt have to get a CE certificate but I think on a post '95 boat you would have to get an independent CE certification which could cost a lot of money. Its bollocks really but, theoretically, you would be breaking EU law if you didnt have it done

 

[andrewa]

I think your right. The CE certification was brought in to protect european boat builders and dealers from imports from outside the eu, remember the jetski debate. Grey imports were flooding in at 40% less than uk prices and dealers were justifiably doing their nut. Customs cleared my boat so quick I expect they never even saw it. It definately was not boarded because the cabin was locked from the inside, and though you could undo it from the cockpit it was very difficult to latch. When I got the boat it was all still locked up and electronics and fenders exactly where they had been left. I suppose its a case of you pays your money and takes your choice. Is it 1995 or 1997 boats for ce certification?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I think, I may be wrong, that the Machinery Directive which is the EU regulation which requires CE certification came into force on 1st Jan 1996. The Machinery Directive covers anything and everything that can remotely be described as machinery, from washing machines to watches to boats, and it's primary function is to allow any machine which has been CE certificated to be sold anywhere within the EU without, as the situation was before 1996, each individual country demanding different standards which in some cases eg France (would'nt you have guessed it) was used as a pretext to keep out imported equipment

 

[kimhollamby]

Important - not exempted

Your 1993 boat is not exempt because of age of build. The only exemptions for mainstream motorboats destined for leisure purposes are if the boat was in service or built in the EEA (European Economic Areas) prior to the 16 June 1998. So a US import that has spent all of its life in the US prior to importation now is technically illegal in Europe unless put through RCD and CE marked accordingly, irrespective of age. Also even new US builds are often not built to RCD requirements if thought destined for home market.

It is true that I have yet to hear of trading standards officers sat on cold shipping quays checking imports; they are probably far more tied up with childrens toys that poke your eye out and toasters that go up in smoke. But many more people are becoming aware of these requirements and it would certainly be an issue on resale.

kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: Important - not exempted

No, they're not. Trading standards officers all are tied up on much more important offences such as prosecuting greengrocers for selling potatoes in lbs not kg

 

[kimhollamby]

Re: Important - not exempted

Sorry, you are of course right that I'd completely failed to realise the importance of those cases.

Few years back we had a TSO chew at us for printing prices in MBM with prices stated in ex VAT fashion but he seemed to be suitably appeased by two free mags, a cup of coffee and an explanation that the mag had circulation outside of the UK.

Mind you, rumour has it TSOs have been sniffing around the boat shows of late, ostensibly to check RCD compliance (such things as that little known RCD requirement for bunks comfortable enough for an apres lunch snooze) but perhaps there's an element of checking beer quality etc etc involved too? Their presence does at least explain why you occasionally see 'prototype' notices slapped on boats that have yet to be put through RCD.

kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[Duncan_Hamble]

Regarding the RCD issue have a look at www.ceproof.com which has an explanation of when a boat is required to be CE marked and how it can be achieved. We have carried out CE marking of several US imported sportsboats and the process is not always as expensive as one might think.

 

[Duster]

Hi Andrew
Thank you very much for the encouraging advice. Do you have an e-mail address or phone number which I can contact you on ?
The shipping cost is similar to the quote I have had, but a contact for them and the broker you used would be usefull .
I am fortunate that my travel cost would be nil as I could combine a few days boat viewing with a work paid visit .
Regards Mike

 

[kingfisher]

For boats smaller than 12m, doing a post-construction conformity assessent is fairly simple as most of it is self certification.

Class A or B 12m and longer, now that could be something else. Anybody got any figures?

Group of people on the pontoon: skipper is the one with the toolbox.
http://sirocco31.tripod.com

 

[kingfisher]

Selling it later on

OK, good for you that HMS Customs didn't find out. But what if you have to sell it in a few years time.

Here in Belgium you need to provide a copy of the declaration of conformity if you want to register your boat.

Group of people on the pontoon: skipper is the one with the toolbox.
http://sirocco31.tripod.com

 

[kingfisher]

RCD, not machineery

There are 21 New Approach directives, of which 19 require CE-marking: from toys over medical devices (yes, condoms need to be CE-marked, as do contact lenses), from machinery to non-automatic weighing equipment.

Pressure eqpt (for everything over 0.5bar) came into force on May 29 2002, the Construction Products directive CPD is slowly coming into force.

Currently it is estimated that about 20% of all products on the EU market need to be CE-marked.

Boats are under the Recreational Craft Directive

Watches are currently under 98/37/EC (machinery), in theory. But that is so daft, that nobody applies it, and no Member State enforces it. In the 2006 version of the machinery directive, no-risk products are exempt.

The problem with products imported from third countries, that irregardless of their age, they are considered as "new", because it is the first time that they are introduced on the EEA market

Group of people on the pontoon: skipper is the one with the toolbox.
http://sirocco31.tripod.com

 

[andrewa]

Sent you a private e-mail with my details on as requested. Should get one olf those flashy things at top of screen when you log in next.