Buying a Boat in Caribbean Grenada - Taxes, Surveys, Customs! Ep 260 - Lady K Sailing 

I looked at a couple sailboats that were listed in Florida that were owned by Canadians. On one we were told that they sailed up to the day of storage however we found out that the boat had sat for 6 years! The pictures were from 6 years ago! If you are thinking of buying a boat from the Caribbean or Florida, they will be sun bleached and warm salt water is hard on boats hence the price difference between Fresh Water and Salt Water boats. Pay close attention to pictures of Dodgers etc and they are often sun bleached. Wiring is often green and requires replacing. Many sailboat engines are not closed cooled and will have internal issues not able to be checked by a survey....Trucking a fresh water boat down south ( or sailing) may turn out to be a better option. We ended up buying a great lakes boat with no salt experience and with current prices did much better then what we found down south. Boats down south were often listed in US dollars adding additional costs.

Just landed in Prickly Bay in Grenada in December from Spain. The Budget Marine at Spices Island Marina is duty free. Saves a bit of cash.

I bought a boat in Grenada during the height of covid restrictions. Paid less than half what a similar model would have been priced at on the USA east coast. I fell in love with Grenada.

I don’t know how you knew that we are down in Martinique shopping for boats, but this just came up and It was extremely helpful in figuring the taxes on the boats. Thank you very much.

They require deposit into escrow because they got tired of keel kickers and waterline lickers wasting 95% of their time. ( how did you like my nautical version of tire kickers and window lickers? LOL)

Particularly interesting to me, as I was a US Marine in 1983 that liberated Grenada in Operation Urgent Fury.

I suspect the deposit requirement is to help disqualify 'non-serious' buyers. The fact that they will just take you there if you show up at the door kinda validates that assumption. Great video and I learned a good bit!

Thank you for doing this episode. Exactly my plan in a few years!

You are my favorite how to sailing channel.

Seriously useful video, Tim - many thanks. We’ve been looking for a sailboat in (and out) of Grenada over the past year. In our experience, having dealt with 4 brokers, none have asked or even mentioned a deposit pre-viewing; and neither have we come across the mid-day ‘Island Time’ thing for appointments. Surveyors are busy (so busy, that one surveyor put us off two boats without even visiting - they were Covid orphans) You’re correct about everyone knowing everyone in the business, which has its upsides. In addition to those you mentioned, Tony Gagliardo has just sailed into Grenada; a seriously experienced SAMS/IIMS/ABYC ‘mobile’ surveyor who we used in Chaguaramas, Trinidad. Incidentally, if you’re finding Grenada expensive, try Chaguaramas - costs are considerably lower, with highly qualified professionals - additionally tax-free import an option worth investigating for accessories and spares.

Wow Sailor, your channel is what we need to prepare us for sailing one day

One option is to go to contract before buying the plan tickets, subject to personal inspection, survey, etc. The funds are held in escrow in the USA. At least that way you know what the price will be before you survey the boat, as opposed to buying plane tickets, paying for hotels, and finding that the seller won't move on his/her price.

Wish this were way longer

Regarding Caribbean marine insurance in addition to not covering Venezuela & Cuba, the last 3 quotes we've had from UK insurers, have changed their latitude definition of the area at risk from "named storms" southwards from 12°N to 9°N, with the south coast of Grenada approx. 12°N.

Good info on boat buying off shore. I like how you explained its not like the US or Canada, Check out Rio dulce Guatemala . Every year hundreds of cruisers go there for hurricane season. Many like me find they are too old to sail and put their boat up for sale. You can find good deals and the marinas are very reasonable. It's a short cheap flight from Florida.

following your steps, when I buy your boat out on international waters, the boat is still registered to Alice in Canada not me Bob in Lauderdale. As we enter Grenada, how do A & B present themselves in inmigration? Hi I'm Bob and I have this napkin with an executed sales contract and my boat was Alice's but although is registered to her it ain´t hers. You get my point 🌝

Garcia 45, BVI's, blue. Thanks for the info in this vid.

Another solid episode packed with useful, real world knowledge. Mahalo 🤙

Helpful advice, thanks. I hired Nigel Peters of Crosstree Marine as surveyor for a pre-purchase (5-year old catamaran) several months ago. He was very diligent, detailed, extremely knowledgeable and highly skilled. I used his thorough report to leverage more repair work by the seller. I see he’s among your list of 3 in Grenada. The boatyards in Grenada are good but they are indeed pricey…. Yowza. Break Out Another Thou$…. often.

"Red . . . I mean blue." - - "Aaaauuuggggghhh"

We bought our last boat, Beneteau Sense 50 , in Trinidad. Similar number of boats available as compared to Grenada. Easier process. No international waters deals. I did have to place a deposit. The local surveyor was excellent, but only one of 2 options. All paper work was handled by the broker.

Great Idea, That would be the thing to do, buy the boat, sail the Caribbean and then head to Florida and sell it, then repeat if you are lucky enough.

Our first, dream boat we found was in Grenada, a Hans Christian 33. We followed that boat for a year, and contacted the broker. Eventually, someone else put in a bid, right before we did of course, and paid for a survey. The prospective buyer backed out after seeing it. So we talked to the broker again, who shared the survey with us as well (saving us that expense). We still considered buying it, despite the flaws revealed, and mad a reasonable counter offer. As it turned out, someone beat us to her. We were able to find what we considered a better boat local to us in Florida, saving all the flights, taxes, moving the boat to Puerto Rico, etc. Thank you so much for the consult and survey review to help us out!! We highly recommend your service. We love you too, Tim

I went to grenada in Oct 83...I like how much it seems to have changed.

Thanks for sharing so much info. I learn more on every vid you put out. By the time I'm financially ready to buy a sailboat I'll know exactly what to look for and where to look for it.

Very relevant, Tim ;) Thanks for distilling this knowledge all in one place!

i am from Nassau,Bahamas, been wanting a boat now for years, so far the older Morgans 60s,70s,80s are my favorite

Really interesting video, money, taxes, voyages, sail ....

Great perspective. I;m gonna have to watch this a few times. Thanks!!!

I sold my house 6’ ketch in Mexico as a US citizen. I sold to a Canadian. All went well. No broker involved. No problem. No extra expenses. \

Great video, i love the way you see a business opportunity and share it for all, you rock. Just wanted to say hello and ask if your still wanting to race in the spring. Im looking forward to it and getting excited to race again and win again.

Great information. Thank you

I had no issue setting up a video viewing for free at first with a broker in Grenada, and then I visited. I would never pay a deposit before see the boat live

Very interesting. I always wondered how that worked with cross border sales

My favorite color is green!!! Especially the greenback shade. Thanks for the business idea Tim.

Great content, as always.

Hoping to buy later this year. Or early next. Keep up the good work!

This way a very good one ..Thank you

I thank you so much.

Great video thanks

Understood clearly And thanks for the information

Good to know. thank you.

Hi Tim! Great Video!! My favorite island is Antiqua! My favorite boat is any two cabin boat with a fully encapsulated keel with a skeg hung Rudder!

That was a really interesting episode.

Great info

good information thanks

Hi Tim, another great video ... thanks from the other coast. Just so happens I have been looking at a Canadian made boat in Grenada and well ,would like to bring her home. Could go on and on but "here's the thing". Retiring soon, time running out, snowing like a bastard out side "I think I need an hour of your time". Hope to get in touch soon.

Absolutely BRILLIANT !!! Thanks 🙂 Funny enough, I was looking at flights to Grenada over the weekend, to buy a boat and keep her on the hard whilst I'm not there. It's a good option from the UK. ps: the deposit in escrow is to weed the tyre-kickers out. They probably get a lot of them otherwise.

Thanks to your channel, I've been looking at the Jenneau 42DS a good bit. My favorite island at the moment is probably Virgin Gorda, BVI. Favorite color is red, but nautical blue is growing on me. Interesting concept for a business importing caribbean boats - something to consider!

Just a comment to say thanks for the video and to help your algorithm 🤙🏻 Cheers headhuntersailing

Perhaps my new job? Sounds good to me… great idea/video Tim!!

I bought one in Grenada Saves 20g getting it there Spent 3G going to look and a survey Yes bought the first 38beneteau and retired to learn to sail and sun tan start drinking again fix fix fix my boat more rum my friend Taxes oh no none of that thanks. $250 every three years to canada for registration ? Thought it was a one time thing but … Grenada is beautiful ❤

well done

Cheers.

Nice video!

Thank you Tim. Great video, tons of useful hints :) I wonder is any similar pattern in Europe? Love you here abut...

Fav color is blue

My favorite boat is the Nordic 44, designed by Bob Perry, and built in Bellingham, Washington in the 80s. Designed to no racing rules, it is a performance oriented sailboat with great manners. But I am biased, as I own hull #27, built in 1984. Fin keel with skeg hung rudder, and I have been told that no one was building any better boats than Nordic during this time.

Swallow yachts bay cruiser, suckers are pricey though 26ft 120k made somewhere in Europe.

I’m one looking too… but in PR. Of which I hope to see one in a couple weeks.

Can you do a video on navigation of the erie canal and the intercoastal water way. Covering cost, time, marinas, and other requirements requirements? Thanks

Grenadian, long time watcher and I've been in Grenadian maritime industry since 2007. Some notes: Import taxes on boat spares and equipment for "boats in transit" is only 2.5% customs duty and no VAT. Please don't blame the broker non-performance on "island-time" because none of the brokers are from the island. The deposit requirement is to weed out the people looking for free boat tours, there are people who have come on vacation and have the brokers be free taxi/tour drivers for days checking out boats, and places on the Island for days with no intention to buy, lot of fun stories there. Cruising permits are only 50XCD a month for boats under 40ft, much too low for the damage being done by the boat to the environment. There are many more surveyors than listed on that particular marketing organization's website, please remember its is a marketing organization, despite the name. Always ask for samples of the survey you will receive.

Favorite boat is a Cape Dory, and my favorite colour is blue!

Are there other places like this? I heard Panama was also a good place to go for cheap boats, but I'm not sure what complications come with buying them. Also, I live in Europe, so would probably look here first.

Fortunately we got a deal on our Catalina 380 on the west coast, and yes it was surveyed by a buddy of the broker and yes we were totally lucky that things weren't too bad to deal with. Here in Gibsons BC😊

Chris-Craft Caribbean 40 ft. is a beautiful S&S design. But you don't see many of those anymore. I like Leopard 44. It's a nice, stable ride and a tough little boat fit for big passages. Do you see abandoned boats down there that you can get for a song, too?

Favourite colour is green. 😂 Thanks, Tim for making your vids, I learn so much. I have a little 1981 Kelt 7.6 in our shared Nations Capital. I appreciate my boat but I would like some headroom since i am a little over 6 foot (183cm) and see the bigger 30 footers on the river and their ability to offer the ability to stand erect. Anywho, if you were looking for video ideas (I know, unsolicited advice), talking about smaller 25-27 footers that offers height, weeklong tank capacity, and finally what kit to put on your boat to make life better on small boats (bbq, lagun table, bimini, chairs, inflatable toys, etc...). Finally, thank you for reading this comment. Signed, a big fan.

I love the C&C boats! Raced my 25’ Balboa sang keel to Mackinaw island race came in 5th not bad for a 25’ with flushing toilet?

Beneteau 473 or something like an old Morgan with a cutter rig, those are my dreams, but my wallet says Highfield… Bwahahahaha.

4:25 In fact, the Global Solo Challenge is in progress right now. I don't know how they handled the checking-out issue. But that falls in the category of "not my problem".

Hi Tim. Good videos. I have a Jeanneau 46 for sale in Grenada. I Agee with most your points. But I don’t think it is all that complicated. Like anything it’s just the process you have to through. The escrow process would be the most onerous but I think a good one for the points you made in weeding out the tire kickers and making the purchaser accountable for any possible damage that might happen. Doing the sale off shore is easy just a little time consuming but having fun doing that shake down cruise to Union and back. Cruising permits are cheap. 75 EC a month, a small price to pay to use their beautiful waters. One last point is that there is a big European presence in Grenada so the USA is not the only market. And flights from Miami can be cheap and are direct.

Sound advice thanks . Looking at buying in the us , I am Canadian . Any rules there ( maybe do a show if you have not already

Fun video thanks. Can I ask, how much cheaper are boats in Florida say anywhere on the west coast? just roughly (percentage). Thanks

Purple - fav color

Blue…😊 Serious question…35% tax seems a bit high. How do you turn a profit if you have to pay such a high tax rate. The $40k boat just cost you $54k. What is the value of that C & C in the US?

having family from Trinidad, they definitely operate differently down there and walk to their own drum beat.

So where can you find a list of these “Cheaper” boats

What is the cost difference between a cruising permit and being parked on the hard?

Hobie 16 & orange!

Could you make the same video but on mexico ?

My favorite colors are black and dark gray and red and orange. I really want to get a steel boat that I can single hand all over the world, including the arctic but is big enough for me to put a proper office with a big gaming monitor and editing station and have a super comfy berth and a bathroom with a tub. A woman can dream...

Is that 35% of the boat's price?

I'd like to know what you think about a pilot house boat for cruising, as opposed to, say, a centre cockpit. My parents lived on a Fisher 34 for years, which sailed like a brick but was extraordinarily comfortable. I once toured a Hans Christian 44 pilot house which made me go weak at the knees from first sight. Would love to know what cruisers think of these. Pete H

My favorite boat Vagabond 47

Sound like you have a way to cruise full time in the carribbean 🤔😉

I also look in Europe specifically in Croatia and Greece for a sailboat look like the price is much cheaper what is the coast to bring it to United States perhaps Florida or Maryland is it really worse that let me know if you can do any episodes on that

This is awesome! Is it similar to buying in Mexico?

Is the process / red tape similar for boats listed in Dominican Republic.

Sky blue

Where is the best place to buy a boat, in particular a catamaran?

Gets way more expensive if you have to visit several boats over several months before finding what you want... by which time you may discover you no longer have the funds to purchase :

How much is a cruising permit in Grenada? When you say import to Grenada and just pay 35%,...of what? Sale price? Appraised Value? estimated value? Can give a real world example?

Blue….of course

What is the cost of the permit v cost of being on the hard?

Blue

How much os that cruising permit for a C&C 40?

Gray

Do the same issues apply to Trinidad?

If you want to make real money sail them to Australia

I may have missed it, but this doesn't seem to address what one is required to do regarding "re-flagging" the boat once you purchase it. Presumably the boat was flagged under the previous owner's country of origin, wherever that may be. Unless you keep it flagged in that country, and I'm not sure if you are always allowed to if you are not a citizen of that country, you will have to flag it in your country, U.S. or Canada for purposes of this audience. I think that would immediately trigger duty having to be paid unless the boat is already under the purchaser's country of registration. It doesn't seem that you can simply buy a foreign flagged boat in Grenada and only have to renew a cruising permit.