Aussie buying a U.S. boat

[Andrewpatrol]

Hi, new here from Australia.

what requirements do I need to buy a boat in either LA or LaPaz Mexico (USA reg) .
I know a survey is a start but how do I go about checking ownership, registration transfer, insurance etc etc

Is this where a purchase broker comes in.?

Boat is only in the vicinity of $70k USD

Is all this possible long distance during Covid or is it better to spend a month there?

[psk125]

If the boat is Documented with the US Coast Guard you can get an Abstract of Title, which tracks ownership. Otherwise, you have to determine who has jurisdicition and verify that proper paperwork was filed.

[JPA Cate]

If you're buying a USA boat and importing it to Aus, you'll have to get a bunch of stuff signed off by Ozzie tradesmen: the propane system; all the wiring will be for 12 v. or 110--all the 110 would need to be upgraded if you want a 240 v. inverter; and depending on the age of the fridge, a different refrigerant will be required here in Oz.

Unless you're fluent in Spanish, you'll definitely need help to do title searches, meet Mexican regulations, and there will be a time limit between when you buy the boat and when you have to be ready to sail it out of there. Lots of Mexicans have a little English, but in their country, they expect to hear their language from your mouth. Some Americans hire surveyors out of San Diego to come down to La Paz -- sorry, I don't know what travel certifications they have to have or how much it would cost you.

If you feel experienced enough you can do your own survey. But you are going to have to get liability insurance before you go into any marina here in Oz.

At the present time, most of the Pacific Islands are closed to cruising (Fiji is open), so you would have to be able to provision water and food from Mexico to Fiji, straight through, which means you'd miss out on some of the nicest cruising in the world.

Ann

[PippaB]

The US has two general systems for boat “registration”; the first is a national system run by the US Coast Guard as psk125 mentioned and is referred to as “documentation”, the other is registration by each state. Depending on the state this may include proof of ownership (“title”) or just proof of having paid the fees.

Also as psk said, if the boat is USCG documented you get an abstract of title from the NVDC (National Vessel Documentation Center). You can order that online, you will need the document number from the seller. If you don’t follow the link, make sure you go to the .mil website for the USCG, there are lots of shady documentation companies out there that pop up in a Google search that charge more and aren’t any faster.

If the boat is state registered it will depend on which state. Since you named west coast locations the odds are good a boat would be California, Oregon, or Washington registered. All of those are “title” states, i.e. the state issues a title (proof of ownership) along with registration if the boat is not documented.

With the USCG you are supposed to be able to find out about any loans/liens as part of the abstract of title, the same should be true of state titles, but it does depend on the lender filing the lien...

It’s a bit of a muddle, but if you find out the specifics of the boat(s) you are considering you can come back and narrow the question.

[Andrewpatrol]

Thanks for the great info peeps, gives me plenty to go on with. Interesting about the islands being closed but understandable. One alternative would be to go thru the canal to Caribbean but……

[Lucky Luke 1]

Originally Posted by PippaB

The US has two general systems for boat “registration”; the first is a national system run by the US Coast Guard as psk125 mentioned and is referred to as “documentation”, the other is registration by each state. Depending on the state this may include proof of ownership (“title”) or just proof of having paid the fees.

Also as psk said, if the boat is USCG documented you get an abstract of title from the NVDC (National Vessel Documentation Center). You can order that online, you will need the document number from the seller. If you don’t follow the link, make sure you go to the .mil website for the USCG, there are lots of shady documentation companies out there that pop up in a Google search that charge more and aren’t any faster.

If the boat is state registered it will depend on which state. Since you named west coast locations the odds are good a boat would be California, Oregon, or Washington registered. All of those are “title” states, i.e. the state issues a title (proof of ownership) along with registration if the boat is not documented.

With the USCG you are supposed to be able to find out about any loans/liens as part of the abstract of title, the same should be true of state titles, but it does depend on the lender filing the lien...

It’s a bit of a muddle, but if you find out the specifics of the boat(s) you are considering you can come back and narrow the question.

Thats a nightmare! Wow.

[stevenhigbee]

Originally Posted by Andrewpatrol

Hi, new here from Australia.

what requirements do I need to buy a boat in either LA or LaPaz Mexico (USA reg) .
I know a survey is a start but how do I go about checking ownership, registration transfer, insurance etc etc

Is this where a purchase broker comes in.?

Boat is only in the vicinity of $70k USD

Is all this possible long distance during Covid or is it better to spend a month there?

Another concern is the sales tax of about 8% that California or Washington would charge you. Oregon has no sales tax. California will not charge sales tax if you have owned it for over a year before taking it into California.



US registered boats in Mexico can't legally be sold. It would need to be removed at least as far as the Mexico entry/exit point and checked out of the country, then (at least fictionally) sold while out in international waters or north of the border.


It is better to spend a month here than to try and do it long distance. As others have pointed out, the process will depend on whether it is state DMV registered or USCG registered.

[Sand crab]

Only US citizens can document a boat. A foreigner can buy a documented boat but the registration has to be changed to some other jurisdiction. I helped my foreigner friend undocument and then change to state registration. The states don't care where you are from. Documentation is run by the Coast Guard and they are backed up several months. If a boat is state registered and you want to re-register it in your name that is really simple and fast. The owner signs off on the Title and you walk into the state registration office and walk out with a boat in your name. After you pay the sales tax.
Marine escrow services do this all the time. You should go that route.