A lot of us look at adverts for boats on the internet. The prices of boats in the USA appear to be at least one third to a half cheaper than those in the UK. This is particularly true of motorboats but many sailing yachts are bigger, better and much, much cheaper than anything you can buy in the UK or other parts of Europe.
The biggest problem facing someone importing a boat from the US or outside Europe is conforming to the new EU legislation for boats which requires any boat to have a CE mark whether it is constructed in Europe or imported for personal use to Europe unless it was in the EU before 1998. You need to be able to prove this if it is of foreign manufacture. Prove like marina or boatyard bill receipts. The 'word' of a previous owner would probably not suffice!
The rules go something like this:-
| European Product Directives set
minimum safety standards for products. Products must meet these
standards before they are allowed on the EU market or before they are
first put into service in the European Economic Area (EEA). The famous "CE marking" is the symbol that indicates a product's compliance with all applicable Directives. A product complying with a Directive in one EU nation, must be allowed on the markets of all other EU nations which makes the CE mark a key ingredient in removing barriers to trade within the EU single-market. The EU does not have Directives for every single product: only those where differing national legislation within the EU created the perception of a barrier to trade. Only two EU (product) Directives are in force in the marine sector: |
What all that adds up to is that in order to import the 'bargain boat' from the USA or elsewhere, in addition to paying the VAT on the 'current' value of the boat, you have to get a CE Mark for it.
From my research this should not be quite as big a hurdle as it first appears..
I get the feeling it is not a DIY job but you probably need to go to a specialist company and there are several on the internet - the one I contacted for information is
I found them really helpful and clearly have a lot of experience...
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By the nature
of the services pricing is bespoke. Please contact us directly
for a quotation.
There is an extensive web site - www.boatce.com a
Part of the cost is just how many systems there are in the boat. You do not want a boat where the owner has re-made or added to the wiring himself. If it has been manufactured or modified by professionals it will almost certainly be to a higher standard than the EU requirements. If not the ‘proofing’ company has to draw them up for the marking.
The engine is a potential problem. If it is less than 10 years old and not a Perkins/Volvo then it is almost certainly OK – in fact you can give the make and model of the engine, of the boat you are considering buying, to the proofing company, who can look up in their data base to see if it is on the list of approved engines.
If it is not on the list and needs ‘testing’ to confirm its emissions standard, it need not be lifted out. It can have a hole drilled in the manifold and its emissions tested via that. Generally speaking American engines are built to higher emission standards than European… Yanmar and similar are nearly always good news.
If the engine fails the test (worst case scenario) then you would need to take it out and replace it with a new one or a 2nd hand approved one.. There is nothing to stop you 'selling on' the old engine which might be a bargain for someone… I did a little ‘shopping’ for new engines for a 45 ft boat – probably around £10,000….
The CE exercise will take around one week from beginning to end.
So the costs associated with bringing a 45ft sailing yacht into the UK or any EU country are these:-
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Cost of transport/shipping from USA to Europe
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£6,000 or on own bottom for a lot less |
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VAT on valuation – the Customs guys will probably value the boat on the price you gave for it in the UK… Whilst different VAT rates exist throughout the EU it is the ‘valuation’ that probably tips the balance.
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on a £70,000ish figure say
£12,250 |
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CE marking the boat
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£6,000 worst case scenario |
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Possible engine change
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£10,000 worst case scenario |
So in the worst case the cost of purchasing the £70,000 has risen by £34,250 to £104,250 but with a brand new motor and 100% legal.
Dockwise collect boats from near New York, Florida and the Caribbean and deliver them to Cherbourg, La Rochelle and the Mediterranean – the cost varies slightly and of course most power boats can go into a container so the cost is greatly reduced.
This company offers to find boats in the USA for you, import them and CE plate them
The following is their 'mission'
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