Howdy, I'll start off with a bullet list of details about my question and I to set the mood
- Not using a broker
- Buying sub 4-5k euro sailboat
- Looking at 26-30 footers
- Specifically Sweden and Gothenburg area
- Not EU citizen
- Long timeframe for refit work
question:
Does anyone here have experience as a US citizen
buying an EU
boat without outside assistance? What are the challenges and
mistakes to avoid? What
legal loopholes do I have to jump through?
Insurance?
I looked at all the other threads about this but most of them were 20k-30k$ boats being purchased through a
broker, so irrelevant mostly, but they did give me questions about VAT and if I had to register it again in the US.
I've purchased my first sailboat (32') a few years back with a few comrades when I was 17, and I'm looking to get back into it. I have experience with registering a
boat in the states from that time. I've looked at US options already for about two years, and most don't really catch my interest or are just real garbage for the
price. Most of my sailor-y contacts live in Gothenburg already, and I'd have more support there than back in the states. Boats I've found through Sweden's version of craigslist are in very good condition for very low prices, 20,000-30,000 kr, often even less. They've got a strong sailing heritage so boats and services are plentiful. I'll be doing all my own
work so no hassle there. Language barrier isn't really a problem there either. And plus I'd much rather spend time in
Sweden again than the
USA haha.
Don't think it needs to be said, but I'd be
living aboard. Been over there a bunch already so I'm well versed in the legalities of staying there. Got deported from Estonia once lmao.
If you can render any assistance, thanks! If you can't, thanks for reading!
Probably missed some important details but I'm writing this with a library time limit.
Fair winds!