Import USA Boat.....Any regrets?

[Belly66]

I doubt that many that have had a negative experience from importing would be likely to get on here and roll back through their own sh!t. I certainly wouldn't be putting much credence into all the happy comments if I was going to part with my hard earned. Sure alot of people have done it, and a lot have had a good experience, but tread carefully, because if it all hits the fan the only door you will have to knock on is your ex wifes.

[fish'n'chippy]

.....I certainly wouldn't be putting much credence into all the happy comments if I was going to part with my hard earned.........

I think that is a big generalisation

A lot of people have been burnt buying boats here as well, but if you do your homework you can minimise the risks.
I've used the same bloke both times. All the paperwork is finalised before the boat is shipped and I also pay all the invoices direct to each company involved.
No mistakes, issues, dramas, surprises or whatever else you would like to call it.

Feel free to PM me if you want specific information about my importing experiences and I will gladly pass it on (as I have done for several other Ausfishers already)

In short,
2 boats, all good, and for the 3rd I'll be having a holiday over there as well.

Grahame

[chocolatemoose]

can i ask what boats you bought in?

[Muddy Toes]

Ahhhh....you got me you cunning fox.

Yeah my import was filled with problems and was an absolute headache, i payed out heaps of cash and between you and I the boat never even rocked up!!!
So then I got all of these blokes together plus many hundreds more around Australia and devised a plan to talk it up like it was the best boat buying experience we've ever had just so we could sit back and watch Jim's money go down the gurgler and laugh at him!!!!
Secrets out now Jim.....sorry mate!!!

[fish'n'chippy]

can i ask what boats you bought in?

If you are asking me
Scouts, 1st was a 262 Abaco and 2nd (and current boat) is a 175 Sportfish

[my v16c]

Well.....Import a boat from the USA ....any regrets....none at all !!! After 18 days on a freighter......its here!!! and I have absolutely no regrets. Yes jumped through a few hoops like you do with any major purchase, but all in all worth the risk and effort. The Trophy 2102 with 150 Verado is all and more than I expected.Trailer will need some work to comply, but even that is a pleasure to work on. I never thought I would import from the USA, but when shopping around and trying to stick to my budget, only the US boat stood out. I'm not the Trade Commissioner for the USA in Australia, but if I could have found a comparable boat in Aus I wouldn't have hesitated to buy locally. In fact I would have preferred it. I don't have to justify my purchase, it's my money after all, but after walking into a few boat yards locally, I felt I was either in someones way or taking them away from their valuable time on the phone.
On the other side of the Pacific the story was a little different. Service wise, everyone from the dealer,the shipper who took the windscreens out to save me $1000 in freight and who cleaned and wrapped the boat and gave me the exact time of arrival, to the guy who took photos of the boat before departure and the customs agent were all helpful.
Without sounding patronising and speaking of helpfull, thanks to the genuine comments and advice from the guys on this forum who have imported themselves...it all contributed to a great buying experience. Just as with my Haines V16C I can see myself holding on to the Trophy for the next 20 years...if I'm still on the planet that is.
Happy boating guys...see you on the water.
CheersMy V16C

[Ausgradi]

Welcome to the US import club V16 !!

May I ask who you used for a broker?

Much needed to comply it? Trailer?

Cheers.

[SUPERDAFF]

TIME TO IMPORT THE BOAT - AND THE TRADIES

Love the idea of getting better value and service from overseas .. with the jobs I've got to do around my home, I too see the huge short term benefits in importing an American worker on the minimum wage of $7.95 an hour - half that of Australia - or a handful of even lower cost tradies from a near-Asian country, to do the work. Many would be happy to work in return for just being fed - now there's an idea we need to promote.

Anyway it would make a great deal more sense financially and I wouldn't be leaving repeated messages for tradies to ring me back so I can get them to quote. I could sling a certifier a few shekels to sign-off on the imported work. In fact, if we all work together and perfect the system, I could look after the owner-builder paperwork myself on my next home and the ones my daughters build, their friends etc and we can cut the Aussie tradies out altogether. Then we won't need a bunch of mega-million grant-grabbers like Holden to make any more V8 utes here. Even more savings.

My cheap labor wouldn't be here to work of course ... no need to complicate a good deal with the need for a work Visa, a bucket load of compulsory insurances, leave loadings, sick leave, superannuation, holiday pay, safety scaffolding, tethers, safety lifting equipment or any of that price increasing garbage. Nope - just a few feeds each day, Sundays off for fishing and a few grand to take back home to the wife and the sub-teen kids who are never going to cut it financially, no matter how many pairs of Nike shoes they stitch together with their little 10 year old hands.

In fact, I reckon I could organise it all via the internet. If we can get a few thousand Brisbanites to follow suit - perhaps saving $100,000 each, the idea is bound to catch on quickly.

That way we won't have to worry about having an Australian boat building industry, an Australian retail industry ... or any Australian tradies for that matter.

As for our medical work when we get older, off we go to Thailand on medi-vacations. Better value there as well. Bugger making donations to hospitals - let's all pool it for an offshore medical holiday fund.

So forget about saving a few bucks on a piece of electronic equipment, forget about saving a grand on an outboard, forget about saving quite a few grand on a boat that your next door neighbor's son helped to build, let's have a go at the big stuff - at least a $100,000 -$150,000 saved and no need to debt service it over the next 25 years either (which would at least triple the principal repaid)

Now that's a saving !

Then we could expand into all other areas and save even more. Gee, if we do it right, there will come a day when we we won't even need an Australia. Clever us.

[fish'n'chippy]

So........
I guess you don't own a tv, phone, microwave, or wear clothes and only eat Dick Smith's food.
Where was your computer that you typed your rant made?
Maybe you could voice an opinion on that industry as well .

"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"

Hypocritical bullsh!t

but that is just my opinion

G

[chocolatemoose]

everyone to their own. if i wasn't in the industry i would be importing a boat more than likely as well . unless i found it locally. but yeah, always hits a nerve when a customer comes in to tell you he or she imported a boat.
i just take it as a reminder to improve myself. to try and make sure every customer leaves with a smile thinking "jeez those guys are alright" and perhaps get them back instead of ebay at 2am

[SUPERDAFF]

My point exactly Mr Fish 'n Chippy.

Specifically and to address your examples, my first television was an AWA, a brand previously manufactured in Australia - the company no longer exists; my telephone is imported because no Australian manufacturer (that I know of) now exists; my microwave is imported as they all are, because no local manufacturer exists; I purchased a Fisher and Paykel fridge which was made in Australia (by an overseas company), but they now no longer exist here; my last five computers were in fact built in Australia by Octek at Windsor, but using imported components because they are not manufactured in Australia; yes, I did wear Fletcher Jones pants and shirts (they did odd sizes) a great Australian company that like almost all other clothing, textile and footwear (TCF) companies which dominated the Ballarat and Bendigo areas in Victoria, used products from the Bruck knitting Mills in Wangaratta - again, none of which exist today; I have in fact just finished my Dick Smith Bush Foods Breakfast cereal; yes I drove a number of Holdens that used Borg Warner gearboxes built in Albury, but they no longer exist; I then bought a locally built Magna, but that company no longer manufactures in Adelaide; my first boat was a new Haines Hunter, the second was a mew aluminium custom built by Alf Stessl, the third a new 15 foot side console built by CruiseCraft; the fourth a new Explorer 500 built by CruiseCraft; the fifth a new Outsider 625 CruiseCraft which admittedly is towed by a VW 4WD because no locally built equivalent spec exists, likewise the outboard; I use a Texalium rod by that is built using some imported parts by a local company called Wilson; (I do have quite a few locally built Wilson rods and some early Jarvis Walkers); I own a swag of locally built Alvey reels, the furniture in my house is Australian, I live in a rendered block house painted with Porters Paint, the last two blocks of land I purchased, I bought from clients because they supported my business etc etc.

Bottom line, Australian first time every time as a starting point because I have and continue to live a very fortunate life in Australia. yeah, I know it's an old fashioned thought, but that's just me.

[Horse]

Good on you Superdaff. I hope your sacrifice saves Australia. I however live in the global economy and buy from whoever I want to. I hope you don't look down on punters like myself

[lee8sec]

Buying locally made is all well and good but getting raped for the privilege isn't.
I have a oz built car & boat hull, but would look at at Us boat for the next upgrade.

[chocolatemoose]

i remember in 2003 i went to a "Working in the marine industry" talk when i was in school thinking about going into the trade. the guy giving the lecture was very proud to say how australia was the 2nd largest marine industry in the world behind the united states. sad that wont be the case soon

[Jarrah Jack]

Superdaff...Its funny,,I didn't like your first long post but I liked the second even though they were both trying to convey the same thing.

There's just no easy answers to it. Capitalism has given us a hell of a lot. When we were manufacturing virtually everything here we weren't a rich country. There wasn't a lot of money around in those times. Now its mostly all made overseas and we're a very wealthy country. If it wasn't for the minerals and energy it would be a different story though.