Buying a boat in Mexico

Posted by Jager0987@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 14 comments

There are several boats for sale in Mexico by brokers that fit what I am looking for. I was wondering if anyone had an experience buying in Mexico and bring it back to the U.S. Good, bad, or any unexpected pitfalls.

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katrk824@reddit

Some interesting tax loopholes. I think of you keep the boat in Mexico for 30 days you can sidestep some things. I was looking at it a couple years ago and this was one of the selling points the broker brought up. I don’t think I can remember well enough to speak intelligently about it though

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DV_Rocks@reddit

I can't imagine what loophole that would be, unless it's something in Mexican tax law.

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katrk824@reddit

Well if I was more informed and or smarter, I could elaborate. But I’m sure it’s pretty easily googled. There is 100% a tax loophole though.

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DV_Rocks@reddit

The only thing I can think of is that some states will require the boat to be registered in that state past 30 days. For example, some skippers vacationing in Florida will take their boat to the Bahamas and back before the 30 day window in order to avoid those fees. That resets the 30 day clock.

Other than that, I'd be curious to know of any other loophole.

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CaulkusAurelis@reddit

I can imagine a tariff on "imported goods" arbitrarily decided by a demented old man influencing bringing in something of significant value from Mexico to the US.

Do you know much about VAT in Europe?

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tannels@reddit

I wonder if that's still true with our idiot President and all the Tariffs he's thrown around.

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mcpusc@reddit

i don't have personal experience but make sure the TIP paperwork is in order, i've heard it can be a real PITA if its not cancelled

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svQuest30@reddit

I have a friend who is a broker in Mexico, in addition to doing other things. PM me if you'd like his info.

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Senior-Storage4034@reddit

Where was the vessel built? If it was built in the US it likely has a documentation # because most folks have their vessels documented before cruising. The fed only gets involved in a small vessel if it's documented.

What state are you bringing it to? If you're going to register it in the state you need to look at their regulations.

As far as Mexico there are horror stories and there are success stories. It's hard to know which one you'll experience. How much can you trust a broker who is about to make money?

Folks sail a vessel south but fear sailing north against the winds and seas so sell the vessels cheap. That happens allot because they're just coastal sight of land sailors. The trip on the west Coast from Mexico to points north is west towards Hawaii. Then sail north on a broad reach until you hit the north westerlies that will take you east to shore. That's way out of sight of land at least 500 miles off shore or more. Look at the map the coastline runs S by SE.

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