Importing power boat from USA

[Seafox55]

Hello all. I'm not yet a resident of Spain, but will be in the next 3 years. We do however own a home here. In the meantime, I would like to import my boat from Oregone, USA, a 21 ft Arima with a Yamaha 4 stroke outboard and an EZ Loader trailer with electric brakes. Has anyone else here had any experience doing this or does anyone have any advice on how to best accomplish this? Before anyone asks; yes, I have looked into buying a boat here, but have not found any boats comparable to an Arima here in Spain (Costa Blanca). They are, in my opinion, one of the best and safest boats made for their size; ranges are 15 to 22 ft. Built in Washington State.

 

[srm]

For a definitive answer ask Spanish customs. I am in Portugal and got a definitive reply to a similar query by email from their head office. I then showed it to the local officers, thereby avoiding their interpretations of the law. I suggest you google and find the Spanish customs website and work from there.

 

[Wansworth]

I

For a definitive answer ask Spanish customs. I am in Portugal and got a definitive reply to a similar query by email from their head office. I then showed it to the local officers, thereby avoiding their interpretations of the law. I suggest you google and find the Spanish customs website and work from there.

yesspeakto the top man and get it in writing with an official stamp

 

[Fr J Hackett]

At a guess it would be cheaper to sell it in the states and buy something similar in Spain. I have in the last year looked at 3 US boats already in Europe but all required CE marking and TVA (VAT) paying which would have made them very expensive, that was without the transport costs and you don't have to pay import duty on an American boat but you do have to pay the TVA and matriculation costs plus local taxes.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Expect it to be expensive. Boats imported to the EU have to meet a standard called RCD, and this is different from equivalent US standards. A boat not built for the European market may not have all the stability and other data required to meet the RCD. In particular, engines must meet stringent emission regulations; many US engines do not meet them. You may well be ok with Yamaha engines, but it may depend on details of labelling - an engine made for the US market may simply not carry the labelling.

The question of buying a boat in the US and importing it to the UK or EU arises frequently, and the usual answer is that unless the boat was made for the European market, it may be excessively expensive and/or impossible to meet the requirements.

 

[Seafox55]

Hello all. I'm not yet a resident of Spain, but will be in the next 3 years. We do however own a home here. In the meantime, I would like to import my boat from Oregon

Hello all. I'm not yet a resident of Spain, but will be in the next 3 years. We do however own a home here. In the meantime, I would like to import my boat from Oregone, USA, a 21 ft Arima with a Yamaha 4 stroke outboard and an EZ Loader trailer with electric brakes. Has anyone else here had any experience doing this or does anyone have any advice on how to best accomplish this? Before anyone asks; yes, I have looked into buying a boat here, but have not found any boats comparable to an Arima here in Spain (Costa Blanca). They are, in my opinion, one of the best and safest boats made for their size; ranges are 15 to 22

Expect it to be expensive. Boats imported to the EU have to meet a standard called RCD, and this is different from equivalent US standards. A boat not built for the European market may not have all the stability and other data required to meet the RCD. In particular, engines must meet stringent emission regulations; many US engines do not meet them. You may well be ok with Yamaha engines, but it may depend on details of labelling - an engine made for the US market may simply not carry the labelling.

The question of buying a boat in the US and importing it to the UK or EU arises frequently, and the usual answer is that unless the boat was made for the European market, it may be excessively expensive and/or impossible to meet the requirements.

Thanks, I'll take it under advisement. I've looked, but have not been able to find a boat in Spain, or the EU for that matter, which is constructed like an Arima with a 100% foam filled double hull. The only other manufacturer that I know of which builds them like that is Boston Whaler. Arimas are also a very stable boat, build for rough seas. If you know of any equivalents please let me know. Pete.

 

[Seafox55]

At a guess it would be cheaper to sell it in the states and buy something similar in Spain. I have in the last year looked at 3 US boats already in Europe but all required CE marking and TVA (VAT) paying which would have made them very expensive, that was without the transport costs and you don't have to pay import duty on an American boat but you do have to pay the TVA and matriculation costs plus local taxes.

Hello. I've looked, but have not been able to find a boat in Spain, or the EU for that matter, which is constructed like an Arima with a 100% foam filled double hull. The only other manufacturer that I know of which builds them like that is Boston Whaler. Arimas are also a very stable boat, build for rough seas. If you know of any equivalents please let me know. Would I need to pay VAT on a used boat; Ive had it about 15 years. Pardon my ignorance, but could you explain more about the CE marking. and matriculation costs. Thanks.

 

[Seafox55]

For a definitive answer ask Spanish customs. I am in Portugal and got a definitive reply to a similar query by email from their head office. I then showed it to the local officers, thereby avoiding their interpretations of the law. I suggest you google and find the Spanish customs website and work from there.

Thanks. I'll check into that.

 

[Wansworth]

Personally I would rethink your search the struggle and paper pushing involved could well take the fun out of buying a launch

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Hello. I've looked, but have not been able to find a boat in Spain, or the EU for that matter, which is constructed like an Arima with a 100% foam filled double hull. The only other manufacturer that I know of which builds them like that is Boston Whaler. Arimas are also a very stable boat, build for rough seas. If you know of any equivalents please let me know. Would I need to pay VAT on a used boat; Ive had it about 15 years. Pardon my ignorance, but could you explain more about the CE marking. and matriculation costs. Thanks.

My "experience" is yachts but the same principals apply to power boats, I like American boats because of there design and aesthetics not so much for their construction and materials which can like European boats be good or bad.

Yes you would be required to pay VAT or whatever the Spanish equivalent is ( TVA in France) on the agreed market value and unless you have a receipt on a recent purchase that will be down to the Spanish customs to decide the value.

Spain has some specific taxes for boats the matriculation tax is 12% of value on import of a non Spanish boat of 8M or more so you may be exempt from that but there are various other taxes like navigation tax etc which may not amount to a great deal.

However the big one if applicable will be CE marking / RCD recreational craft directive which deals with issues like engines and equipment as Antarctic Pilot has outlined and also the construction of the boat ie does it meet European design criteria which could mean you getting it surveyed and assessed as to whether it does and that wouldn't be cheap.

I think it's actually the Guarda Civil that deals with all of these matters in Spain not the customs.

 

[Wansworth]

My "experience" is yachts but the same principals apply to power boats, I like American boats because of there design and aesthetics not so much for their construction and materials which can like European boats be good or bad.

Yes you would be required to pay VAT or whatever the Spanish equivalent is ( TVA in France) on the agreed market value and unless you have a receipt on a recent purchase that will be down to the Spanish customs to decide the value.

Spain has some specific taxes for boats the matriculation tax is 12% of value on import of a non Spanish boat of 8M or more so you may be exempt from that but there are various other taxes like navigation tax etc which may not amount to a great deal.

However the big one if applicable will be CE marking / RCD recreational craft directive which deals with issues like engines and equipment as Antarctic Pilot has outlined and also the construction of the boat ie does it meet European design criteria which could mean you getting it surveyed and assessed as to whether it does and that wouldn't be cheap.

I think it's actually the Guarda Civil that deals with all of these matters in Spain not the customs.

Undoubtedly a gestoria in maritime matters I would say is essential

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Thanks, I'll take it under advisement. I've looked, but have not been able to find a boat in Spain, or the EU for that matter, which is constructed like an Arima with a 100% foam filled double hull. The only other manufacturer that I know of which builds them like that is Boston Whaler. Arimas are also a very stable boat, build for rough seas. If you know of any equivalents please let me know. Pete.

If there isn't a similar EU built boat, then getting CE/RCD may well be very difficult.

I'm a sailboat person, so I can't help with equivalents of what you've got.

Note that in the European market, foam cored hulls are often regarded as trouble in the making; many stories about water penetration and delamination. Solid hulls (below the waterline) are usually preferred.

There was a successful range of sailing boats that had added foam buoyancy (Sadler???) but that was very much the exception, and in that case the foam had no structural purpose.

 

[dunedin]

Hello. I've looked, but have not been able to find a boat in Spain, or the EU for that matter, which is constructed like an Arima with a 100% foam filled double hull. The only other manufacturer that I know of which builds them like that is Boston Whaler. Arimas are also a very stable boat, build for rough seas. If you know of any equivalents please let me know. Would I need to pay VAT on a used boat; Ive had it about 15 years. Pardon my ignorance, but could you explain more about the CE marking. and matriculation costs. Thanks.

Sadly whether the boat is great or not may be irrelevant in practice. importing a US boat into the EU (or UK) seems to be extremely difficult due to the need for all boats “put into use” in the EU needing to be certified as a compliant with the RCD rules and hence get a CE mark. For a new model this needs a huge user manual and professional certification checks, at a minimum - and that is before need to make changes to comply with the current EU RCD rules.
You could ask the manufacturer if they have ever sold this model into the EU. If so, you might be lucky. Otherwise, unless you can find some legitimate exemption, it sadly seems to be entirely uneconomic to attempt to import a nonCE marked US boat.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I don't know if you have looked at what is available in Europe but Beneteau produce a range of similar boats and without knowing a great deal about them they are plentiful and work in the Atlantic waters of France , Portugal and Spain so one would assume them to be seaworthy.
Here's one to give you an idea of what is available and there must be other manufacturers.

Beneteau Barracuda 7 | boats for sale | Morgan Marine

 

[Seafox55]

My "experience" is yachts but the same principals apply to power boats, I like American boats because of there design and aesthetics not so much for their construction and materials which can like European boats be good or bad.

Yes you would be required to pay VAT or whatever the Spanish equivalent is ( TVA in France) on the agreed market value and unless you have a receipt on a recent purchase that will be down to the Spanish customs to decide the value.

Spain has some specific taxes for boats the matriculation tax is 12% of value on import of a non Spanish boat of 8M or more so you may be exempt from that but there are various other taxes like navigation tax etc which may not amount to a great deal.

However the big one if applicable will be CE marking / RCD recreational craft directive which deals with issues like engines and equipment as Antarctic Pilot has outlined and also the construction of the boat ie does it meet European design criteria which could mean you getting it surveyed and assessed as to whether it does and that wouldn't be cheap.

I think it's actually the Guarda Civil that deals with all of these matters in Spain not the customs.

Thank you for your advice and input. I'll be researching and following up on this.

 

[Tranona]

Yes the thrust of the advice is correct. Unless the boat has already been certified as complying with the EU RCD as many have that are officially imported into the EU it will require what is known as a Post Construction Assessment. Not only is this time consuming and expensive but it may well be that the design does not comply anyway. Even if it does it will probably require modification to or changes in equipment. The engine will need to meet the latest EU standards. Your trailer will definitely not comply so you will need to buy a European trailer. On top of that you will then pay VAT (currently 21% in Spain) on the agreed value of the boat plus all shipping and handling charges. You may also have to pay Spanish matriculation tax depending on your residence status. That is why you do not see any US boats in Europe except those that are officially certified and imported, or in some cases mainly small sportsboats where there are some "grey" imports of mostly used boats that are already certified and can easily be modified from US to EU spec.

In case you think you are being picked on through the protectionist EU rules exactly the same barriers apply the other way round - - that is importing EU (and UK or indeed from anywhere else) boats into the US

 

[penfold]

Notwithstanding the above advice, if set on this course of action importing it without the engine and fitting an EU and thus RCD compliant replacement would probably be the line of least resistance; even the worst hull design will likely pass the requirement for RCD D rating as even rowing boats can do that. The cost of having it evaluated and a manual written would still be substantial though.

 

[westernman]

Notwithstanding the above advice, if set on this course of action importing it without the engine and fitting an EU and thus RCD compliant replacement would probably be the line of least resistance; even the worst hull design will likely pass the requirement for RCD D rating as even rowing boats can do that. The cost of having it evaluated and a manual written would still be substantial though.

Don't forget he will still need to replace the trailer.

 

[penfold]

In the scheme of things that's the least of the likely costs so I'm ignoring it; a used trailer might be 1500/2000 yoyos, a new one maybe double that. Or do without and have it kept in a stack, if such things exist in Spain.

 

[Seafox55]

Yes the thrust of the advice is correct. Unless the boat has already been certified as complying with the EU RCD as many have that are officially imported into the EU it will require what is known as a Post Construction Assessment. Not only is this time consuming and expensive but it may well be that the design does not comply anyway. Even if it does it will probably require modification to or changes in equipment. The engine will need to meet the latest EU standards. Your trailer will definitely not comply so you will need to buy a European trailer. On top of that you will then pay VAT (currently 21% in Spain) on the agreed value of the boat plus all shipping and handling charges. You may also have to pay Spanish matriculation tax depending on your residence status. That is why you do not see any US boats in Europe except those that are officially certified and imported, or in some cases mainly small sportsboats where there are some "grey" imports of mostly used boats that are already certified and can easily be modified from US to EU spec.

In case you think you are being picked on through the protectionist EU rules exactly the same barriers apply the other way round - - that is importing EU (and UK or indeed from anywhere else) boats into the US

I'll take all this information under advisement and do more research. I'll also contact the powers that be to see if an Arima meets the Eu criterea. Thanks.