Buying a Boat Outside the USA

[Jimmyd60051]

Who has some sound advice on buying a sailboat outside the USA?
I've seen some decent boats in The Med.

[jeremiason]

I have heard both good and bad stories about buying boats in the Med.

My best advice is do not try and do it yourself... Find an experienced Yacht Broker or Maritime Lawyer to act as your Buying Agent. They can walk you through the hoops and paperwork.

[Kenomac]

No different than buying a boat in the USA. More choices, but make sure the VAT tax has either been paid by the seller, or you'll need to have a plan in place to remove the boat temporarily from the EU to avoid paying it as a non EU resident. Not difficult at all, easier than in states like California. Go through a broker.

[Bayside Bert28]

I have a friend who departed Annapolis in his 38' Esprit … It's for sale in Phucket … Think that is Thailand. It can be wonderful to purchase a boat from a reputable owner overseas .. They are certainly motivated but as always, it matters most, who owned the boat and how they maintained it.

[Jimmyd60051]

thanks!

[JPA Cate]

It depends in part on your tolerance for digging around at various bureaucracies looking for the hoops you're gonna have to jump through. It isn't that a normal humanoid type cannot do it, but it tends to be frustrating and boring and unpleasant; hence the advice to have an agent do it. But the deal is, if the agent can do it, so can you; however, the agent has local knowledge and you may or may not. So there you go. Yes, it's doable, the difficulty is dependent on you, the situation of the boat you want (can you buy direct from the owner and only have to deal with registration issues?), and so on.

We bought a boat in a foreign country and all went smoothly. We bought from a private owner, no loans were involved, and it went really well. YMMV A whole lot has to do with how well you know boats in general and what you want. If you're a good judge of a boat and of a seller, you'll most likely do well. Like I said, YMMV.

Ann

[robert sailor]

I bought a boat in the Med last year..PM me if you have more questions.

[Lepke]

Establish residency in a non-sales tax state. Make sure your boat papers are in order and call ahead to US customs to expect you. I don't know the Euro zone VAT works, But a few months ago I looked at a boiler made in Europe and the VAT would not have been charged. Europe wants to export goods.
Lepke

[Prairie Chicken]

We've done it twice. The process is the same as in you'd expect in N. America. My advice is to find out what documents are required to register the vessel in the US or whatever country you plan to register her in, then ensure you get those docs when you buy. You may also require translations but that's simple enough.