Is it Possible to Sell a Foreign-Registered Yacht in Florida ?

[crazyhorse77]

Hi,

We are cruising from UK to the Caribbean and are not so excited about the sail back to UK so are investigating selling the boat in Florida.

Is there many complications with selling a foreign registered boat through a broker in Florida?

Is the second-hand market going ok at the moment? I have read the super yacht market is good yet sadly we have no super yacht

Cheers

Jarvis

The Adventures of Croc Bones

[boatman61]

I think you'd be better of selling her in the Islands than in Florida....
Florida's awash with cheap old boats... also an old 'Brit' boats gonna have little appeal in the US market... they like a bit more comfort...
But there's always the alternative of someone like me delivering her back to the UK for you... probably work out the same in cost as a couple of years storage/mooring fees while you wait for a buyer....

[atoll]

i think you will find the second hand market has never been better,for a buyer,the states is awash with cheap boats but for a seller expect to make a BIG loss on a uk boat in the states.

you would be better selling in las palmas or the med.

alternatively try onpassage.com for selling equipped Water boats">blue water boats anywhere.

[GordMay]

I believe that a foreign-built boat would have to be imported, prior to advertising for sale in USA.

[s/v Moondancer]

We spent 2 years looking at used boats in Florida and at the end of 2 years many of the same boats were still for sale...they had been paying mooring fees and insurance and deteriorating. There was no evidence that the brokers had done anything to halt the decline. We saw the price on one boat drop from $125,000 to $75,000 and the boat still not sell.

Sell it in the Islands.

[Mark1977]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I think you'd be better of selling her in the Islands than in Florida....
Florida's awash with cheap old boats... also an old 'Brit' boats gonna have little appeal in the US market... they like a bit more comfort...
But there's always the alternative of someone like me delivering her back to the UK for you... probably work out the same in cost as a couple of years storage/mooring fees while you wait for a buyer....

I would go with boatman's idea. You would be trying to sell a boat in an already saturated market.

[crazyhorse77]

It sounds like a lot of people are trying to sell yachts in the states or is it just the economy in the states not so good?

Besides taking the boat back to the UK, would there be any counties in the Caribbean were selling a second hand boat would make sence? (Can you tell we are really keen not to cross the atlantic again


Thanks in Advance


The Adventures of Croc Bones

[boatman61]

St Martin, Antigua and maybe Gaudalupe/Martinique.... French n 'Brit' islands
but as Atoll said you'd get better money for her in Europe where they're a known quality... and the W to E crossing is a lot more fun if you avoid the Bermuda trap...

[Marinheiro]

Apart from the issues mentioned above, you would be trying to sell an "orphan", ie an unknown boat, into what is already a difficult market. I would think the Carribbean is if anything an even more difficult location to sell, lots of ex charter boats and not so easy access for the majority of buyers. Also you would take another hit, selling in USD which as you will have noticed is not worth very much.

[crazyhorse77]

Originally Posted by boatman61

St Martin, Antigua and maybe Gaudalupe/Martinique.... French n 'Brit' islands
but as Atoll said you'd get better money for her in Europe where they're a known quality... and the W to E crossing is a lot more fun if you avoid the Bermuda trap...

Fair point, so i suppose we are back to taking to boat back to UK. Do have any idea what it would cost to return a 35 ft long keel blue cruiser from florida to UK?

cheers

The Adventures of Croc Bones

[Mark1977]

Originally Posted by crazyhorse77

Fair point, so i suppose we are back to taking to boat back to UK. Do have any idea what it would cost to return a 35 ft long keel blue cruiser from florida to UK?

cheers

The Adventures of Croc Bones

lol....I have a feeling boatman will be happy you asked....

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Mark1977

lol....I have a feeling boatman will be happy you asked....

Yer darn tooting I am.... I love that trip... beats any other sailing I do...
Anytime from mid May to end of June... earlier if required... PM sent
Oh Buga.... you want from Florida... ah well... better check my visa status...
teach me to read AND absorb before getting all excited.... LOL

[atoll]

could allways insure it heavily,some nasty rocks around st martin.............

[crazyhorse77]

Originally Posted by atoll

could allways insure it heavily,some nasty rocks around st martin.............

LOL... hmmm, this is cunning evil plan indeed!

http://crocbones.blogspot.com/

[atoll]

just joking,but have an idea its been done before....,anyway what is the worry you have done the hardest part of the trip,from the uk to the canaries allready.

seems a shame to only go as far as the canaries,and the trip back from there to the uk is harder than from say antigua.

you still have enough time to get across to the caribean this year,cheap flights and yard storage in trinidad then sail back next year.........sounds like you are looking for reasons not to go sailing after reading your blog,be brave,bite the bullet,they don,t call it the pond for nothing............