Buying boat in US

M

masterbaiter

Member
Has anyon bought a boat in the US? Im looking at a new Hewes 220 ocean pro, and even after taxes it looks like I could save 8-10,000 in Washington state vs here. I prefer to support the local guys, but with the exchange rate and being able to save that much I think I might head over there.

From what I've read it is fairly straightforward for buying a new boat that is manufactured in north America?
 
go over, buy boat, pay gst at border, get trailer certified over here. all is good.

I was just talking about this with some buddies yesterday that bought boats over there.

Super easy

Lorne
 
I bought my boat across the line, had all the info sent to a broker at the line. They had all my paper work done up for me,taxes were paid. Customs looked at the paper work, saw a broker did it, stamped my papers and off I went. Pretty simple, if youwould like more details shoot me a PM.
 
masterbaiter said:
Has anyon bought a boat in the US? ... could save 8-10,000 in Washington state vs here. From what I've read it is fairly straightforward for buying a new boat that is manufactured in north America?
Click to expand...

I bought a boat & trailer back from S. Carolina last Spring - big saving. Go to this site and follow directions:http://www.riv.ca/importerchecklist.aspx
Do your homework before you go and BIG tip - cross the border at the Pacific crossing early in the a.m. I went through at 3:00 a.m. and it was super simple - show RIV forms, pay tax and go. Then Canadian Tire, ICBC and you're done. Most effort was the trailer - Customs didn't even look at the boat.
 
X2

I bought ours in Kentucky. Had it shipped to Blaine where I met the shipper. Bought insurance at the supermarket in blaine. Filled the boat with cheap gas and crossed the border. No questions asked, no one looked at the boat or trailer just wanted my visa number for taxes.
 
Get separate bill of sale for everything. Bill of sale for boat, bill of sale for motor, bill of sale for trailer.
 
I bought one out of the Missippi River last year. NO problems, Have your paper work and pay the HST at the border. No problems.
 
I just bought a 26 foot weledcraft out of Troutdale Oregon. It was very easy to do. I saved $35 k doing this. I bought only the boat and trailer and am having motors and gear installed in Parksville. I could have saved more by getting motors in USA. But I wanted the convience of servicing and guaranty work to be close.
The dealers do this lots in the USA and can line you up with brokers and even transport companies to deliver your boat right to your door..Ray
 
The big "secret" about bringing things in from the US is paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. The Canadian gov't loves paperwork.

Seriously, make sure you get ALL papers on EVERYTHING. I know of one guy who brought a boat from TX and made it all the way to the border only to find papers are required for the trailer. He had to go buy a brand new trailer, unload the used one and try again. Then, he passed.

Once in, you will have to have inspection for the trailer and you can insure it.

Another guy I know just put everything into his name in WA then brought it over the border.
 
Whatever you do, don't pay the HST at the border. The CSBA should only collect the GST. You pay the 7% PST to ICBC when you register and insure your trailer, then you pay the PST when you register your boat. Get separate bills' of sale for boat and trailer.

I did it wrong and it took a couple of months to straighten out.

Just my 2 cents.

Leo
 
I have brought two pursuits north out of washington. easy peasy. If the trailer is included in the sale you will need proper documentation via www.riv.ca If you are buying new I would definately buy the trailer locally. saved me a big hassle going through the RIV program and getting it inspected. if you take this route all you need to do is show up at the boarder with your paperwork pay your taxes and away you go.

Its incredibly easy either way. I wouldnt waste the money on a broker as some have suggested. IMO
 
I bought a 1995 trophy 1802 from a guy in portland in April...did a ton of research prior to buying and it was super easy. I saw the add online on craigslist so i printed that add off andd all my corespondances with the seller (usefull at the border) I had the seller do up a bill of sale seperating the Boat, motor and trailer. I met the seller in Blaine, and he signed over the titles to me for the boat and trailer. I paid using a certified check (bank draft) as it was easier to bring over the boarder rather than cash. prior to going over i went to ICBC and got an insurance binder for the trailer. At the border i declared i had just bought the boat/trailer. I then went inside to do some paperwork. I gave all my documents (bill of sale, titles, printed off emails, printed off ad) to the agent, he told me to sit down and wiat.....about 15 minutes later i paid the taxes on the boat, 12% boat and motor, 7% on the trailer. Was on my way to the ferry....once in Victoria i went to ICBC and got the trailer registerd, i payed the remainder of the tax at ICBC, this is key to have seperate bill of sale so you dont pay tax on the hole thing, only the trailer ammount. Because the trailer is older than 15 years, it is RIV exempt so no inspection is required. Anything newer than 15 years you are required to pay a RIV fee (around 200$) and get a federal inspection at Canadian tire....(www.riv.ca) super easy to do, would definetly do it agian, would definetly recomend it to anyone!!!
 
3 boats up from USA this winter- 2 shipped across border by transport shipper and one I picked up in Blaine from shipper with my own truck. Used a broker for boats that were shipped across border (but as others mentioned, if you are picking it up in Blaine yourself, I wouldn't bother using a broker as it was about 500 bucks for that service and its straight foward)
The trailer is the more difficult item to bring across the border because there is more to deal with ( its considered a vehicle ) so if the boat is shipped without a trailer or shipped on a transport company's trailer, its a simple process to get the boat across. You can pick it up with your own trailer in Blaine or there are some shippers that will bring the boat across and drop at any marina that has travel lift. Shipping/loading will be a bit higher cost if boat is shipped on a gooseneck/flatdeck as opposed to a haul-away tow using a boat trailer.

Here are some important points , especially when including the trailer in a boat shipment into canada.

- check to make sure shipper has appropriate insurance ( ask to see copy) and/or buy some shipping insurance - I did both.

- make sure you have all your paper work when crossing border- bill of sales, signed off titles. Proof of the asking price in the ad is a good idea if private sale --- there are lots of past threads on this forum about all these details of paperwork needed. I got lots of info from members here !!

- ***** trailer must have a LEGIBLE VIN NUMBER (sticker/plate) before you buy it otherwise you will have BIG HASSLES getting a Canadian Federal RIV certification***** plus the border may not allow it to cross/enter.

- MAKE SURE all paperwork /bill of sales including your title papers all have matching VIN number ( to the trailer) and S/N number ( to the boat) . Of the two trailers brought across the border this winter BOTH had VIN number typo's on paperwork. One letter was off and it caused hours/days of hassle . In one case it took 2 weeks for the New York dealership (prior to the boat/trailer shipment) to get a trailer title corrected to match the proper VIN on trailer ( a Y was written on original title paper from Arkansas instead of a 4 which was on the actual VIN) !! If I had not noticed that and insisted the dealership get it corrected I likely would have been stuck at the border with a trailer that was not allowed to cross into canada if they too noticed - or in Canada getting a RIV would have been a nightmare.

- get a "recall waiver" letter from the trailer manufacturer (easy to get but the trailer must have VIN sticker to get this info and the waiver letter must be on trailer manufacturers letterhead, signed and be dated no less than a month prior to entry into canada

- Bill of sale should show trailer seperate from boat (no need to seperate boat and motor though, infact simpler if you don't)

- Boat/motor made in US will only cost you HST and no duty. Despite motor being Yamaha, it is assembled/made in USA therefore no duty , just HST.

- Boat/motor/trailer purchased in a US state will not cost you state tax because you are taking it out of the state . Dealership will ask you to fill out form waiving them of need to charge you US state tax. No US state sales tax on motor as you are removing it from state. If motor is attached to boat and sold as a boat including motor then a motor is not looked at seperately

- you will pay HST on boat at border and gst only on the trailer ( A broker will bill that well in advance if you are using a broker. A broker also charges the RIV on the trailer and gives you your RIV paperwork to take to Crappy Tire.
(ICBC gets the pst off you later upon getting insurance)

Do your homework and it is exciting but it does come with stress.
When the last boat was over a month late being picked up I was glad I got insurance (here ) for the storage and the shipping. Also I was glad that as part of the deal , I didn't have to pay any storage costs while the boat sat for over a month after purchase.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I just brought a boat back from Mexico. It was off of an American so same deal. It was more than 15 years old which made it even easier. Anything more than 15 years old does not have to go through the riv program. I just paid GST on boat and trailer. No trailer or boat inspection required. Five minutes of paperwork at the border crossing and five minutes registering the trailer. Will definitely do it again to save a ton of money
 
Paperwork, official papers, never screw around, and take the add too. I heard of a guy who saw and add on craigslist and bought the boat, but decided he would save money by lying about the value. It turned out the border guy had seen the boat ad and didn't believe the miracle price, so he dialed it up and stalled the guy at the border due to the BS on the paperwork.

The other key is to clearly have separate prices listed or separate bills of sale for the boat and trailer, otherwise they have been known to ding you for tax on the combined price if you get a jackass border guy.
 
NautiGirl said:
Paperwork, official papers, never screw around, and take the add too. I heard of a guy who saw and add on craigslist and bought the boat, but decided he would save money by lying about the value. It turned out the border guy had seen the boat ad and didn't believe the miracle price, so he dialed it up and stalled the guy at the border due to the BS on the paperwork.

The other key is to clearly have separate prices listed or separate bills of sale for the boat and trailer, otherwise they have been known to ding you for tax on the combined price if you get a jackass border guy.
Click to expand...


I printed off the craigslist add for the boat i bought and the guy still grilled me about the price etc... It seems they assume you are being fraudulant and yu have to prove that your not... Definetly in your best interest to be prepared with all email correspondances and online adds!!
 
Thanks for all the replies and info. Very helpful! I didn't realize about the Yamaha warranty if bought in the US so need to look into that. Thanks again
 
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