Registering a Vessel as British in the US

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Your resident alien status provides you with comparatively unique and beneficial treatment, you get to keep your cake and eat it too. You get to avoid state and county taxation and fees and are provided a succession of cruising license for very little annual cost.
You indicated the vessel of your dreams is British built. Certainly to be named as Dream Boat. Proof of payment of US customs duties will be needed to qualify the vessel for successive cruising licenses, but not for the first cruising license. Customs duties should have been paid when it was first imported into the USA by the previous owner (or by the dealer if being sold as a new vessel). Be sure to obtain copies of documentation of the payment of the customs duties so that you can provide proof when you pursue the successive US cruising licenses.

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Could you pls tell me where customs duty has to be paid for successive cruising licenses? I was under the impression that a green card holder could get successive cruising permits (no requirement to leave US waters for minimum 15 days) and that no customs duty was required. Customs duty is to be paid only if the boat is offered for sale in the US or the owner decided to import the boat.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Vasco

C Customs duty is to be paid only if the boat is offered for sale in the US or the owner decided to import the boat.

or if you overstay your cruising license they will automatically assume you have imported it and come with hands out.

[jmschmidt]

For a pleasure boat all you need is a USCG tonnage calculation which you can do yourself on their fillable form"Application for Simplified Measurement", CG-5397 online.

I can't imagine why you would need a full-scale tonnage survey to document a foreign built pleasure vessel to US flag. I've done two of these, both South African built, one was French Flag. All you should need to do is what is know as a "deflag/reflag" process which, for any pleasure craft, you can usually do yourself or hire a US agent for probably less than $500.

If the UK has some bizarre regulation that they won't deflag an UK flag vessel without a full compliance tonnage survey it's news to me and ridiculous. Why in hell would they care? France doesn't and I would expect that if anyone did the French would.

All you should be required to do is notify the UK agency that you are taking the boat out of UK flag and all they need to do is acknowledge your notice. There may be a small fee for this. If they want to screw with you, just stop paying the annual fee and the boat will automatically fall out of UK flag at some point.

I hope you are a US citizen because you can't USCG document any vessel as the owner, foreign built or otherwise, if you are not.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

For a pleasure boat all you need is a USCG tonnage calculation which you can do yourself on their fillable form"Application for Simplified Measurement", CG-5397 online.

I can't imagine why you would need a full-scale tonnage survey to document a foreign built pleasure vessel to US flag. I've done two of these, both South African built, one was French Flag. All you should need to do is what is know as a "deflag/reflag" process which, for any pleasure craft, you can usually do yourself or hire a US agent for probably less than $500.

If the UK has some bizarre regulation that they won't deflag an UK flag vessel without a full compliance tonnage survey it's news to me and ridiculous. Why in hell would they care? France doesn't and I would expect that if anyone did the French would.

All you should be required to do is notify the UK agency that you are taking the boat out of UK flag and all they need to do is acknowledge your notice. There may be a small fee for this. If they want to screw with you, just stop paying the annual fee and the boat will automatically fall out of UK flag at some point.

I hope you are a US citizen because you can't USCG document any vessel as the owner, foreign built or otherwise, if you are not.

You might want to go back and actually read what the OP is looking for.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

For a pleasure boat all you need is a USCG tonnage calculation which you can do yourself on their fillable form"Application for Simplified Measurement", CG-5397 online.

I can't imagine why you would need a full-scale tonnage survey to document a foreign built pleasure vessel to US flag. I've done two of these, both South African built, one was French Flag. All you should need to do is what is know as a "deflag/reflag" process which, for any pleasure craft, you can usually do yourself or hire a US agent for probably less than $500.

If the UK has some bizarre regulation that they won't deflag an UK flag vessel without a full compliance tonnage survey it's news to me and ridiculous. Why in hell would they care? France doesn't and I would expect that if anyone did the French would.

All you should be required to do is notify the UK agency that you are taking the boat out of UK flag and all they need to do is acknowledge your notice. There may be a small fee for this. If they want to screw with you, just stop paying the annual fee and the boat will automatically fall out of UK flag at some point.

I hope you are a US citizen because you can't USCG document any vessel as the owner, foreign built or otherwise, if you are not.

You have it back to front.. Its US to UK flag.

[Steven UK]

Originally Posted by Steven UK

Mr. Boatpoker i think i can do better than a burger... pm sent.

Mr. Boatman you were right, applying for the SSR didn't seem like too much of a hassle (haven't actually got it yet). but like you said there is a disconnect with Registering and proving ownership. my problem is i haven't been out on the water in anything other than charter boats and risking a confiscation or large fine due to my ignorance seems foolish. the tonnage measurement was the sticking point with the part one so that will be the way to go if the UKCG will accept Mr. Poker's paperwork.

thank you gentlemen i will see how this goes and report back.

The SSR got knocked back this morning...! Asking for proof of residency.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Steven UK

The SSR got knocked back this morning...! Asking for proof of residency.

We live onboard full time. That is a problem for drivers licenses, income tax, bank accounts, boat registry etc. We use the kids mailing address.