Importing a Boat from USA.

Thepipdoc

Thepipdoc

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I've been sitting, (like you do when you've got nothing better to do!) looking at EBAY.COM and I'm staggered at the prices some of the boats are going for.
This is a typical example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1999...ptZPower_Motorboats?hash=item20aeb7d675#v4-35

It seems incredible value when compared to the prices we pay in the UK for a boat of similar standard.
What is the going rate for importing a boat from the USA to the UK these days?
What are the cost implications - i.e. Import duty, VAT, CE marking etc.
Thanks for any replies.
 
This subject comes up regularly.

The answer is yes and no with a bias towards no. The price differential on that value of boat disappears very quickly when you add in shipping costs, duty and VAT. You then have to get a CE mark which on an old US spec boat is likely to be £8-10k or not even possible if the engines do not meet current standards.

Look at it this way - if there was money to be made there would be regular trade, but there isn't. There has been more activity in the past when the £/$ was 2 rather than 1.6 and there was a shortage of good boats in the UK. There will always be specific examples where it is worth it, but generally it is not.
 
A couple on our pontoon imported a spanking new Glastron 249 in 2007. They had major probs getting it certified and issued with BS certificate. Think there was a problem with the engine emissions too, wrong type of engine or something.

It was costing them major money to have things put right.

Anyway, they sat on it for a three or four weekends in the season and sold it on, totally disillusioned as far as I am aware.
 
Tranona summed up the Job.
tinkicker0 has added further stuff for You to consider
Consider this too
Yankee doodle trailers need a few mods to satisfy UK standards/laws too.
Twas a good gig a few years back.
Dollar/pound and all that.

There are loads of American sports boats for sale here these days.
These days too, probably bargains to be had with a lot less hassle and work.
Ref the economical climate etc.

Unless You see a 'must have' or a vessel that is unbelievably the bargain of the Century.
It's a No No at the Mo!
 
GSL said:
My 1997 Sea Ray Sundancer cost £3,600 to CE plate in 2008 and was no hassle at all.

I would think the biggest argument against the boat shown on ebay by the OP would be the petrol engines.

Just my thoughts


Graham
Click to expand...
Elessar said:
My 1999 Bayliner cost less than £1000 to plate. It was a little but not too much hassle, ie I made the changes needed myself.
Click to expand...

Now that's interesting...... first hand information, not hearsay. I realise that no 2 boats are alike and therefore no 2 prices for plating a boat can be expected to be the same , but already the price has dropped from an estimated £10K in one of the earlier posts, to an actual price of £1K.
 
Thepipdoc said:
Now that's interesting...... first hand information, not hearsay. I realise that no 2 boats are alike and therefore no 2 prices for plating a boat can be expected to be the same , but already the price has dropped from an estimated £10K in one of the earlier posts, to an actual price of £1K.
Click to expand...

well some more facts for you if that's of interest:

It was a Bayliner 2858 that I re engined with a Yanmar 300hp - not a factory option.
The engine stats (noise, emissions) however were available from Yanmar to the chap who did the certification, as was the stability curve from Bayliner. It was a hull available CE marked, but mine wasn't as it was a US boat.

A true 1 off boat may be much more expensive.

the "to do" list to pass.

Add manual bilge pump. (a Y to existing electric pump skin fitting acceptable, but I added an extra skin fitting)
Add non return vales to electric bilge pumps.
Add stop cocks to scuppers. (they will never be shut but.......)
Add labels "emergency escape" to hatches.
Replace fire extinguishers and blanket with CE marked ones
Add label to engine bay "space below protected with an automatic fire extinguisher"
Make the instruction manual useful (note non standard engine package above, needed to collate info from different sources and put them in a ring binder)
Mark hidden part of boat with plate number
Add new plate to transom below existing plate (supplied with CE docs)
Add sticker adjacent to helm and put a screw though it (supplied with CE docs)

I'd already added other labelling for fuel shut offs, batteries etc, added the auto extingusher in the engine bay and sorted the 240v/110v labelling to pass a BSS.

In addition I'd used the egg crate type soundproofing when I did the diesel swap out. Thought I was wise doing it when the engine bay was empty, but this is not CE compliant. The standard soundproofing is! I had to cover it all with non porous material. (or I could have removed it).

Even so that complete parts list is only a few hundred pounds and the certification was six hundred and something.
 
Thepipdoc said:
Now that's interesting...... first hand information, not hearsay. I realise that no 2 boats are alike and therefore no 2 prices for plating a boat can be expected to be the same , but already the price has dropped from an estimated £10K in one of the earlier posts, to an actual price of £1K.
Click to expand...

This illustrates the problem of generalisations. The two biggest potential cost items in getting the CE are engines and stability data. Old engines may not meet the latest requirements at all - the new Yanmar had all the necessary certs. Similarly if the stability data is available then it is easy. If it is not, which is more common, you have to have the boat tested by a qualified person.

It is this sort of thing you need to be aware of before committing. The Bayliner is an example where it might be worth it - cheap because it had a knackered engine, boat data available because the boat is already sold in EU and somebody willing to do the work- add commercial labour costs to the materials bill and the picture changes!
 
US Boat

Key factors for me would be resale,dealer support and parts availability. Although I could imagine buying a boat in the US due to significant FX differentials or the if I wanted a specific design which was not readily available in the UK, e.g. Carolina fishing hull, it's hard to see the benefits would be worth the hassle and risk for a more run of the mill model. True, if you want a floating condo, it's hard to beat the Silverton's. Carver's etc., but you would have to accept the fact that if you have to sell it, it could sit on the market a long time. Good luck. Tom
 
yankee1 said:
Key factors for me would be resale,dealer support and parts availability.
Click to expand...

These would matter less to me if the boat is out of warranty or several years old.

At the end of the day a bilge pump is a bilge pump...whether the manufacturer supplied a Johnson and it breaks and you choose to fit a Vetus...who cares? In fact I am happier to pay a premium to replace some items that might have been selected by the builder to be "budget" like battery chargers (which on an US boat will likely be 110v not 240v anyway) with top spec kit.

I was looking for a Cigarette/Scarab cruiser a few years ago and the guys at CE Proof were talking about £2,000 to CE mark it. Engines were going to be new, however...

I imported a boat from California a few years ago....it was a Sunseeker though....so no CE issues.


Have a read here:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154603
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135003
 
stefan_r said:
These would matter less to me if the boat is out of warranty or several years old.

At the end of the day a bilge pump is a bilge pump...whether the manufacturer supplied a Johnson and it breaks and you choose to fit a Vetus...who cares? In fact I am happier to pay a premium to replace some items that might have been selected by the builder to be "budget" like battery chargers (which on an US boat will likely be 110v not 240v anyway) with top spec kit.

I was looking for a Cigarette/Scarab cruiser a few years ago and the guys at CE Proof were talking about £2,000 to CE mark it. Engines were going to be new, however...

I imported a boat from California a few years ago....it was a Sunseeker though....so no CE issues.


Have a read here:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154603
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135003
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info and the additional links.
I really don't know if it's at all feasible - for me I mean - but it's sure worth thinking about.
Thanks
 
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