Registration options?

[AntiqueTri]

We are due to take possession of the boat of our dreams(at this time), on May 25th in Washington State near Seattle. We plan to go over her and bend her to our whims for a month and then go up to Canada and cruise the Vancouver Island area for a few months.

The boat is currently documented in Canada, so being US citizens, we will not be able to keep that registration. However, if I apply for US Coast Guard documentation, I have to have it de-registered from Canada, and then re-documented in the US. I am concerned about the amount of time this will take as we plan to leave the US within a month of getting the boat.

We could register it in FL where we own a home, but that seems kind of foolish to give them 7% use tax when we are probably never taking it back to FL. Likewise, registering it in WA is out cause we have no address in WA.

We had our prior cruising boat registered in Delaware. It cost about $300 and included a POB in DE for an address. This was perfectly fine with the 20 countries we visited n the Carribean 20 years ago.

We will likely be out of the US for most of the next 3 or 4 years, so we don't have any allegiance to a particular state, but want to check in and out of the rest of the world as easily as possible.

Any other ideas or more info on some options which will allow us to be set up within a month or so?

[kenny chaos]

I have a boat coming from Canada about the same time.
The broker told me that the Canadian documentation has to be, and will be, rescinded as part of transfer. And the Coasties told me 3-6 months for documentation so it seems I have to state register it to have some kinda paperwork in the interim.
The money seems to be only one small aspect of cruising and I've never been fond of jumping through hoops so I 'm not sure how long I'll last at this lifestyle.
Good-luck-
Kenny

[AllezCat]

I have recently registered with US. I used a document service.
had ships papers within a very short time.
My boats is registered in DE. Most states give 90 days before use tax is due. So if you are moving - and then overseas - no worries.
Florida has 18k cap. but if boat has been anywhere in USA for more than 6 months - whether or not tax is paid - then you are exempt from Florida use tax.
Do you have to pay import duty?
cheers

[oldtomcat]

So: This is what you do! Throw a pie in the face of the nearest polititian you see and run and hide. Sail the boat to Canada; land , and declair (REFUGEE) status based on political persecution. Before you can say Jack Danials you'll have a place to live, schooling for your kids, three squares one the table and a bank card in you pocket, and even block you mother-in-law from ever visiting.( they'll take just about any BAD ASS here, including; terrorists serial killers and the like.
Within a month or so you have landed immigrant status and its just a simple matter of changing ownership. You Don't really have to become Canadian and you can always go back.

Enjoy sailing the Vancouver Island area.

oldtomcat

[AntiqueTri]

Originally Posted by AllezCat

I have recently registered with US. I used a document service.
had ships papers within a very short time.
My boats is registered in DE. Most states give 90 days before use tax is due. So if you are moving - and then overseas - no worries.
Florida has 18k cap. but if boat has been anywhere in USA for more than 6 months - whether or not tax is paid - then you are exempt from Florida use tax.
Do you have to pay import duty?
cheers

Broker tells me that being a NAFTA built boat, there is no import duty.

According to the USCG site, you just fill in 3 forms, provide adequate documentation, and pay an expedite fee to speed it up. I think expedited mostly means more stamps on the documents coming back to you, but who knows what other miracles it may conjure up on my behalf. Other than making sure all the T's are crossed and I's dotted, what does a document service do for you? I have been quoted $500us to have this done, but not sure how a throwing money third party will speed things up.

I once spent two months hovering around Colon, Panama waiting for some school texts for my children to arrive. It was shipped a month before I got there, but still took almost 3 months to get out of customs and to me.
I really don't want to be in that same boat waiting for documentation before being permitted entry to Canada.

[AllezCat]

I was happy with the document company. They handled all aspects of de-flagging, (British in my case), creating DE LLC, escrow, and coast guard docs.
I believe it was around three weeks - delivered to Grenada.(still working on Customs duty though)

Probably easy to do yourself, you are in USA. And deflagging Canada flag is probably straightforward.
here is 2 document ladies.
Both were very informative before I chose 1:
Lisa Borkowski, President
ASAP Marine Documentation & Registration, Inc.
1550 SE 17 Street, Suite 5
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33316
Phone: 954-926-2387


Jan Painter, President
12865 Southdale Drive
Omaha, Nebraska 68137 USA
Ph: 402-505-8014
ASAP YACHT DOCUMENTATION, ALL ABOUT AMERICAN VESSEL DOCUMENTATION