RCD applicability to an older US import

[superheat6k]

Does the Recreational Craft Directive apply to a privately imported boat bought in the USA and built and commissioned there (or otherwise outside the EU) prior to 1998.

If so how much of a hassle is obtaining compliance ?

I assume VAT would be payable at 20%, but is there also an import Duty to add as well ?

Just thinking out loud presently, and will stop such thoughts if the above means it is a non-starter.

 

[BSSOffice]

You might find out all you need to know from here http://www.ce-craft.com/
HTH
Regards

 

[superheat6k]

You might find out all you need to know from here http://www.ce-craft.com/
HTH
Regards

Thanks - I have sent them an enquiry.

 

[Heckler]

n

Does the Recreational Craft Directive apply to a privately imported boat bought in the USA and built and commissioned there (or otherwise outside the EU) prior to 1998.

If so how much of a hassle is obtaining compliance ?

I assume VAT would be payable at 20%, but is there also an import Duty to add as well ?

Just thinking out loud presently, and will stop such thoughts if the above means it is a non-starter.

The RCD is a load of bollox, how many peeps have had a tug on it? Who polices it? The council? Trading Standards? Councils havent got enough staff to worry about **** like that!
S

 

[Tranona]

Does the Recreational Craft Directive apply to a privately imported boat bought in the USA and built and commissioned there (or otherwise outside the EU) prior to 1998.

If so how much of a hassle is obtaining compliance ?

I assume VAT would be payable at 20%, but is there also an import Duty to add as well ?

Just thinking out loud presently, and will stop such thoughts if the above means it is a non-starter.

It is the date of import that determines whether it has to comply with the RCD, not the date of manufacture. You may have noticed that nobody (almost) imports older US boats because it is either not possible to get them to comply, or is uneconomic - even with the seemingly low prices in the US. Shipping, duty and VAT add a substantial amount to the cost, particularly with a low value boat, never mind the cost of going to view the boat and finding out why old boats are seemingly so cheap. There is a reason which you will discover after you have seen a few.

 

[superheat6k]

It is the date of import that determines whether it has to comply with the RCD, not the date of manufacture. You may have noticed that nobody (almost) imports older US boats because it is either not possible to get them to comply, or is uneconomic - even with the seemingly low prices in the US. Shipping, duty and VAT add a substantial amount to the cost, particularly with a low value boat, never mind the cost of going to view the boat and finding out why old boats are seemingly so cheap. There is a reason which you will discover after you have seen a few.

As I said I was thinking aloud.

Not sure this nonsense is what my Dad fought for alongside all the US Servicemen that helped us keep our freedom. So I can buy and sail a death trap boat made from rotten balsa wood in 1997 from the Council tip, by an idiot with no qualifications whatsoever, but I cannot buy a renowned make of vessel with blue water proven credentials.

Mind you I have travelled far enough around the UK and beyond to see some real wrecks 'not quite as described', so travelling the other side of the pond might not be such an attractive proposition.

I have tried to read the Directive (i would say Dictat)- what a load of nonsense it is written in, making it virtually impossible to properly understand what it means. It makes no mention of dates, not even for boats in the EU prior to its original inception (as far as I could read it). I assume this is what all our taxes goes on to pay idiots to come up with this carp.

When is this Referendum ?

 

[Tranona]

As I said I was thinking aloud.

Not sure this nonsense is what my Dad fought for alongside all the US Servicemen that helped us keep our freedom. So I can buy and sail a death trap boat made from rotten balsa wood in 1997 from the Council tip, by an idiot with no qualifications whatsoever, but I cannot buy a renowned make of vessel with blue water proven credentials.

Mind you I have travelled far enough around the UK and beyond to see some real wrecks 'not quite as described', so travelling the other side of the pond might not be such an attractive proposition.

I have tried to read the Directive (i would say Dictat)- what a load of nonsense it is written in, making it virtually impossible to properly understand what it means. It makes no mention of dates, not even for boats in the EU prior to its original inception (as far as I could read it). I assume this is what all our taxes goes on to pay idiots to come up with this carp.

When is this Referendum ?

It is very straight forward. The RCD was brought in to do away with all the sometimes conflicting standards across Europe (not just EU). No different from similar standards for other products. as with many new regulations, it was not retrospective for obvious reasons so any boat in the EEA on the date of implementation did not need to comply. This of course included many US built boats that had already been imported.

It is consumer legislation designed to ensure minimum and consistent standards of products placed on the market, but of course it assumes that such boats are new builds. Nothing really to do with restricting freedom of boaters in particular. Similar rules apply to importing vehicles from the US which must meet our standards to be used on our roads. You will find exactly the same types of rules apply if you want to import a boat into Australia, for example, as it will need to comply with their standards.

There is an everyday explanation on the CE Proof website and also a summary on the RYA site if you want more.

 

[Tranona]

n
The RCD is a load of bollox, how many peeps have had a tug on it? Who polices it? The council? Trading Standards? Councils havent got enough staff to worry about **** like that!
S

Law is quite clear - it is Trading Standards as it is consumer protection legislation.

 

[Elessar]

Trev, I've done this.

Import duty on the boat and shipping. VAT on import duty, boat and shipping.
No tax on services received in the states, but don't think about £1 for the boat and £99,999 of purchase consultancy fees as then HMRC will do their own valutaion and ignore your invoice. Purchase consultancy fees can be significant though and in my case the invoice was taken as the boat value without question.

CE wasnt difficult but was dependant on the engine being one available in the EU and CE marked on other boats. My CE cost about £600, the big companies charge all the money you don't need to do this.

Will go into more detail over a beer if there is a serious boat in mind.

BTW my boat owed me £40k all in, tax paid CE marked and fully serviced, niggles sorted etc. Survey valued it at £62k.
Sold it post financial crash and having had 2 good years of heavy use for over £50k.

 

[Tranona]

Trev, I've done this.

Import duty on the boat and shipping. VAT on import duty, boat and shipping.
No tax on services received in the states, but don't think about £1 for the boat and £99,999 of purchase consultancy fees as then HMRC will do their own valutaion and ignore your invoice. Purchase consultancy fees can be significant though and in my case the invoice was taken as the boat value without question.

CE wasnt difficult but was dependant on the engine being one available in the EU and CE marked on other boats. My CE cost about £600, the big companies charge all the money you don't need to do this.

Will go into more detail over a beer if there is a serious boat in mind.

BTW my boat owed me £40k all in, tax paid CE marked and fully serviced, niggles sorted etc. Survey valued it at £62k.
Sold it post financial crash and having had 2 good years of heavy use for over £50k.

Don't wish to get involved in an argument here - but the OP was talking about a pre 1998 boat which would unlikely to have ever been RCD compliant so starting from scratch, almost certainly with non EU spec engines, is not a £600 job. Appreciate that some boats are easy to get a CE mark, although with today's exchange rate and the weak UK market maybe the possibility of saving money is less than in the past.

 

[Beamishken]

I have to agree with elessar I've bought 2 boats from the US & saved a packet I used CE proof for the ce cert on my current boat & it wasn't a big hassle
Do your homework & take advice but my current boat owed me around £60k when ready for the water 3 seasons ago & survey last year put a value of £100k on it that's the kind of saving that can't be ignored