Importing a Boat to Australia

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by northerncat

i did try to tempt him to the dark side but never mind
sean

A monohull? Bob had one, he's learned his lesson

[Weyalan]

I live in Australia. When I was searching for a boat to purchase, I did not limit my search to boats in Australia. I too was amazed by how much cheaper a particular boat could be purchased overseas compared to the home market price. Nevertheless, when I sat down and actually did the sums, the saving became less significant than at first glance. If you add up the various ways the government will get money off you for importing a boat (GST, import duty, etc), it can end up being a big chunk of the value of the boat. You also have to factor in the cost of getting the boat back to Australia, which can also be a pretty heft cost. Also, it is worth bearing in mind that the pre-purchase costs associated with having a look at the boat and getting it surveyed are going to be a helluva lot more if the boat is ont the other side of the world... and if, when you fly over there to have a look, you decide not to purchase, that is money down the drain.... add up all these costs and factor them into the price.

I'm not saying that you cannot buy a boat overseas and bring it back to Australia for less than purchasing locally; I know 2 or 3 guys localy who have done so, and saved a bundle of cash. Nevertheless,when you factor in the additional costs and risks, it is not as cheap as it might appear at first glance.

In the end, I bought an Australian boat.

[muskoka]

I'm in Hong Kong and a fair number of Australians come up here to buy boats.

There is still the 10% + 5% GST & duty involved in importing to Oz but Hong Kong boats aren't dutied at all. So you're paying Oz duty on the depreciated value of a boat which was 15% cheaper to start with!!

Also, the HK dollar is pegged to the US so the AUD has a fair bit more purchasing power here right now. I think the AUD has moved up about 15% in the past year or so - basically the cost of your import duties!!

Cheers

[Factor]

I have been looking at a few boats in the US, funny a few years ago I wrote an article about why septics (australian slang for UAS person) should come to australia and buy a boat, and now with our dollar heading towards parity, the shoe is on the other foot! I must say I am not getting much assistance from any broker in terms of looking at a frieght package etc, but I will keep looking.

[Fishspearit]

Originally Posted by Factor

I must say I am not getting much assistance from any broker in terms of looking at a frieght package etc, but I will keep looking.

Did you call the broker a 'septic'?

A mate who was looking recently at shipping a 31' mono from our east coast to Brisbane was getting prices between $25-30 thousand U.S.D.

[Wojo]

A couple of years ago it was only about $8k to transport from from the west coast with Dockwise...man has that changed.....gggrrrrr...

But has anyone been checking yachtworld lately. 30 to 40 ft boats still going for 10 to 25k in reasonable nick....nothing like that in yachthub or boatpoint...I don't know .....I think the US is still the go and sail her back....

[viking69]

I have been looking at the price of Cats overseas and do not see the same difference in price as here in Aus. I think if you are buying a cat you may as well get one here. Monos are a different storry though.

[Crak]

I too was amazed and disappointed while comparing local prices with over seas boats. More so being from WA where there is little choice on the local market. You must do your home work very carefully and factor in all the costs before making any decisions. I personally was looking at specific boats and the market was very limited in Australia which forced me to look over seas. I considered all the options including ship delivery or sail delivery, as I would have to relocate a boat bought in QLD any way. In the end I was lucky to get onto a good deal and I imported a new boat into Australia and the import was quite strait forward. If I was to buy second hand, unless I had all the time in the world and plenty of cash to spend on inspections, I think I would stick to the local market. Being in Brizzy you are in the perfect location to buy local. Good luck.

[Wojo]

One would think so. It depends on your budget I guess.....I'm looking at spending next to nothing for everything..lol..

I have been looking at yachts...between 35 to 45 footers on the west coast USA..teak interior wheel steering some with radar and liferafts etc.....for between 10 and 35k.....I have yet to find the same inclusions in Brissy or for that matter in Oz boats for under 80k - 100k ...sure the condition of the boats will very and they are at least 20 years old but they still float....survey will cost around $18US per foot.Add out-haulage and it's around $900US....for say a 40 footer..so one does have to choose wisely.

And the big question is delivery. Sailing it back has to be the best option for this penny pincher...lol. Even if you did it in stages and treat it as a holiday you have to be in front.

Damn it I'm going to do it next year.....( just going to tell the wife I'm going fishing)

[viking69]

if you have set your mind to do it i would try to find out if anyone actually knows of some good brokers and or a guy to do the survey. i would never use a surveryor the broker sugests. maybe you will find a boat that someone on the forumn is near and they can do some detective work for you. It is still not as good as you being there yourself but could save you a trip to look at an absoulte lemon.

[Wojo]

Absolutely Viking......but I'll be waving deposits around about March next year. That should give me 3 to 4 months to get her ready to cross the puddle around July.

[Boracay]

When I looked at buying a boat in the 'States and bringing it back to Oz there were some major problems.
1) Oz customs will want their pound of flesh. 10% GST on boat + delivery costs + "improvements" + "uplift" on their valuation. More if you cannot "prove" that the boat is made in the USA.
2) After three months local state taxes would start to kick in, not to mention visa hassles.
3) Three months is not a lot of time to get a boat ready to go. This time might include searching, survey actual purchase time etc. None of these can be rushed. America is an expensive place to stay while all this is happening.
4) Costs in California seem to rival Australia. ($110 per hour, if you can find a tradesman?)
5) Good boats in America are still not cheap.
6) Top loading shipping to Oz looked to be in the range of $30k to $60 before any surcharges kicked in.
7) If delivering on her own bottom the crew must all be blue water ready.

So the numbers looked like (for a 40' boat in good condition):-
Boat - $100k
Delivery - $50k
Improvements - $30k
Uplift - $15k
Purchase costs - $30k 3 months accomodation, transport, fares, survey etc.
GST - $22.5k
TOTAL - $247k

Which should buy a very nice boat in Oz.

[MarkJ]

+ 5% luxury tax you forgot.

[viking69]

the other thing you may want to look into is this. Unless they have changed the law you used to be able to put your foreign regestered boat up for sale and then the import duties etc were only payable upon sale of the boat. the people I know had their boat up for sale at a very inflated price for 5 years as they did not want to sell it and did not want to pay the import duty. this was a few years ago now so they may have closed this loop hole.

[viking69]

my figures when I was looking at this option were more like this.
for a boat in the 38-42 foot range


purchase price: 60000
flights : Free work will pay :-)
Accomadation: about 20 a night in backpaker or cheap arse pub
delivery : 10000 my own expenses for the trip with free crew
improvements : 0 buy a boat that is suitable but lets say 5000 anyway
government fees: 15000
the thing is the boats i can see for around the 60k mark are worth easily 120k here. Also for me the idea of the trip to sail it here would be the main focus not just buying a boat there that is cheaper. That is just a bloody good bonus. I am however on the tight side when it comes to forking out money but i do not want all the luxeries like water maker, air conditioner etc etc I just would buy an older fiberglass boat that is a sound blue water cruiser not a floating penthouse