Help! Getting a boat Singapore!

[Andrew k]

First of all thank you for taking time to read my post of help

I am Andrew, a 25 years old who had the idea of living onboard a boat when i was young, and that idea never left me years later. Now that i am working full time and receiving a stable income, i plan to set this dream of mine into play.

I have been searching for used Monohull Sail yachts online, starting off from sites in Singapore and came to an easy and quick conclusion that yachts are much more affordable overseas, especially in countries like Australia where they have a wide selection available and even Malaysia.

With that, i encountered my first road block. How do you actually ship or sail a foreign vessel over to Singapore's waters if you have little to no sailing experience? I have read of people spending $25K USD ( exclusive of tax, registration etc ) to have it shipped by yacht shipping companies, and also those who rented container space on ships and shipping them over.

I will probably take another 4 - 5 years of saving, and would like to calculate the expenses from rental of docks, to maintenance and registration of vessel cost very carefully to the cents.

The staying aboard boats community is really small in Singapore and is rather challenging to contact someone for advice.

Would really appreciate it if any of you could kindly advise me on this.

Thank you!

[Andrew k]

Found this forum while looking around the forums page. Although it didn't exactly answer my questions, it directed me into the right path as to purchasing a boat in Singapore.

For those who are interested:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ore-34226.html

[DDabs]

You want to buy a boat in Singapore or buy a boat and have it shipped to Singapore?

[ErikFinn]

Welcome to the forum Andrew.
You can do pretty much what you just did; ask for help here, someone to deliver a yacht to you. I'm sure you can find help here.
Cheers.

[nazri]

Sorry for hijacking the thread, I would like to ask the old hands here:

The MPA website on pleasure craft states boats cannot be registered in Singapore if it is more than 17 years old. If this is the case, can I buy a boat from, say, Malaysia, and berth it permanently in Singapore? Assuming I have a slip at one of the marinas in Singapore.

Are there any downsides to this?

[pbmaise]

Originally Posted by nazri

Sorry for hijacking the thread, I would like to ask the old hands here:

The MPA website on pleasure craft states boats cannot be registered in Singapore if it is more than 17 years old. If this is the case, can I buy a boat from, say, Malaysia, and berth it permanently in Singapore? Assuming I have a slip at one of the marinas in Singapore.

Are there any downsides to this?

Certainly yes. Just maintain the Malaysian (likely Langkawi) flag.

You can't operate the vessel commercial in Singapore unless owned by a Singapore resident.

Andrew....small live aboard community moored at Changi Yacht Club. But you too can't operate a vessel in Singapore unless Singapore resident.

[JPA Cate]

AndrewK,

You can hire a delivery skipper to deliver the boat to you. In some cases, they are willing to let the owner come along and teach him, but you will expect to pay for both the instruction and the delivery in that circumstance.

Ann

[sandrunner]

Sounds great Andrew, From what I've seen Malaysia is by far the best place to shop for a use vessel in SEA. Not too much trouble sailing to Singapore from there either (it's not 25k), should be able to find a good skipper pretty easily or if you know someone, free beer, food, if they have any expenses, may do the trick and you get to ride alone and pick up a few pointers.

[nazri]

Originally Posted by pbmaise

Certainly yes. Just maintain the Malaysian (likely Langkawi) flag.

You can't operate the vessel commercial in Singapore unless owned by a Singapore resident.

Andrew....small live aboard community moored at Changi Yacht Club. But you too can't operate a vessel in Singapore unless Singapore resident.

Thanks pbmaise!

I've also contacted MPA and a local marina while awaiting replies, so for the benefit of others, especially Singaporeans who may have had my doubt:
- The pleasure craft can remain registered in another country, but must be 'licensed' to be sailed in SG waters. So the boat will be for example, UK SSR-registered, but licensed to operate in SG, which is evident by the 'SZxxxx' number affixed to the port and sb bow.
- The age of the boat is immaterial, since the ruling which initially confused me, was for registration of the boat. To register a craft under the SG flag, it must be less than 15 years old. As pbmaise also mentioned, just leave it registered in whichever tax-free have it was from. As long as it passes the MPA inspection, which I assume is for seaworthiness, and the other requirements are met.
- This 'licensing' by the MPA comes with a number of requisites like AIS, GST, forms, inspection, confirmed berth etc before MPA will issue the SZ number
-From the marina, apparently if the boat is not SZ/SZH registered (i.e. a 'foreign yacht') the berthing rates are different (i.e. higher).

[nazri]

Also, there seems to be an exodus of boats from Marina Country Club in Punggol, due to a change in management.

Middle-class locals like me would have considered MCC as a viable option previously because one did not need a membership to obtain a berth at cheaper rates. (Other marinas require membership with the club to berth, with the accompanying joining fee and monthly subscription fees. Otherwise one has to berth as a visiting craft, which does not make financial sense in the long run).

But with the new management the berthing rates have almost doubled. Strangely though, the MCC website still lists the old rates: Marina.Country.Club

Thus, the monthly berthing fee for a 40ft boat was previously S$450.

I have dug up the new rates for reference: Rates List | Odyssey Marine Pte Ltd

The new berthing fee for a 40ft boat is now S$800.

It seems that not many keelboats in SG leave the marina after their owners purchase them, so its little wonder that many owners at MCC are seeking cheaper long-term parking (literally, haha).

The next best alternative would be SAFYC in Sembawang, with the lowest membership, subscription and berthing fees. This marina used to be unpopular due to its distance north of the island and too far west into the Straits of Johor. The clubhouse is run down although there are plans for renovation and expansion next year.

Followed by Changi Sailing Club, but with the uncertainty of its fate, membership may not be a long-term arrangement. And only moorings are available; no wet berths.