Help getting my trimaran out of Mexico

[multihuler]

I sold my Newick to a Frenchman 3 years ago and has been on the hard in Mexico ever since,I don't know if has visited every year and it is still in my name. Do I have to pay any taxes? or ? to get her out. Can I get exit papers? Do I need his entry papers? Thanks, Stephen

[bobconnie]

If it's a documented vessel ya may have a big problem! It was your responsabilty to un- document this vessel when ya sold it !! Better to keep your Ps and Qs in order and don't get caught up in a big possible mess !! Just sayin, and if it's mexican regesterd I would not have any idea whats up with that stuff!!

[multihuler]

I don't believe he registered her in Mexico,he sailed in and flew home,I believe he returned once (maybe)but didn't launch. He had papers to document in his name to a Delaware corp but never transfered them. Thanks for the help

[KDH]

You say you sold this vessel. Did you get paid? Do you have a bill of sale? If so, despite the fact that the registration is in your name you probably don't have a legal right to possession of the vessel, even if the buyer did not complete paperwork. Analogous to buying a car and sticking it in the garage rather than driving it. Go to USCG National Vessel Documentation Center, FAQ Page and do some preliminary research. I assume you have not been renewing a documentation certificate on a boat you thought you did not own. Documentation has nothing to do with taxes but there are still forms to be filed. If you have no paperwork from the sale of the vessel, in other words no way to prove you don't own it, you might be on the hook for personal property tax, but usually that is applied in the state where the boat is used. As the boat is in Mexico US tax is probably is not an issue. Would you have to pay tax in Mexico, and yard fees etc. the answer would be yes, if you still owned the boat. The broker who documented our boat had no trouble getting the documentation transferred to us, two years after we bought the boat, despite the fact that the previous owner failed to de-list the boat. Happens all the time.

[Mark1977]

I am not sure I understand. You sold the boat, but you are taking it back because it's still in your name and the owner left it????

[multihuler]

I love the boat and the Frenchman offered to sell her back to me. After reading the risk factor/Mexican problems I decided to offer the Frenchman $10k more to bring the boat to San Diego. I wanted the adventure but not willing to play games with my life. My wife is happy. S

[Cavalier MK2]

This wouldn't be the same Newick you offered when that nice German girl was looking to replace her Crowther earlier this year would it?

[Boatguy30]

This guys seems to have a constant problem with this type of thing.

[multihuler]

if sailing multihulls is a problem then yes, it is constant. She was built by DMC yachts, one of the finest builders in the US and she is a prize and no I don't really need another boat. Compulsive disorder with no known cure. Stephen

[Cavalier MK2]

Watch out for French gamesmanship mon ami. Not all opportunities are golden If he thinks you are desperate enough to pay more you might spend more than the boat is worth and like romance that can lead to regrets.....
Now about the ladies, a gentleman should only try to sell them his own boat no matter how much it seems to need rescuing. Sometimes, like ladies, a boat only seems to be in distress, a dry climate in Mexico is not a bad place to store a boat.

[Auzzee]

If the boat was not registered in Mexico, it must have a temporary import permit. If it is registered in your name, technically you are responsible.

You need to get in touch with all the relevent agencies both in Mexico and in the US and tell them exactly what happened with the original sale. I smell the rotting fishy somewhere in this little mess.

It seems that you are now claiming the boat to be yours (the name of the thread), but you clearly state you sold it. Maybe it's just the unfortunate way you wrote the original post, but it sure sounds like a boat theft is on the cards here.