Selling Canadian-registered yacht in Europe?

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Abaker

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My Crealock 34 needs a new owner because my wife's serious illness (motor neuron disease/ALS) has terminated our Atlantic-circuit cruise at half time. The yacht is afloat in Port-Cergy on the Oise, just outside Paris. On arriving at Falmouth from Canada via Horta in 2002 I imported it on transfer of residence (I have a UK passport because my father was born in Devonshire). HM Customs granted exemption from VAT providing the yacht was not sold within a year, and French Douanes in Cherbourg accepted this exemption two years later and issued a Passeport du Navire Etrangere, which is a license to use a foreign-flagged vessel in France. However, the yacht was built by Pacific Seacraft in the US in 1989, one year after the RCD came into effect, and would presumably have to be modified to meet RCD-A rules to be eligible for re-flagging in France, the UK, or elsewhere in Europe. My Toronto broker says transport it back to Canada, from Antwerp to Hamilton Ontario on the same line he uses to import new Hanses from Bremen, and sell it here. Unfortunately I cannot at present get away for enough time to move it to Antwerp, get a cradle built, get it loaded, etc., not to mention the cost of getting it to Canada. He has not managed to contact a French broker who might sell it there. Any advice welcome, e.g. name of a reliable French yacht broker, preferably bilingual, and info about how France handles RCD compliance in such cases. I expect to be in France for a few days in July.
 
Don't know about France, but any EU citizen will have to pay VAT - your exemption only applies to you. As regards RCD, in theory it must get a certificate because it is the date of first use in EU which is relevant. It is quite possible that Pacific Seacraft (or their successors because I think they have been bust since 1989) will have sufficient data on the design to get a certificate. In the UK there are people who specialise in this. The RCD only becomes really important if the buyer then wants to sell again as it is illegal to sell without, but not illegal to use!

Lots of hassle to sell in France (or in UK) unless you sell to another non-EU resident. You may, however find a buyer prepared to go through the hassle as it is potentially a desirable boat. Yours is the only one listed for sale outside US. However an EU buyer is going to have to pay import duty, VAT and RCD. This could be as much as £20k on your approx £60k asking price.

I would go with getting it back to Canada, and pay a delivery crew to take it to Antwerp. You will stand a much better chance of selling it there.
 
RCD will be less of a hassle than getting CE clearance. A number of people have gone for the lowest RCD possible normally applicable to yacht tenders, which any yacht would have no trouble achieving - however I do not know how that would affect insurance.

But CE includes stuff like VHF and other electronis equipment complying with European requirements and having a CE mark and other areas which I am not really familiar with. There are companies that do both, but I dont expect it would be cheap.
 
Pacific Seacraft have manufactured and equipped the 34 for at least one European original owner; i.e. a new boat. They do therefore know in detail what modifications are needed to meet RCD Cat A and to secure CE certification. A while back I spoke wth Don Kohlman, then PS MD, about getting CE sanction on a 37 - no big deal was his response. However that was for a new build.

In fact Pacific Seacraft only went bust last year. The moulds of the Crealock designs have been purchased and transferred to a new site. Sorry no more detail but should be easy to find out.

It's also worth checking with RYA - they may know of RCD/CE assessors in EU who have already carried out assessments on used 34s imported into UK. There's also been a 37 and a 40 sold in the uk this past year.
 
Very sorry to hear of your wife's illness and your consequential difficulties.

SirSnoozalot has a good point - selling your PS34 in an international market may be worth discussing with a suitable broker. If it's directly exported outside EEA by the new owner then AFAIR VAT and RCD would not apply/or can be reclaimed. All the best.
 
Sorry to hear of your problems. Might be worth having a word with Alan McIlroy of Berthon Brokerage. They often sell the more "unusual" boat.

They've sold two of mine in the past and Alan is a real pleasure to deal with.
 
I would try to move the boat back to the UK, canal to Calais then Dover. Then you could try to sell it or go through the RCD process. The final price would have to be adjusted for the VAT when sold.
 
Just to clarify what the RCD involves. It is to do with the design of the boat, but also includes things such as exhaust emmissions and noise. It is part of what you need for a CE mark, which includes providing an owners manual and details of conformity of equipment. This then has to be certified by a certifying body.

The RYA provides advice for members on what is required including firms who specialise in the process. As others have said, getting the data for the design calculations for the RCD should be straightforward, but modifications for compliance for the CE mark would be individual to the specific boat.

Another thought re getting it back to Canada if you choose that route. Why not take it out of the water where it is and truck it to Antwerp. Lot less hassle than taking her by sea and you could organise when you visit.

Good luck.

For members, the RYA
 
sold my bene 351 to a finnish guy a few weeks ago, he was teeling me that all the serious finns are buying in the uk at the mo because of the exchange rate, also they are buying in the US for the same reason, i said what about CE? he said that they have comapnies in finland doing CE marking for about £800!
PM me for his email address
Stu
 
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