Where to sell a boat in the South Pacific?

[Looking4Neptune]

I have a 2010 Leopard catamaran and I will probably be selling in 2 or 3 years. The boat is all setup for live-aboard cruising. Where is the best place to sell, given that the boat is now in Tonga? I can easily get to Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, or Australia. Maybe even Singapore or Thailand. I am not planning on taking the boat back to the US (home port is San Diego). Nor do I plan on taking the boat to Europe.

I have been told that you have to understand the tax laws in New Zealand and Australia or you can be in for an expensive surprise if you sell there.

What advice do you have?
thanks
Pat

[JPA Cate]

In NZ or Australia, you will have to pay an import fee. You would have the boat valued by a local catamaran surveyor, first, because the tax depends in part on what s/he says it is worth. There's a goods and services tax as well as the import fee. There even may be more tax if you sell it in Oz, don't know about NZ.

To avoid it, you could change your plan and sail the boat back to the States, and sell it there. You could do that trip in two legs, and once you formally enter the US, in Hawaii, you're basically home free. If you bought it there, there will be no import fee there, and, I imagine a larger market than anywhere else. Between Oz and NZ, both are smaller than LA and San Diego county, but in Oz, I'd say Brisbane, QLD, or Sydney, NSW would have the largest markets. I put Brissie first, but I mean, specifically Queensland, because it has some very nice cruising grounds for multihulls. Brisbane is the largest city in Qld., a nice place.

Imo, the markets anywhere else would be too small to suit your boat, although it might appeal to someone to pick it up in Tahiti, or maybe one of the charter outfits would buy it.

Ann

[Renegde_Sailor]

I would guess the best place to sell her would be in Florida, the problem with the South Pacific is that a lot of folks make a one way trip down there and sell the boat when they get there, or at least try to.

[Tupaia]

The US would still be your best option. You might consider Malaysia, Peninsula, Langkawi, there is a burgeoning market there based on the problems in Suez and people not wanting to go around the cape. It used to be tax free but recent legislation may have changed that.

[old pirate]

Your biggest market is Australia, but as Ann said you (or the purchaser) would have to pay the 5% import tax and 10% gst on top of that. You could try selling it a bit sooner in Fiji. A cat that size would attract purchasers who would be prepared to do the miles, leaving them to sort out the tax calculated on the boats value on arrival at the final destination.

[Jim Cate]

Re the above: do remember that all the other boats for sale in Oz will have been burdened by the same taxes and or duties. The local market reflects those burdens and prices,in general, are inflated. Yours could be too!

And there is a good demand for cats in Qld... an ideal cruising ground for them.

Jim