Purchasing Abroad

[Judders]

When looking at boats on-line, one can't help wondering whether it would be cost effective to purchase abroad and then bring her back to the UK.

I appreciate there is the down side that you would be undertaking a fairly large trip in an unfamiliar vessel right at the start of your journey, but what do people think of this as an option?

 

[Dalliance]

We purchased our current boat two years ago in Holland and we've been delighted with the whole experience. We used a UK surveyor and had the remedial work he recomended completed in Holland. The broker recomended a local boat yard and they were superb - we had the teak deck replaed rather than repaired as the quote was so competitive (60% of the quote for replacement in our yard back in the UK). The yard sent digital photos of the work to keep us informed and over-wintered the boat in a hanger to protect the new deck. The boat was £10k less than the same boat in the UK which was for sale in our marina. We've decided to keeo the boat in Holland for a year and have had the pleasure of discovering a whole new inland and coastal cruising area through long weekends and occasional week holidays.
Good luck whatever you choose to do.

 

[Sea_dreamer]

We purchased our boat in Ireland, which while perhaps not miles away, is still a significant journey back.

The boat was online, and we agreed a price on the phone, before having seen her. When we had the survey done, a few repairs were needed and the owner had them carried out. There were a few niggles when we got back, but nothing you wouldn't expect of a boat of that age. The owner was a delight to deal with, which I suspect eased the whole process.

From our experience, buying in the US is a problem for customs and tax reasons, but buying in the EU is straightforward. However do not be afraid to spend cash on your surveyor. He or she is your only real protection against your enthusiasm getting you stitched up! Watch out for the exchange rate as well. We dealt in Sterling, so at least we knew where we stood.

Watch out for distance. We spent a fair bit on flights and accomodation inspecting the boat and repairs, and balance up all the extra costs of the distance against the savings on price.

Best of luck.

John

 

[Lizzie_B]

We bought ours in the USA as have several of our friends. Depending on the size and type of boat (36-45feet, used sail is best deals) the savings can far outweigh any costs of bringing boat back to EU.
I think sometimes you hear all sorts of horror stories about RCD, customs, etc but none of the boats we have assisted in bringing back to UK have been problematical as long as planning and budgeting is done bearing all these in mind. The main thing is to do your research.
However, I would suggest that it is best seen as long term project and to get work done in US as boating costs in general seem to be much less.
We initially planned to keep our boat in the States for a year, but have now decided on three years minimum as we love the sailing out there and berthing costs are so much cheaper than the UK.
The savings more than pay for flights and holiday expenses and upgrades to the boat. Strangely enough we have found that we do more sailing in the year than when we had a boat in Gosport.

 

[poter]

Yes its cost effective and much more of an adventure....Boys & their Toys!

We decided after a disaster in the UK last year, to look at purchasing abroad, & its been a great success so far.
The boat a 35' Dufour cost some 8 to 10k less than the equivilent here in the UK, I have also just had the engine serviced, had the raw water pump & exhaust replaced, with a brit. engineer. for less than half the uk price.
Best of all the marina is only £1800 pa. enabeling us to travel cheapo airlines 5 to 6 times a year all at less than the equivilent marina cost here on the south coast. The other factors that were in the favour of South of France were, wine, weather, the med as a cruising area, wine, & last but not least ..the weather.
ohh & dont forget the wine. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

poter

 

[poter]

One quick tip if you dealing in currency do use an exchange house & NOT your bank. we got the equivilent of nearly 1000k difference as a saving on approx 19k spend, so well worth your while using a web based exchange house.
I would also use a broker & not do a private purchase, at least your cash is safe & the broker is responsible for the leagalities. like cancilation of the registration, VAT certificate etc. etc.

any other help just pm.

poter

 

[Aeolus]

I bought a boat in Holland beginning of this year - they are cheaper and better looked after (the Dutch are house and boat proud). I used a Dutch surveyor - they are all accredited by HISWA - a sort of RYA but broader scope and bigger muscles - it seems to regulate pretty much the whole of the boating industry. There is a standard HISWA survey, a standard HISWA purchase contract, they have a legal dept that you can contact by phone with a bit of perseverance and the brokers are also accredited by them. Check VAT status if an older boat - they seem more relaxed about it and didn't see why I was insisting to have either the original invoice (not available) or a document from Dutch customs. They did, however obtain this.

As a novice sailor, I hired a delivery skipper for the trip back so had 3 days tuition and familiarisation with the boat. All in all an excellent experience.

Jonathan

 

[snowleopard]

Lots of threads and articles in YM recently on the problems of buying outside the EU. There will be VAT to pay and you may also have to get a CE mark which is a major hassle. Don't commit yourself until you know how you will deal with these.

Even within the EU the boat may not have VAT-paid status. Make sure you have proof of VAT if the seller claims it has been paid.

The real stinger is that a even if a boat has the VAT paid when new, if it is re-sold outside the EU then re-imported you have to pay the VAT again. There is no limit to the number of times they can claim VAT!

 

[Koeketiene]

Another reason why boats have a higher asking price in the UK is the fact the potential buyers make bids 10-15% below the asking price - AND consider this normal practice!

This is not common practise on the continent. They still like to bargain, but seem to have more sense for the value of the boat.

Yanita is currently up for sale - advertised both in the UK and on the continent. The Euro asking price is well below the Sterling asking price.