Quote:
Originally Posted by freshalaska
Still wondering how problematic is importing boat parts supples, materials, ecetera.
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Some night time reading
Note
The comments below are based on our perspectives and experiences and may differ with other you will hear from
Importing Boat bits My experience
If you bring stuff in by air it is expensive (35%+) and slow, they say 7 – 10 days working days and the shippers do not work weekends. I have had stuff delayed in
Miami for 21 days with no explanation
If you bring goods in by sea, it takes about 5 – 6 weeks and typically costs around 10% of the value of the cargo.
ORDERING GOODS IN THE USA AND SHIPPING TO GUATEMALA
We order the goods via
Marine Warehouse in Miami who will consolidate the goods for us and when we are ready they will then send the consignment to Bon Bini in Miami who then ship it to Transcargo in
Guatemala.
Note we use
Marine Warehouse because
• They will consolidate for us (and sometimes allow us to add bits not purchased through them)
• We do not have a USA address
• They will accept Non US credit cards
I email them a request for a quotation at Marine Warehouse & Seaborne Marine
sales@marinewarehouse.netwhi and ask them to tell you who is dealing with your order
The process is as follows:
• You specify what you want via email (I normally attach a link to Defender or West Marine to ensure we are talking about the same item)
• Marine Warehouse will emails you an estimate
• You approve the estimate
• Marine Warehouse emails you an invoice
• You pay the invoice via credit card on the
internet
• Marine Warehouse obtains/consolidates the goods for you
• You tell Marine Warehouse to ship the goods to Bon Bini when you are ready
• Marine Warehouse will email you a copy of the POD when they have delivered it to Bon Bini
Note
Specify the
Shipping address as follows to avoid sales tax as the goods are shipped to an export agent
Ship To
YOUR NAME/GUATEMALA
C/O BON BINI (Transcargo Miami agent)
10301 NW 108 AVE SUITE 2
MIAMI, FL 33178
305-594-1111
BE VERY CAREFUL TO USE THE ADDRESS FORMAT ABOVE TO AVOID PROBLEMS
You can use Rita’s Office in Bruno’s in Rio Dulce to
monitor your consignments with Transcargo if you want, she will not charge you anything extra but may charge you
storage if you are not there when the goods arrive, best to check first. (Transcargo charges us nothing for storage).We have an existing relationship with Transcargo so do it direct. The owner and the lady there (Jose and Karla) at Transcargo both speak good
English
Transcargo info
See
http://riodulcechisme.com/index.php?...d=542&Itemid=2
It takes about 5 to 7 weeks and may costs up to 10 percent of shipment value (this includes Freight and all
customs charges). Cargo is charged by Volume or Weight, which ever is greater, Minimum Charge is $30 US
Wait about 3 weeks after the Miami shipment date then
PHONE Transcargo (much more efficient and quicker than email) and ask about when they expect your
delivery.
When the goods arrive in Guat City, we get emailed the freight/duty costs by Transcargo (they can give you the costs in US$ or Q’s, you specify what you want you want to pay in and they will then supply the relevant bank account details)
You go to the BAM Bank in Rio Dulce and pay them amount into their account, (we email a copy of the BAM receipt to Transcargo) and they will put the goods on the Litegua bus and give you the Litegua number to allow you to pick the goods up from the bus station.
Allow a day then go to Litegua with some ID, pay the Litegua costs (minimal) and then pick up your goods.
If you are using Rita the process may vary, so check with her how she works it
Haul out yards in Rio Dulce May 2017
Note
We have a
steel boat so probably look for a different work profile and skill set to a fibreglass boat for a
haul out
This is our view of things, I am sure you will hear different opinions from other people
General points
The rules and the people involved change from year to year so I suggested you ask around when you get there
i.e.
• Your selected worker may not be allowed to work at a specific yard •
• He may have moved to another yard
• The yard may charge him out at US$45 per hour rather than the local rate
• Do you have to use Yard approved staff
• Are you allowed to stay on the board when the boat is ashore
• Any Special deals?
• Bringing in your own workers?
• Using your own materials?
• Check out how the yard wants to be paid, i.e. do they accept credit cards and do they charge extra for credit cards
• Gringo worker may try and charge more, is it worth the extra? Well that’s you call!!!!!
We got together with another boat and organised
buying our Trans Ocean paints from the main dealer in Guatemala City, we spent about US$2,400, and we were able to pay for it by credit card. The paints were up to 50% cheaper than the same paints in Rio Dulce and it was delivered free from the City to Rio Dulce, 2 deliveries a week!!
You have 3 choices of Haul out yards
• RAM
• Nana Juana
• Abel’s
RAM
From Facebook May 2017
RAM Marina Team & Equipment, including
• Travel lift
• 3 Tractors,
• Scissor lift,
• Forklift,
• Sand Blasting Machine / 185 CFM air compressor,
• Two Utility Trucks,
• Two Golf Carts~People Movers
• Terex/ Lorain Crane 18 Ton 100' with Jib
• Plus the Greatest Team of Dedicated Employees of Guatemalan Culture. We are so proud of there constant accomplishments in learning a New Industry with enormous opportunity.
They do very good
paint and fibreglass work but can be more expensive. The quality of
steel and stainless work they do depends on who they are using to do the welding, they have some kind of blasting rig, I think it is soda
Karen, the manager, is very helpful and speaks very good
English, There is a West Marine store on site and they can assist in shipping stuff in
Many years ago when we first arrived we tried to haul at RAM but we could not get agreement with the then manager on the rules at RAM and we were not happy with the quality of the welder’s work that they showed us but I believe this has changed
RAM things to check.
• If you are on the concrete do you HAVE to use their people and buy their
paint? If yes this means you will be paying near US prices,
• If you are on the gravel above the yard, can you still do what you want and bring your own crews in?
• Can you to live aboard whilst out of the
water?
• Suggest you also walk around and have a chat to the people already there
• If you are a
catamaran there is a width limit due to the Travel lift
Nana Juana
The last time we hauled out our steel boat (2015 and 2017/8) at Nana Juana and brought Carlos the Welder’s
men in to do the work. We were there for 6 and 11 months, the yard do a deal on longer stays so it is worth checking.
Ensure that your electricity is metered, they were still fitting meters when we were there
They have no workers of their own so you can bring in your own crews, we also hauled our No 2 fibreglass boat there and used a combination of Carlos for the mechanical work and Lubbi for the painting and we were happy with the result
Abels
We have hauled at Abel’s a few times in the past and also brought Carlos the Welders
men in to do the work.
These haul out required some serious steel work done hence the use of Carlos’s skills, it allowed us to be able to discuss and be sure of the solution and quality of the work, trying to have technical conversations in a foreign language is always difficult
PERSONAL VIEW
If we had to haul at Abels’s again I WOULD NOT USE THEIR CREW, I would get approval to bring my own people in before I hauled, the poor work rate of the Abel’s crew may not not match the bill they will give you.
Abel Junior has a reputation for always under quoting
Abel’s can do sand blasting
Abel’s is situated in San Phillipe (very nice little local village, 3Q, 15 minute chicken bus ride from town) about 2 miles up river of the bridge so if you have a very tall
mast it could become an issue if the river level rises
Abel’s have a travel lift and they have railways so large catamarans can be catered for
Abel’s also does some
commercial work so check where they want to put you before you haul
Another view of Rio Dulce Boatyards by BelizeSailor from a Cruisersforum thread
The 3 boat yards are Nana Juana, RAM Marine, and Abel's.
Nana Juana has an articulated
trailer which can accommodate most recreational vessels including larger catamarans. This is a distinct advantage because it means larger cats can avoid the potentially nerve wracking transit under the bridge and power lines to get to Abel's (I cover the details of making this transit in my “Belize & Guatemala Cruising Notes” also available on Amazon).
RAM Marina is a full on USA style boat yard. RAM Marine is large full
service boat yard complete with a travel lift, paint shed, dry
storage lot,
fuel dock, restaurant, West Marine distributor (effectively the same thing as a West Marine store), and restaurant. The one thing missing at RAM is the ability to haul larger cats, but there are plans to add an articulated trailer (the
ramp is even built for it).
Abel's is a
family run yard which has been in operation for decades. They have a marine railway system and a relatively recently added travel lift. Competition from the new yards has forced them to up their
game by adding things like the travel lift, but unfortunately that necessitated increasing their rates too. As mentioned, they are upstream of the bridge. This is not an issue for smaller vessels, but is a significant consideration for larger vessels with tall masts.
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