Shipping Boat Items to France?

[SV Coronado]

My wife and I are taking delivery of our new boat in La Rochelle, France. For those of you that have picked up your boats in France, how did you get your personal items and heavy gear to your boat? We have too much stuff to carry in baggage on the plane – including heavy items like multiple scuba tanks, books, etc. Did you use a crate/pallet shipping company or some other method? Are there any shipping companies you would recommend? (We’re shipping from the US.)

[LittleWing77]

Here's a thread from June 25th on the same topic:

Shipping My Gear Overseas
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...as-252542.html

Fair winds,
LittleWing77

[SV Coronado]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Here's a thread from June 25th on the same topic...

Fair winds,
LittleWing77

Thanks - that's great info! I did a few searches to find prior threads on this subject, but I didn't think to use the term "overseas".

[goboatingnow]

Fabricate a box on a pallet 1200x1000mm ( up to typical 1.2 metre high )

Phone a few pallet shippers for quotes.

You be surprised it can be very expensive.

Note it can also be stopped for customs and VAT especially when shipped commercially

[Stewie12]

Ship everything direct to the yacht and get a customs agent near to your boat to get it on board duty free.

[OnePapillon]

Originally Posted by SV Coronado

My wife and I are taking delivery of our new boat in La Rochelle, France. For those of you that have picked up your boats in France, how did you get your personal items and heavy gear to your boat? We have too much stuff to carry in baggage on the plane – including heavy items like multiple scuba tanks, books, etc. Did you use a crate/pallet shipping company or some other method? Are there any shipping companies you would recommend? (We’re shipping from the US.)

Exciting times yes! We built sturdy plywood boxes on pallets and filled four of them. Tools etc at the bottom. Bedding, galley items etc etc . It's difficult and time consuming to source items once in La Rochelle. Had them delivered boat side.
Make sure your pallets are new and approved. There are regulations. Get a few quotes from shipping companies. As they are on pallets, easier to move and describe to shipping company.
Bon Voyage

[Alita49DS]

What makes you say it is difficult to source items in La Rochelle?

There are numerous competing suppliers in Minimes. You can shop on line. Including Amazon.fr using your US login. France is the home of the hypermarket.

If you trust the French to build your boat what makes you think that the country cannot kit it out as well? Some things may be more expensive but when you factor shipping...

Items marked "Yacht in transit" should avoid duties but take formal advice from your builder or agent.

[OnePapillon]

Duly noted Alita49DS
What has been your experience? We will shortly take delivery of a newer FP. Our crates are being populated as I type with careful lists of essentials.
Sounds like a simple task to procure all in Europe in theory. However, Add language differences, familiar living essentials from duvet, kitchen utensils, to tools from 'home' is worth the deemed extra cost. One has to imagine arriving to an empty house and furnishing it in a few weeks. The excitement of opening crates with 'home" stuff far eclipses the Amazon route.
But perhaps you have never been "there" ?
Cheers

[Alita49DS]

My experience, since you ask, was to leave just about everything on the old boat and enjoy re-equipping the "new" one. You are spending hundreds of thousands, so it cannot be about the price of a new duvet or wooden spoon.

There is no right or wrong. What amuses me is the thinking that you cannot buy a toothbrush other than in your home country. A sentiment that feeds Airport shops and payments for excess baggage. Or, should I say, pallets?

It might sound odd, but people in Europe furnish their houses too. Not to mention many salespeople speaking excellent English.

Personally, I think that the only travel essentials are a passport and payment card. On which point, get something like Revolut to avoid being ripped off on exchange rates.

[SV Coronado]

I've traveled all over the world on a regular basis, so I'm well aware of how easy it is to buy things outside of my home country. If you took time to read my question, you'd know I wasn't asking about shipping every piece of equipment for my boat to France. I have a very long list of boat items I'm buying in La Rochelle. I'm not going to spend $200 to ship a $70 fender. However, I do have personal items that I do not want to replace. For some people they may be able to fit these items in a suitcase and carry them on a plane. For me, the items are too bulky and heavy. I don't mind spending a bit of money to ship a crate or palette, it's all part of the cost of moving onto a boat.

[goboatingnow]

Note that for non commercial vessels. There is no such thing as vat free yacht in transit. That thing is dead for years. If accessed vat will be due.