Importing a Boat to Australia

[Morrissey]

Ok, can I ask a dumb question? I'm trying to compare landed cost of importing a boat against buying one advertised locally. What is the normal situation for GST when Australian brokers advertise? Is it included in the advertised price, or 'conveniently' omitted to give the impression of a cheaper boat?

[savoir]

Among boats being sold within Australia, GST is only payable on new boats.

[lordgeoff]

Stink boat users are used to being separated from their cash. A 40ft yacht will take you around the world. A 40ft powerboat will get you about 3 hours from the Marina bowser but it won't get you back..

[Boracay]

Originally Posted by Armagh

Ok, can I ask a dumb question? I'm trying to compare landed cost of importing a boat against buying one advertised locally. What is the normal situation for GST when Australian brokers advertise? Is it included in the advertised price, or 'conveniently' omitted to give the impression of a cheaper boat?

You've probably had a read of a fair bit of this thread, but just to reiterate, your landed cost is going to be Airfares + internal transport + accommodation + registration + boat invoice price + delivery + duty + uplift + GST + insurance + ....

As stated above what you pay if buying in Australia is the negotiated price plus survey, any delivery, repairs...

The other big difference is that if you buy in Oz you get the boat almost right away. Could take a couple of years to bring one from the States.

My opinion is that remote controlled importing from the States may or may not be worth the hassles. Buying a boat in the U.S. and starting your cruise from there may make better financial sense.

[Morrissey]

Boracay
Yes, I've read quite a lot of the thread - can't remember whether I started at the beginning though!
To look at a $350k boat from USA, it will be at least $100k to land it here after adding-on the things you note etc. I'm not quite ready to un-hitch the 'land anchor' and take a year or two to return, so would want to get it back ASAP perhaps following Dragon Lady's example. The point is, you start to get close to some local boat pricing......

Of course I actually did not want to go above $200k for initial purchase in USA. I see the necessary duty+GST as lost money, not to be recovered and want to minimize it by buying a cheaper boat. But by the time upgrades were done before the trip it would be a lot more than $200k anyway, and the same principle applies. If getting a local boat those same upgrades could be done over a longer time, and some stuff omitted if not setting up for a long ocean crossing.

I wouldn't buy remotely - I'm not signing a contract on anything I haven't crawled over, well - at least stood on. I've allowed some boat inspection time when we go skiing in USA in early 2012. I just have to narrow it down to a handfull of boats before then. That's not easy either.

[lordgeoff]

Originally Posted by Armagh

Ok, can I ask a dumb question? I'm trying to compare landed cost of importing a boat against buying one advertised locally. What is the normal situation for GST when Australian brokers advertise? Is it included in the advertised price, or 'conveniently' omitted to give the impression of a cheaper boat?

Allow 25% of the purchase price in US as your Australian taxes and sail it back yourself. Also get an Australian Broker and ignore Savoir's advice, and you won't go too far wrong.

[dennisail]

I made a cost spreadsheet, look in the dollars and cents section. Taxes will be 10-15% plus about $3K. But other expenses will equal those costs.

[BillAU]

Originally Posted by dennisail

If by "size", you mean length, then it is always like that. A 40 foot powercruiser is a MUCH bigger boat than a 40 foot sailboat.

Thanks for that but I can't see a 40' power-boat as being bigger than a 40' sail-boat, length and beam would be similar. True, the power-boat will have more volume within but the sail-boat will have a deeper keel, one or two large masts, sails and all the rigging/sailing gear that goes along with a sail-boat, so I still can't see why a stink/power yacht should cost more to buy than a same length sail-yacht. Perhaps it's caused by the Gin-set believing their Gin-palaces are worth much more than a sail-yacht

[BillAU]

Originally Posted by lordgeoff

Stink boat users are used to being separated from their cash. A 40ft yacht will take you around the world. A 40ft powerboat will get you about 3 hours from the Marina bowser but it won't get you back..

There are also a fair number of powerboats, if powered and set-up propely, that will also take you aound the world. There are some sailboats that will burn more GPH while motoring than some powerboats (Trawlers)
Oh well...Back to the drawing board

[Kojiro]

If I arrive in Australia with a yacht carrying UK registration how long do I get before I have to import...should I want to stay in Australia?

I think I have a handle on the costs of importing just wondering how long you have to just cruise around before you have to improt or go away again.

[dennisail]

Originally Posted by BillAU

Thanks for that but I can't see a 40' power-boat as being bigger than a 40' sail-boat, length and beam would be similar. True, the power-boat will have more volume within but the sail-boat will have a deeper keel, one or two large masts, sails and all the rigging/sailing gear that goes along with a sail-boat, so I still can't see why a stink/power yacht should cost more to buy than a same length sail-yacht. Perhaps it's caused by the Gin-set believing their Gin-palaces are worth much more than a sail-yacht

Go take a look at yacht world where a new 40 foot sailboat costs average around 300 and a new 40 foot motorboat average about 600. Then look at the size of the thing. A 600hp cummins will probably cost as much as a Yanmar 50 + rig and sails.

[BillAU]

Originally Posted by dennisail

Go take a look at yacht world where a new 40 foot sailboat costs average around 300 and a new 40 foot motorboat average about 600. Then look at the size of the thing. A 600hp cummins will probably cost as much as a Yanmar 50 + rig and sails.

I'm well aware of the cost for 600HP engines, I ran them in my Interstate trucks here in Oz but all the trucks I drove Stateside ran 250 or 300HP GM motors.
I was enquiring more after a cruising powerboat (a trawler) I would never buy any boat with a 600HP motor, never mind two of em...As a young buck I ran a 80' powerboat in the Med with twin 1200HP Rolls Royce TC motors (I was the engineer) so I do have a good idea what a powerboat burns per hour in diesel.
Most Stateside trawlers I've checked run 125 to 175hp motors and most trawlers had a single motor, that would be the type of powerboat/cruiser that may interests me...If I bought a powerboat

[dennisail]

Well then I guess it all depends on what kind of powerboat you are after. The usual flybridge cruisers are not cheap, even trawler types are still damn expensive. But I know people importing 40 foot motor cruisers from the US as deck cargo. There is money to me made/saved here for sure.

[Aussie_Sequoia]

Comparing power boat prices in the US to power boat prices in Oz is much more on track than comparing power boat to sailboat prices in this thread... sorry but they're already talking abut shutting it down due to thread drift... start a new thread!

[DtM]

Eventually the moderators split up a long thread for the Mahe 36 and it now provides useful information in more discrete threads.

Most of the stuff on this thread is interesting (if sometimes repetitive) but theer are a number of threads in the one big blob of a thread.

If you have something discrete to discuss what is wrong with "Electrics on an imported boat" EPIRBS on an importd boat" etc etc we will get that it relates to importing a boat (to Australia or the US or Europe).

What is more, your pearls of wisdom might fall for reading by a more appreciative specific audience.