Any taxes or fees if purchasing boat in Trinidadl

[gwbull]

Want to buy vessel in Trinidad and bring home to US. She's Australian if that matters. Who will I have to pay and how much -- i.e. Sales tax or whatever other name they call it?

[BillsWife1]

We purchased in Sint Maarten. When you arrive in the US you will need to contact US Customs. We chose to arrive at Morehead City, NC. The Customs agent came to the boat, processed our paperwork and we simply gave him a check for the customs and duties fee (I believe 1.5%) based on the purchase price of the boat.

As for sales tax, personal property tax, and registration fees, that is governed by your state. In NY for instance we would pay 8% of the sales price. In NC we would pay 7% with a maximum of $1500. Be sure to check with your locality for this information.

[gwbull]

Thanks for response BillsWife. Just what I needed to know. Now can you advise me on an insurance provider for Trinidad to US?

[hellosailor]

gw-
Also be aware that Trinidad is, or was, one of the few places that did not ban TBT bottom paint. Which is very effective but very illegal in the US. Unlikely that anyone would ever check up on that, but you might look at that as a potential hazmat problem on the boat. Just be aware there might be an issue.

[BillsWife1]

Ugh, Insurance... We initially insured with Lloyd's of London. Their initial quote was reasonable. Our plan was to sail from Sint Maarten to Beaufort, NC where we would haul out and stay on the hard for the balance of our covered term.

They did require us to have a qualified delivery Captain with us, limited our off shore distance to 200nm. This wasn't a huge deal since we intended to have an extra set or two of hands with us. Double handing on a 9 day passage, not knowing the boat yet just seemed foolish.

Flash forward to renewal time. We were still going to be on the hard for the year since we were just beginning our refit. However, our premiums shot up a whopping 47%. This was prior to Irma and Maria. Needless to say we changed companies.

We are now insured with Topsail Insurance. They are located in the UK and while their premiums are not a whole lot cheaper they are fine with double handing, cruising the South Pacific, etc. They were recommended to us by Behan Gifford of Sailing Totem.

I dealt with Laura Clothier: laurac@topsailinsurance.com

[gwbull]

Thanks again. That Bill is a lucky guy.