Hi Paul, we went through the same process when we purchased our
current boat. It was in Wisconsin, and we purchased and imported it to
Ontario.
We went through the seller's
broker. We did not
contract a buyer's broker as some recommend. I would think it would depend on your comfort level dealing with boats, with the seller's broker, and perhaps the
price of the boat.
A good survey is important. Make sure you find and hire the person. I think we paid about $25/foot for our pre-purchase survey (I'd have to check to make sure).
When you
import the boat to
Canada you will have to pay the standard
taxes at the border: HST in
Ontario (13%). If the boat was not built in North America (a non-NAFTA boat) you may also be on the hook for
import duties of 9.5%. Other than the hit to the pocket book, the process is easy.
If the boat is Documented in the US (equivalent to Registered here in Canada) you'll need to have it un-documented first. There's no cost to do this, but it must be done before the boat is imported to Canada.
Other costs...? Well, you'll need to account for your own travel and time since you need to inspect it yourself. Do this before making an offer and ordering the survey.