Shipping used boat parts - US>Belize

[ColinSwales]

Any advice out there for getting a couple of used saildrives down to Placencia from US west coast ?

[belizesailor]

Eewwh, that sounds painful. Here's the real deal: unless you have a buddy in Customs you're gonna get screwed.

Im assuming you are new to the area and havent established those kind of relationships yet or you wouldnt be asking...so...try to find someone who does. Moorings used to be willing to help out with such things.

A better alternative: ship them to the Rio Dulce, surface transport, via TransCargo.

Captain John is the rep on the Rio for Transcargo:

http://www.riodulcemarina.com/wordpress/

[model 10]

At least you can get stuff to Belize by a regular shipper. Is each one bigger than DHL will handle?

[model 10]

[QUOTE=belizesailor;
Captain John is the rep on the Rio for Transcargo:[/QUOTE]

Not so much any more, Rita quit and has her own office, "Rita's Office".

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Ecos

Not so much any more, Rita quit and has her own office, "Rita's Office".

Ah thats right, forgot about that change.

Ive used her for shipping with good results. Or, you can always contact TransCargo directly.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Ecos

At least you can get stuff to Belize by a regular shipper. Is each one bigger than DHL will handle?

Yeah, but the boys in Customs are still gonna stick it to you.


Whats the #1 source of government revenue in Belize? Tourism would be a good guess, but nope: Custom's Duties. Per the books, like many nations, a yacht in transit should be able to bring parts in at reduced duty, but I dont know anyone who has pulled that off. I asked once and the Customs officials just chuckled...they will get you one way or another. Minimum per books to get anything into Belize is about 35%...this is why so many have "friends" in Customs...and why it is such a coveted job. [emoji6]

I did get warranty replacement parts in without charge once because the vendor specified $0 value, but I think that was just a fluke.

If you can get the boat down to the Rio then I would ship them there and have the work done there...there are reasons that almost all boats go to the Rio, and not Belize, for maintenance.

[model 10]

You need to be creative with the packing list for shipments in GUA too. They are getting more curious. The fee for customs is something like 25% these days. An official packing list that they can check out and assess their fee's from is best.
What if the OP is broken down in Belize? You could sail to Livingston and get a tow up the river.

[ColinSwales]

Hmm...Thanks for all the advice.
Looks like Belize is more expensive (40%) than Guatamala (25%). Is %duty on used parts the same as new?
BI'm not sure that either of the catamaran saildrives are working at present (we're looking at buying the boat "as-is" - it is a Moorings ex-charter)
Thunderbirds Marina, Placencia is quite close by where the boat is now.
We are coming down in a coupe of weeks to check it all out.
Any contact info for someone helpful at Moorings or for anyone who could help getting the vessel down to RAM in Rio would be much appreciated.

Obviously there's lots to learn about this part of the world...

[model 10]

It looks like most Cat's end up at Nana Juna Marina. They use a trailer.

[belizesailor]

Saildrives are a BIG expense. Like US$6K a pop just to buy them + importation + install. Rebuilding used ones is not a task for Joe mechanic...it requires a laundry list of specialized tools, skills, and parts...damn expensive parts +importation. As you can see the total bill for replacing 2 sail drives will get ugly fast. In the opinion of a Volvo certified tech friend with loads of experience, you are better off to buy new than rebuild.

Re new vs used customs duties, maybe/maybe not, there are official schedules of fees for each category of item, but in the end it is the call of the Customs officer..this can be pretty random...esp in Belize.

Even if buying as-is get a survey, then you know what kind of problems you are buying...and whether to walk or run! If seller wont even allow a survey then RUN!

Re getting help from Moorings on importation, thats best as a face to face conversation...go to the base in person.

The total cost of importation in Belize adds up because they tack on a bunch of BS fees over the official Customs duty (the ~35% includes these fees).

[Triumphant]

Originally Posted by ColinSwales

Anyone who could help getting the vessel down to RAM in Rio would be much appreciated.

.

I am in the Rio and can put you in touch with delivery people if you need them, get the survey done first

[seabear2]

Talk to Diego at the Moorings. He might be able to help.

[model 10]

Ship to Roatan if you want to avoid taxes. From what I'm hearing, they're not charging anything.
I can see a business for myself. Understanding, that there is a real pirate problem, I could cruise over to Roatan, pick up your sail drives and return to the Rio for about the same price as Belize would charge. There could be some extra costs involved, you never know.
Get the boat to the Rio and bite the bullet. There are Cat's out the wazoo down here. You guy's need to suffer twice as much anyway and you will have so many friends .

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Ecos

Ship to Roatan if you want to avoid taxes. From what I'm hearing, they're not charging anything.
I can see a business for myself. Understanding, that there is a real pirate problem, I could cruise over to Roatan, pick up your sail drives and return to the Rio for about the same price as Belize would charge. There could be some extra costs involved, you never know.
Get the boat to the Rio and bite the bullet. There are Cat's out the wazoo down here. You guy's need to suffer twice as much anyway and you will have so many friends .[emoji2]

Duties have historically been less in Honduras, but youve got to get there and back. There used to be a guy at Brunos who did regular shipment receiving runs to Honduras.

La Ceiba is (was?)a duty free port, but your boat had to be there to receive the goods duty free.

[ColinSwales]

Another problem with buying a boat in Belize...
The boat I'm seeing is US (Delaware) registered to a US ex-pat who is retired and bought it duty-free out of the Moorings fleet as a QRP retiree.
If I purchase the boat in Belize, how long would I be able to keep it there before Belize would want import duty on the ENTIRE boat ?
Would things be any better if the deal was done down in Rio Dulce ?

Any help appreciated...I'm coming down to inspect it in Placencia next week.