Mi am I Lucky

[trev]

Booked the flights - reserved the room - hired the car. Now just have to wait!
Off to Miami 11th feb for a few days relaxing before the Show. Then a week at the show and touring around.
The thing is - just what are the rules and regs of buying in the USA, new or used ?
What is the true cost of importation and what pitfalls?
Surely if Dealers and Brokers can do it and make money it should be a goer for a 'normal' punter like me (are boaters normal?).
Anyone out there with experience of this?

Trev

 

[tcm]

Re: careful

think we found out (during the DFL thing) that its illegal under EC law to re-sell a non-CE marked boat in Europe. But not dunnit, nor tried.

use the search for EC law within last 6 months, we cut loads of stuff out and pasted it...only to find out that we (i) was being spoofed...

 

[kimhollamby]

Re: careful

In amongst the spoofs there were some solid bits of advice.

Quick summary: any secondhand boat in America (or built outside EU) imported into the EU for the first time now retrospectively has to be passed through the Recreational Craft Directive, even though this is aimed at new boat builds. On cheaper boats you are likely to lose any cost saving (also bearing in mind freight insurance, shipping, cradles, duty, VAT and so on) even if the purchase price is in dollars what it is here in pounds.

Any new boat also needs to comply with RCD. If you find a boat manufacturer or American dealer able/willing to supply a CE-marked boat direct be very careful, because if there is no European agent involved you might in effect, as importer, become legally liable for compliance with RCD.

The buy direct option remains a tantalising prospect, because you could forget all of the above, bring a boat over, see it travel through the docks without a trading standards officer being anywhere near you and then use it for however long you own it without problems. Perhaps. But then there would be a hell of an issue when you come to sell.

So much for free trade legislation....



Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[trev]

Re: careful

I would have thought that a well built and well equipped boat would have no problems and be accepted after survey/inspection ?
What would be the major problems and the cost of correction? I see Carver, Sea Ray, Hateras etc all offered for sale over here, do they differ greatly from USA spec? I think not.
As a side issue - if the vessel was registered under a FOC (Liberia/Panama/Cayman Is etc) would it be exempt from all this nonesense? We allow ships of all nations to use our ports (sometimes subect to a no cost inspection), so why can't this apply to boats?

Trev