# Canadian buying boat in US



## Tanny (Oct 25, 2009)

Hello everyone,
My plan is to cash in my life on the cold Canadian prairie and live alone aboard a 32-37 foot sailboat in the Caribbean.

I've posted lots of questions before about single handed sailing and living 'on the hook'. But it's come to the point in my plan where I need to get serious about finding and purchasing a boat.

Since my dream has me living on board on the Caribbean, my best bet at locating a good used boat would probably be the US market - probably Florida.

I've read a bit about the process - Sleeping with Oars, Robert Doty - Living Aboard a Boat, Mark Nicholas - and other websites. But I'd like a Canadian's viewpoint especially with regard to the nitty gritty of finding a US broker, arranging for a survey, registering the boat, taxes, transferring money to the US - stuff like that.

Are there any Canucks who frequent this site that have been through this process?

Thanks in advance for any comments!


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Many Canadians have been buying boats in the US, especially lately with the strengthening of our dollar. Your plan to buy in the US makes sense given your ultimate objective to end up in the Caribbean.

On the other hand... don't limit your quest to the US. Friends of ours bought a new boat (Beneteau) in Guadeloupe (technically France) for a very good price, she's registered in Vancouver BC, but stays south year round. The advantage here is that there have been no taxes paid nor due until the boat actually enters Canada (not likely to happen)

I'd expect there are plenty of boats for sale that are already in the Caribbean chain... don't forget that you've got a 1000 miles to weather from Florida before you get the the Leewards/Windwards which is IMO the primo cruising area for the Caribbean.

Do keep a critical eye for any ex-charter boats, and for those that have been allowed to lie idle for periods of time.. the tropics beats up the exteriors pretty quickly...

Here's a link to a Victoria family that did this and beyond.. ultimately circumnavigating - they bought in Florida and if you can view the early episodes about originally buying the boat - their's is a cautionary tale.

Ocean Wanderer: Watch The Knight Family Discover The Planet


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## Jovietal (Oct 12, 2006)

We bought our sailboat out of the Country. We looked for a boat that would hold a family of 5 by visiting local brokers and viewed several cabin layouts.
When we settled on a design we looked on yachtworld.com and found the prices to be a whole lot cheaper outside of Canada. Our boat was in Central America and we used a broker in Florida ( Wellfound Yachts) to make the purchase . It was very easy to do. I would also make sure that the boat has a recent survey ( everyone will ask for one)
You can register your new boat as a Canadian vessel by email. This is important to do if you plan on sailing to a variety of Countries.
We did not plan to take our boat back to Canada right away and did not have to pay taxes until we brought her back into Canada. If you by a US made boat or Canadian made boat you will not have to pay duty.
Ours was built in France and we were whacked pretty hard with the taxes once we crossed the boarder we had 48 hours to pay.
If I had to do it over again I would buy a boat in Florida. I would not buy a boat that had been sitting for a long time unattended outside of the US or near a pretty well equiped marine chandlery. 
Good luck and PM me if you have anymore questions.


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## Yorksailor (Oct 11, 2009)

It is a long hard trip from Florida to the southern Caribbean south of the hurricane belt. We did it last year and the "Thorny Path" is not fun.

It is worth considering buying in the Carribean...What is your budget? I know of a good $20,000 39 ft boat in Grenada and there are lots of good boats in the $50,000 range.


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## canadianseamonkey (Sep 4, 2006)

Like some of the posters said, there are many boats for sale in the carribean, but you have to consider a few things. You'll be flying around looking at them, which will cost a lot of money and many of those boats have been sailed hard. You might want to fly to Florida and view many many boats at dirt cheap prices and make your choice there. Sail across to the Bahamas and start your dream. You can spends years exploring the Bahamas or head south and explore the chain of island.

Your best situation would be to buy a fresh water boat, but since you live in the prairies that might not be an option. As far as getting money to the US, you can access you Canadian bank account quite easily or wire money to the seller. That part is easy. You'll have to pay the State tax and only the Canadian GST and duty if you cross the Canadian border.

Keep reading the info on this site, you'll find many good answers.


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## Waltthesalt (Sep 22, 2009)

The Lauderdale/Port Everglades used to be a good area to look for larger blue water criusers. Many Europeans would sail thier boats across and after cruising in the carribean sell them on this side rather than ship them back. There also used to be a U.S. tax advantage to sell at at a certian for prople who had bought boats to use/charter (like the CSYs) I got a HR 41 a long time ago at a good price. I think that market would be a good palce to google for a boat. It may take more than one trip to make a deal. Be prepared to check out a number of boats while you're there, exxpect that the top one on you list may not live up to expectations


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## Tanny (Oct 25, 2009)

Thanks everyone for your advice and experiences regarding this! 

I'm a little worried now about my original plan to buy in Florida and work my way down to the Leewards. I'm not an experienced sailor, and I'd be very interested in any further details about the hardships of sailing from Florida to at least the USVI. I suppose harsh weather is the major concern, until you get out of the main Hurricane area? If necessary, I would hire a crew to help me get where I need to go.

Yourksailor - maybe you could expand on the problems you had. What type of boat do you sail? My budget is $100k maximum, more realistically about $70-80k leaving me some cash to fix and fit as needed. I'm looking at heavier displacement boats like Tayana or HC - a boat that will forgive my inexperience a little and also be best suited as a liveaboard. ie. larger water/fuel tank capacities, storage space etc. I don't want to spend a lot of time in slips.

Faster - I couldn't find the videos in the link you provided regarding the Victoria Family. I'll keep trying.

The tax info was very helpful. I'm wondering if I would have to pay Florida tax if I couldn't get the boat out to sea quickly enough - such as having to do some repairs or fitting a windvane. Does anyone know what the tax would amount to and how long you have before they would apply if your intention is to leave the State?

Thanks everyone for your help!


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Tanny said:


> Thanks everyone for your advice and experiences regarding this!
> 
> Faster - I couldn't find the videos in the link you provided regarding the Victoria Family. I'll keep trying.


Yeah. sorry, I didn't follow that far enough... this series - "Ocean Wanderers" has been broadcast on PBS, our Knowledge Network and a few other independent channels so maybe watch your TV listings for that. The earliest episode deals with their arrival in Florida to find their 'new' (to them) boat on the hard half full of water and needing 6 months and another $100K before they were ready to go. But ultimately go they did, and over a period of several years did circumnavigate. I'm surprised they don't have a blog up....

Out of hurricane season I don't think 'harsh' weather is necessarily the right term, but from Florida to the Island chain you do need to do a lot of miles pretty much upwind, at times in the occasionally boisterous trades. This would be a fairly challenging 'break-in' for an inexperienced crew on a new-to-them boat.

At least you're not trying to do this on a $10K budget  . If you've not already done so, I'd consider spending a bit up front chartering a boat in the islands somewhere, similar in size/type to what you're considering for yourself. It may well cost you a few K, but you'll get some idea of what's involved boat-handling wise and get at least a few miles under your belt that way. For example, the 50 nm beat from Nevis to Antigua could be a good introduction to what you can expect heading out from Florida....


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## Tanny (Oct 25, 2009)

Faster,
Yes - good advice about chartering somewhere to get a better idea about what I'm getting myself into.

Regarding that, I'm taking a 10 day Ocean Sailing and Navigation course aboard a 52' ketch in the USVI this April. It includes a night sail from St. Croix to St. Thomas. It's a much bigger boat than I'm going to be able to buy, but I'm hoping it will combine some needed instruction with the experience you are suggesting.

I figured the comment about the difficulty getting from Florida to the islands was trade-wind related. I'm not as fearful of having to sail into the wind as I am about getting the heck out of the hurricane area. I don't want to doddle in the Bahamas for a year like someone suggested, but I also don't want to limit myself to buying a boat already in the Caribbean.


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## mikefossl (Feb 21, 2008)

Before we bought our boat in Mexico, we made offers on two other boats, one in Annapolis and another in South Carolina. In all cases we found the boats using Boats.com and initially relied on the local broker to provide info. In two cases we made the deal before going to see it, leaving an opt out clause in the offer for virtually any reason. We arranged for surveys to be done on these two boats and we ended up buying one of them. The other boat never got past our initial offer.

We also used an agent from Montreal to facilitate the offers and looked after the details in the purchase of the boat in Mexico including title search, Canadian registration etc. He was also the payments middle man and importantly held our deposit in escrow. His fees were reasonable and well worth the peace of mind it afforded.

Second Jump


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## Tanny (Oct 25, 2009)

Hello Mike,
Thanks for your info.
What type of boat did you purchase?
How did you find the broker in Montreal, and did you have to pay any additional fees, taxes in Mexico?
Did you sail the boat back to Canada, or are you planning to leave her in Mexico?
Regards,
Tanny


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

*We bought in US*

I am writing this from Grenada aboard our Bristol 45.5 that we bought in Connecticut. The boat has never been to Canada and likely will not go there so we are not liable for the GST and PST. Registration was easy - you first must have the US or other foreign registration cancelled and then proceed with the Canadian one. You do not need to pay taxes to get the registration. If you stay too long in any state they may ding you for state sales tax so best to investigate this.

I certainly would get a good Canadian broker to act on your behalf. It does not cost you anything since his cut comes from the selling broker (if you do not go this route, you should be able to cut a deal based on the fact that the selling broker gets the whole 10%). Considering that you are not very experienced I would have my own broker. It was for a much more expensive boat, but my broker went to CT with me to check out the boat before the offer went it. He should also give you advice on what particular boats would suit your needs and budget. Then he would look for suitable candidates in one region so you could go to look at several boats rather than just one. Also brokers have access to a part of Yachtworld that indicates how much particular boats have sold for in recent months - Knowing this could save you some money.

Florida (and Caribbean) boats are often cheap but they are used 12 months a year in most cases. There are a lot of really good boats in Long Island Sound, Chesapeake and New England that are used seasonally and more likely to have radar and less likely to have A/C. Buying in the northeast would give you the trip down to Florida to built expertise. BTW, going from Florida to the BVI involves a great deal of windward work. You would find that boats like older Tayanas and Hans Christians would not shine at this. You would still get there just take longer.

Good luck


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## Tanny (Oct 25, 2009)

killarney,
Thanks for the info.
I appreciate your post!
I know that the full keel, heavier boats are more difficult to sail into the wind, but as you noted, I would still get there!
That's the goal. I'm not in a hurry.
I'm trying to contact Canadian brokers. I agree that I need one.
Cheers!


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

*Where are you?*

Boat brokers have, shall we say, a mixed reputation. It is a buyer's market to be sure and you should expect very good service from your broker. If you are in southern Ontario I can recommend Dave Harris in Oakville. He has a wealth of experience and good contacts in the northeastern US (don't know elsewhere). If you sat down with him or someone of similar ability he could suggest boats that would do what you want.

As to boat types, everyone has personal preferences. I did not know Bristols until I ended up buying one but I must say I am impressed. Look for models with a decimal in their name like 35.5 and 41.1. In the latter part of the company's history they went up market with their line of boats (starting with 29.9). Ted Hood, the designer, is an absolute sailing genius and designed these boats to be racer-cruisers in spite of being quite heavy displacement. My 45.5 is 35,000 lb on the spec sheet but is probably over 40,000 when loaded (a Little Harbor 46 which is very similar was 32K on the spec sheet and weighed 46000 when measured for a racing certificate). The displacement means you can carry stuff but almost all of these boats have centerboards which means you can point. We had 400 miles exactly to windward coming down to St Thomas from the Chesapeake and sailed probably 370 of that. We can point to slightly less than 30 degrees apparent with the board down - 11 foot draft, but with the board up we are only 4'10". Smaller Bristols would be proportionate to this.

One other thought, if you are going to be in the Caribbean might as well check out some boats while here. You may find some really good deals. Do your homework with your broker in Canada first though so you know what you are looking at is a reasonable possibility.


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## jongoose (Nov 13, 2007)

*Cabo Rico 38*

Tanny

I have a 1985 Cabo Rico 38 on the market in Rock Hall MD (Chesapeake Bay), it is a well found bluewater cruiser and my original plan was to do what you are planning with the boat. Plans have changed as sometimes we are forced to do. If you are interested you can view the boat on Yachtworld or at the Salt brokerage site which is our broker. Tom Lippincott is and experienced cruiser himself and a wonderful person to talk to, very informative. One of the members of our sailing association just sold there boat to a Canadian who is currently living on the boat in hopes of getting a weather window to head south. Mother nature has not been kind to him so far.

Good Luck
Hal


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