Used boat shows, which is best?

[Sundrifter]

Hi all, I have just joined this forum and need advice please on which boat show to attend. There is the Southampton show on now, the Essex show from Oct. 4-6 and the Suffolk from Oct. 25-27

As I will be traveling from Ireland I can fit in only one show or maybe two. In addition to viewing used boats I would like also to be able to talk to vendors and receive suggestions from members here on navigation tools and methods of receiving weather info on passage.

A bit of background: Being South African and living in Ireland for the last 8 years has me longing to get back on the water. It's too cold for me here and having Reynauds disease doesn't help. As a delivery skipper I lived on my steel Peter Strong 40 in Durban Bay for 32 years and miss the life. Ideally looking for something around 34' to 36' with gantry sporting lots of solar and wind vane steering. Just my wife and me so preference for storage rather than impressive number of bunks.

The intention is to winter somewhere in Portugal while we prepare for long term living closer to the equator.

Although I owned a monohull and have 21 Atlantic crossings all but two were on cats built in SA and delivered mostly to the charter fleets in BVI. That is to say I have little experience with monos and would appreciate suggestions or redirection to the section best suited.

 

[Tranona]

Welcome to the forum

Southampton is the best bet as it is the "national" show and still has support from many of the major suppliers, particularly in electronics. The surrounding area from Poole to Chichester has the highest density of yachts including those for sale. However despite the geographical compactness you need a car and lots of time to get around.

As to choosing a boat there are countless threads on the subject on these fora and inevitably not everybody agrees! Inevitably budget comes into it strongly as does where you are buying. UK used to be a good place to buy partly because many of the older boats (pre 2000 or so) were built here but this has changed as the centre of building, and arguably the whole ocean cruising scene has moved to mainland Europe. Brexit has further complicated things making the traditional "sail to the Med then onwards" a challenge for UK residents with UK boats. For an EU resident like you buying in the UK is not really a good idea as to use it in the EU means paying VAT to import it. Bit of a challenge for you as the stock of suitable boats in Ireland is very limited and perhaps better to look at France and the Netherlands for suitable boats.

As to weather and communications, this is also regularly covered here partly because of the rapid development of products and services means lots of choice and as usual not everyone agrees. Budget also plays a big part in peoples' choices. You should get a good view of what is available at Southampton.

Have a scan down the liveaboard section of the forum. A bit quiet now but over the years your questions have been discussed many times and there have been some very knowledgeable and experienced contributors.

Hope that is useful to give you a start in your search.

 

[Seashoreman]

I have lived in Suffolk most of my life and as far as I am aware, and correct me if I am wrong, the only Suffolk Boat Show' is a large tabletop jumble sale. No significant boats for sale, maybe the odd dinghy and inflatable. Mostly secondhand stuff.
This is indeed held at the Suffolk Showground, Trinity Park.

 

[Sundrifter]

@Tranona, you mentioned something I had not considered, VAT. I am not sure where I stand here. I'm still on a South African passport and although I have been granted permanent residence in the Republic of Ireland I would need a Schengen visa to enter Europe.

I will heed your advice and make plans for Southampton.

 

[Sundrifter]

@Seashoreman, I'm talking about this one: Used Boat Shows - Clarke & Carter

 

[PeterWright]

Last time I went, the Southampton boat show had nothing to do with second hand boats. A separate event, labelled something like the Southampton used boat show, used to happen at about the same time which was really just an opportunity for all the brokers within 25 miles of Southampton to show off their current for sale list, with the boats remaining wherever they were lying, so tripping by car is necessary to see them.

 

[PetiteFleur]

Mentioned earlier is of course the yearly Suffolk Boat Sale at Suffolk Yacht Harbour at Levington on the River Orwell, in October. Concentrates on used boats but new boats as well. Organised by Clarke & Carter yacht brokers. Used gear also available. And a good meal at The Lightship.

 

[ashtead]

There is indeed a secondhand show at Deacons marina part of Boatfolk group. The historic show at Swanwick is no more but the usual dealers like Michael Schmidt or clipper marine will have a selection plus a few others at hamble point. Where you look depends very much on your intended vessel and really it’s a question of trawling websites -if you are in Ireland maybe as said to gain storage a steel or ali boat might be easier to find in eu. If you say a budget for your say36ft vessel that will narrow down your choices potentially and rule out some makes.

 

[Tranona]

@Tranona, you mentioned something I had not considered, VAT. I am not sure where I stand here. I'm still on a South African passport and although I have been granted permanent residence in the Republic of Ireland I would need a Schengen visa to enter Europe.

I will heed your advice and make plans for Southampton.

VAT is alll about residence. Since Brexit the EU and UK became separate customs areas (with the exception of NI which is rather in no mans land). VAT in the EU gives boats "union status" which means boats can move around freely within the EU. UK VAT paid boats can't, but can visit up to 18 months if owned by a UK resident. Likewise an EU resident can visit UK. However if a resident in either buys a boat in the other area for use in their home area they have to pay VAT on its value on entry. This completely separate from the Schengen rules for people.

This makes life complicated for people planning your sort of trip and effectively rules out buying a boat in the UK and travelling south because being a EU resident you would have to pay VAT as soon as you enter the EU. Hence my suggestion to buy in Europe.