SSB not approved in EU

Tranona said:
if you do a search you will find this (very valid) question comes up about every two months in some form or other.
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He might well be wondering, Tranona, whether the RCD can be ignored ( at his risk obviously) in the same way that in practise some people ignore the need for an EC sticker on the SSB . And leaving aside the greater size of the risk, I do wonder what enforcement there is of the RCD. Does it happen when you import and pay VAT? Or is it only an issue on re-sale. And if the latter, is there any practial enforcement then other than the surveyors report, if that.

Personally I wouldnt risk it - the p[rice difference isnt great at all from what I can see and the money at risk is large.
 
Ubergeekian said:
Look on the bright side. Nobody has claimed that it will invalidate the OP's insurance. Yet.
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Probably cos like me they have asked their insurance company and been told NO!

The insurers would have a problem explaining why a boat was seaworthy for
insurance in the USA yet the same boat becomes unseaworthy upon entering EU waters.

People certsainly seem to be taking into account vat and RCD status.

There is a boat for sale on the west coast at around £110,000 which is now
complete with RCD and vat paid. A few years ago it was on the market for
£75,000 as a grey import vat not paid. It was then sold around £60,000 .

It will be interesting to see what it makes this time round. RCD was not a problem as
the boat was built with CE compliance and A rated so at worst might have needed
an operations manual from the builder and UK fuel and diesel hoses fitted as the CE plate
was already in place.
 
Bosun Higgs said:
He might well be wondering, Tranona, whether the RCD can be ignored ( at his risk obviously) in the same way that in practise some people ignore the need for an EC sticker on the SSB . And leaving aside the greater size of the risk, I do wonder what enforcement there is of the RCD. Does it happen when you import and pay VAT? Or is it only an issue on re-sale. And if the latter, is there any practial enforcement then other than the surveyors report, if that.

Personally I wouldnt risk it - the p[rice difference isnt great at all from what I can see and the money at risk is large.
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I wish I knew the answer, but when I have tried to find out in the past, enforcement (or rather lack of) seems to be an issue. It is a Trading Standards responsibility and they tend to concentrate on the "trade" and responding to consumer complaints. The obvious check point is at customs - that is the docks if the boat is shipped in or at the first entry point into the EU/EEA if sailed in. The latter may not even be the UK.

So, I suppose the risk point is when the boat is sold - its value is less and the buyer either has to be ignorant or equally prepared to break the law. In practice, even if this barrier did not exist, I doubt there would be much of a market for mainstream US built boats as the last thing there is in the EU is a shortage of boats!. It is rather different in sectors of the MOBO market where US manufacturers dominate and there is more potential for grey imports.
 
"All European electronic & electrical equipment must meet stringent technical and legislative standards including Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive tests and must be CE marked to show that they have done so. Products for the US do not have to meet these standards and are neither tested nor carry the CE mark. Equipment that does not meet the requirements of the above regulations can not be licensed for use on European vessels. The terms of the licence will have been broken and the consequences are likely to be a prosecution and criminal record. "

Thats the ICOM quote but the chassis is different and has better heat sink capabilities. There is a higher production cost but also you have to pay the costs of testing and approval plus the EU market is much smaller than the US so the costs are less well spread.
From a users point of view there is virtually no difference in performance.
I think it unlikely in the extreme that it would become an issue for your imported boat.
 
Thanks to Lenseman et al for putting my mind at rest.I will try speaking to Icom also
.As to the thread drift I'm fully aware of RCD requirements ,VAT etc,

Fortunately there are other Uk based sister ships,already with CE established precedent and another Tanton sailed back to UK from USA singlehanded last year,are all coming together to get compliance.Spent a lot of time going thru the boat,both for trip back and RCD issues, and getting info from the designer in the States
Cindy
 
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