Buying a Boat in the US vs Oz

[mischief]

Ill throw in my 2cents.
First spot on about the yachts in OZ being way over priced run down and in poor condition overall.
Sail away yachts here are at the end of thier service life. Meaning if it is set up for passages and was sailed in to OZ most likely it has been cruised to exaustion and is now on the market. Meaning if you want piece of mind when you are in the middle of no where or off a leeshore in a blow, then you will need to replace rigging sails etc. unlike what Australian brokers will have you believe an engine with 900 hrs is not just rebuilt. sails that have cruised abroad for 6 years are not new. and new rigging that was done 8 years ago is not new anymore.
In Australia I have found the 2 best ways of getting a nice yacht are 1 find a yacht that was being prepped for a trip and the owner has had to bail out on or a nice clean yacht that has been cared for but has not extensively cruised. Then do it up yourself.
Unless the yacht was being set up but not taken on its intended cruise the chances in OZ are that most of the great equipment list you are paying a premium for will not be worth anything.
You will end up paying a premium for an old chartplotter outdated elecronics (which are relatively cheap now by the way) a worn out sail inventory heavily used gear, safety equipment in need of servicing or beyond servicing etc.
There are some okay yachts in OZ but are like needles in a haystack.
I think this is the big draw to US yachts. Yachts in the US that are listed as needing a bit of TLC which is the truth are like diamonds in Australia being listed and priced as if the yacht was new.
So you might not save a bundle by buying overseas but I would say after looking at this for years myself, worst case I think you would break even but have a great cruising holiday included in the price. Heck thats the one part people save years for too and theres no better way to get the cruise paid for then if you were importing the yacht yourself.
Best case I think you could save about 20-30% on a vessel in your price range. either way you would end up with a yacht that may take years of hunting for in Australia and may or may not be able to find. Its a shame but most of the nice yachts sit until thier pieces of crap, then the owner decides to sell it but thinks its as good as when he bought it new cause hes only used it 20 times in the last 30 years.

Hope this helps

[Kojiro]

Thanks for all of your thoughts.

One further question: what are the implications of "VAT paid" and VAT not paid" on bringing a boat back to Australia?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Kojiro

Thanks for all of your thoughts.

One further question: what are the implications of "VAT paid" and VAT not paid" on bringing a boat back to Australia?

Zero...............

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by mischief

Ill throw in my 2cents.
First spot on about the yachts in OZ being way over priced run down and in poor condition overall.

It's no different here in the U.S. and some of the brokers use the same hyperbole. It's just that the U.S. is a bigger country with two coasts and a huge inventory of unsold boats.

[Get-a-Life]

The issue of warranty could raise its ugly head.

There are attitude differences to consider.

If you purchased it in USA and had a problem, the conversation with the broker would probably be, "Yer, we'll look at it if you return it within the warranty period at your expense!"

Whereas, if you purchase one locally and have a warranty problem, the conversation would undoubtedly be something like, "F Off, go tell someone who cares!"

Which goes to prove the Americans offer better service.

Dusty

[savoir]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Zero...............

Well almost.

Should you choose to spend a few years in Europe then "VAT paid" means the boat can avoid the 18 month rule although the 90 day Schengen rule may catch the crew. At least if it does you can park the boat anywhere in EU for as long as you want and arrange for the crew to come back later.

Boatman is a flashy headline kind of guy. He's probably an old school Fleet Street subbie. Old habits etc etc . . . .

[goboatingnow]

Just be aware a VAT paid boat sold outside the EU looses it's VAT status and VAT is due on import again

Dave

[Dragon Lady]

Another issue that may arise if you pay the higher price for a VAT paid vessel.
Is that you will be taxed on the purchase price of the vessel when you arrive in Australia.
I personally bought a vessel with no VAT and I think that is the way to go if you are doing a straight import.
If you are going to cruise around OS there may be other considerations.

Good summery of the Aussie market mischief!

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by Dragon Lady

Another issue that may arise if you pay the higher price for a VAT paid vessel.
Is that you will be taxed on the purchase price of the vessel when you arrive in Australia.
I personally bought a vessel with no VAT and I think that is the way to go if you are doing a straight import.
If you are going to cruise around OS there may be other considerations.

Good summery of the Aussie market mischief!

This raises an interesting point.

What are the chances of arranging the sale so that there are 2 invoices, one for the boat, and a separate one for the VAT?
That way you could pay duty and GST on what you are actually importing into Australia, ie just the boat.