Used Fishing boat France

[Linear]

Hi all, 

I am looking to purchase a used 18ft fishing boat from France for my personal use, my plan was to view then bring back to UK on trailer..... 

Looking at France as seem to be a lot cheaper

Is there anything I need to be aware of with bring back on ferry ? 

[Andy135]

Hi Linear, welcome to the forum.

How much cheaper are we talking? Seems like a lot of effort to save some money.

I briefly looked at trailering a boat back from Jersey but the ferry company (Condor) wasn't terribly helpful - expensive and had limitations on which crossings I could use rather than just turning up and rolling on. I'd have also had to factor in the cost of renting or buying a trailer that may or may not have been suitable for the hull. In the end I paid a skipper circa £1k to bring her over by sea. Depending on where in France the boat is located this could be an option for you to explore. One other thing to consider is whether VAT will be payable when you bring it over. This may also eat into any potential savings.

Have you definitely excluded a UK boat? There will likely be the right boat for you somewhere over here but you may have to wait or travel to find it.

Good luck in your search whatever you decide.

[Saintly Fish]

VAT @ 20% on everything will be charged at the border unless it is a UK registered boat and there is paperwork to prove this. 
And on everything I mean the boat and any transportation costs. 
Buying abroad is not cheaper when this is factored in, but you do have more choice there atm. 
But a word of caution, as in the UK the foreign brokers leave boats on their web sites long after they have been sold and moved on. So always make sure the boat is actually available before arranging to go see. 

[Linear]

13 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

Hi Linear, welcome to the forum.

How much cheaper are we talking? Seems like a lot of effort to save some money.

I briefly looked at trailering a boat back from Jersey but the ferry company (Condor) wasn't terribly helpful - expensive and had limitations on which crossings I could use rather than just turning up and rolling on. I'd have also had to factor in the cost of renting or buying a trailer that may or may not have been suitable for the hull. In the end I paid a skipper circa £1k to bring her over by sea. Depending on where in France the boat is located this could be an option for you to explore. One other thing to consider is whether VAT will be payable when you bring it over. This may also eat into any potential savings.

Have you definitely excluded a UK boat? There will likely be the right boat for you somewhere over here but you may have to wait or travel to find it.

Good luck in your search whatever you decide.

Thanks for this advise yes few things to consider, was looking around £2.5k cheaper for similar boat thanks again will look into more 🙂

[Linear]

10 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

VAT @ 20% on everything will be charged at the border unless it is a UK registered boat and there is paperwork to prove this. 
And on everything I mean the boat and any transportation costs. 
Buying abroad is not cheaper when this is factored in, but you do have more choice there atm. 
But a word of caution, as in the UK the foreign brokers leave boats on their web sites long after they have been sold and moved on. So always make sure the boat is actually available before arranging to go see. 

Thanks again really helpful, glad I came to forum 

[Saintly Fish]

11 minutes ago, Linear said:

Thanks again really helpful, glad I came to forum 

Well don't be a stranger!! 

[JDP]

Just get two receipts, one you can use to insure it (high) and one for the border crossing (low).