Buying a Euro boat in Europe, for use around NA... ?

[AboutTime1]

I'm looking at newer used boats. A lot of the boats I am interested in are located in Europe.



What are the gotchas of buying a boat in Europe for use around North America? Has anyone here done this?



How hard is it to convert the electrical system of a Euro boat to North America voltages/plugs ?


How much would it cost to hire a competent crew (2-3) to sail a boat from western Europe to the east coast of North America ? I don't have the skill/experience/time to do it.



Thanks

[Rumrace]

North American UL codes differ from CE dramatically on lighting recessed and 220 outlet boxes as example. A North American switch box could tow a truck. Very few very strong plastics apply. The USB charger gave out in the front room. I opened it up and found a really low grade port with transformer. The box the 120V outlet was in would not pass the UL code. I replaced them with shallow plastic UL boxes and Lutron outlets and cover plates.
The relays fuse panel inverter maybe the air all in trouble. The Onan will need a new panel but not worries with it. The LED floor lights have driver built into the circuit to run at 50-60htz but they are not Dutch or German LEDs so the light output is not consistent between diodes. They package the cockpit floor with the floor and I’d tell them give me the floor discount your lighting I’ll use my own. Same goes for floor lighting in interior recessed in interior. I’ve only seen Hanse use some quality twin low glare real recessed LED. Catalina has no excuse as the best Marine LED recessed is US made. All of your navigation will be Europe unless you buy North American charts. Your VHF I’m not sure.
Other than those questions I’d have transporting in home. It’s tempting especially since some are so rare here and lots of folks have converted them

[Rumrace]

Crew if you are a member of a club put up a sign “free rum North Atlantic crossing “

Way more fun than strangers

[AboutTime1]

Originally Posted by Rumrace

Crew if you are a member of a club put up a sign “free rum North Atlantic crossing “

Way more fun than strangers

LOL. Thanks for the advice.

[sandy stone]

I would expect the wire gauge of the shore power circuits to be a real problem - twice the voltage in Europe, so only half the amps, and lighter gauge wire. Not good in North America. Color coding likely to be different, but that's not such a big deal.

[goboatingnow]

The reality is most euro boats are wired with 2.5mm2 mains , this is equivalent to AWG 14 so the wiring could handle the higher current.

The 230vac circuit breakers will protect the wiring anyway As these will happily work on 110V, worst case you might have to do some selective replacement on selected high power AC circuits , socket replacement is easy , as are water heater elements etc ,some selected mains equipment will not be dual voltage and could have to be replaced.

The point is you don’t have to automatically assume you need to pull out the mains cable or even redo the panel , a careful inspection will reveal what’s there and only certain circuits may need replacing ( I suspect none actually )



UL is irrelevant as you are not buying in the US In general European build standards are better then North America based on a few power boats I once owned. Marine parts are fairly generic anyway Lewmar , Harkin and so forth, led lights will be fine and durable etc

I’m would not expect many or any issues

[Rumrace]

I’d say yes CE has some better guidelines but they know much poorer enforcement they’ve recently started to change.
While the wiring is the correct gauge and maybe even better copper the covering in North America’s UL ULC. North American junction and switch box can be accused of over kill but European standards on the same two issues appear reckless
Are the relays 220V 50htz. Is the ground wire adequate to meet UL. Will your insurance company find out after a fire.
If you were buying a new boat there I’d use a converter until you left with a NA build.
Or hand it over to a seasoned broker near your destination to transport and commission for your pleasure. Many CE items have merged with UL ULC and CSA.
Some Studio Luci Wall Scone on a Production boat headboard upgrade on the option list is a lot more inviting than the Chinese wall light with a cloth shade glued together.
Recessed lights with the same lumen output colour rendering and not a glare dome but a true recessed.
These are lighting issues no matter where the boat is built.
A European switch box was never designed to fit a NA switch nor outlet. Not noticed cause so many Benniteau and Jeanneau were built in US

[shimari]

Originally Posted by AboutTime1

I'm looking at newer used boats. A lot of the boats I am interested in are located in Europe.

What are the gotchas of buying a boat in Europe for use around North America? Has anyone here done this?

I was in the same situation. I ended up buying a boat in the UK. So, my experience will be similar. I'm trying to detail all of the relevant issues in this master thread: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...us-262168.html

BLUF - It's a pain (mostly dealing with shipping), but it's very doable. I would do it again. I'm not done yet though.

Originally Posted by AboutTime1

How hard is it to convert the electrical system of a Euro boat to North America voltages/plugs ?

As in all things boating, it depends. There are many things that will determine if your boat will be easy or difficult to convert. At a minimum, you'll need a isolation transformer if you boat doesn't already have one.

On my boat, all of the circuits are 2.5mm^2. I should be able to convert over to 120v without pulling/running new circuits. But, I'm probably keeping the boat at 230-240 at 60hz. The only items on my boat that wouldn't run on 60hz were the washing machine, microwave, and TVs. I'm just replacing those with ones that run at 240v/60hz. That's the power scheme for South Korea so you can find very nice appliances without too much difficulty. My aircon and induction cooktop both require 230-240v and both (including the aircon pumps) will run at 50hz or 60hz. Most everything runs dual voltage and frequency these days. For things that don't, I've been able to find replacements easily.

My plan is to keep the circuits as they are and perhaps add a small inverter for 120v service (if we find we need it).

When you look at boats, you should definitely check the systems to see if they'll run at both 50hz and 60z. The voltage is less important and easier to handle. If the boat has aircon and it won't run at 60hz, you'll have to run the aircon from the inverter at the dock (if you can).

Originally Posted by AboutTime1

How much would it cost to hire a competent crew (2-3) to sail a boat from western Europe to the east coast of North America ? I don't have the skill/experience/time to do it.

I looked into this as I had hoped to make the passage with the crew. Unfortunately, the timing doesn't work well right now so I'm shipping.

Shipping right now is insanely priced, and you're beholden to the shipper's schedule. The contract is also completely one sided in their favor.

As for the cost of the crew, the estimates I received were $300-$500 per day plus expenses. From the UK, the trip is 30-45 days depending on weather and route. You'll also have to have world cruising insurance.

You'll save money with sailing her over depending on the size of your boat, but make sure you run the numbers. Crew+expenses+insurance adds up pretty quickly. You also need to factor in wear and tear. Ultimately, it's a personal choice.

Good luck in your search!

[Lowcountry]

I bought my current boat in Spain and shipped it across (Gandia, Spain to Newport, RI). Shipping cost me about $16.5k USD in 2019. The boat was being actively cruised by its sellers, but it was not in condition that met my standards for a 3,000+nm Trans-Atlantic crossing. I believe it was cheaper, easier and safer to ship it instead, so I did. Went and picked it up in RI and sailed her down to Charleston and had a great time with it. Also got to visit Spain twice in the process, which was really enjoyable. I did not have to pay taxes in Europe on the boat, and US importation fee was about 1% of the value of the boat if I recall correctly. The shipping company handled all of the importation paperwork, which was included in the shipping price.

As for converting to US electric spec, I have not done anything. The boat doesn't have an air conditioner or other electric appliances that require AC power, so all of my electrics are powered by DC. I have a small 500W inverter that I can use to charge my laptop directly from the house bank, and I charge cell phones, speakers, etc. through the 12V outlets on the boat. I bought a Noco Genius G26000 battery charger to maintain my battery banks (525AH total), and that has worked very well for me.

[PippaB]

As someone who has actually bought a Euro boat and now lives on it in the US:

1. Euro AC wiring is generally built for 16A circuits. US is typically 15A or 20A, and the wiring will generally be OK. If you have heavy consumers that go >20A @120V then you might need to re-wire that circuit. Having said that, we simply got a battery charger that accepts worldwide input and left the boat 230V/50Hz. Cheap and effective. We do not run air conditioning.

2. The 'gotcha' I would watch for is EPA certification of any engine(s). Most sailboat auxiliary engines sold in the world markets are, but this is a big gotcha, if the engine does not meet EPA requirements for the year of build then you won't be importing the boat to the US without changing the engine(s). Look for the EPA emissions sticker on the engine then check the US EPA website to find the Certificate of Conformity for that specific engine (note, for instance, that some Volvo D series engines will have a sticker but the CoC was revoked and the engines recalled in the US - don't just believe the sticker, check for the CoC).