Canadian Buying And Keeping Boat In Florida

[deb55]

Hi. I am new to this site but have looked and cannot find any information on this subject.

I am a retired Canadian and want to purchase a sailboat in Florida to live on for 5 months of the year. I have no intention of ever bringing the boat back to Canada.

Can I purchase the boat in Florida, pay the applicable taxes and leave it in its slip and sail in the area for as long as I want? I don't want to be forced to sail the boat to the Bahamas for 15 days every year.

[boatpoker]

State Registered vessel, no problem, do exactly as you stated.
USCG Documented vessel, no, you must be a US citizen or hold it within a US corporation. So if you buy a USCG Documented vessel you would have to have it de-listed and then State Register it.