Hi, am new to all this, but have finally decided to take the plunge. Need some advice though.
I live in uk and it appears to me that US boat prices are massively cheaper than in Europe - so much so that I could get a better deal shipping a boat from US - notwithstanding the 25.5% I will have to pay in import / VAT and shipping charge of maybe 1800 US$.
I am also aware that I will have to get the boat CE certificated - (when was "free trade" really "free" trade eh?)- but apart from the hassle this doen't seem so hard to do if the manufacturer still exists / is reasonably reputable.
Given the additional costs and current exchange I have a budget of 8000 US$ to buy a 20 - 22ft cuddy cruiser. It also needs to come in at under 2000 kg when loaded on a trailer (so that I can tow it with my present car) ........ so far so good, the question is what boat?
My priorities need to be:
Quality
Manufacturer still trading
Fuel efficiency (If 4 $ a gallon seems steep to you guys - try 10$ a gallon for size!)
Out and out speed is not so important, but good handling, reliability and easy servicing are.
The manufacturers that seem to me to fulfill these criteria best are:
Bayliner
Crownline
Rinker
Larson
Regal
Sea Ray
Four Winns
Maxum
Carver
Chaparral
How do these compare? Have I missed any out that should definately be on the list or should any definately be left off?
Also do boats sell at different prices or have very different availabilty in different areas of the US - Shipping is going to be cheaper for me if the boat is from the Eastern seaboard.
Lastly, it seems to me that power plants for inboards basically narrows down to Mercury, OMC or Volvo Penta - would you advise any particular preference?
Any advice on any of the above would be really gratefully received
I live in uk and it appears to me that US boat prices are massively cheaper than in Europe - so much so that I could get a better deal shipping a boat from US - notwithstanding the 25.5% I will have to pay in import / VAT and shipping charge of maybe 1800 US$.
I am also aware that I will have to get the boat CE certificated - (when was "free trade" really "free" trade eh?)- but apart from the hassle this doen't seem so hard to do if the manufacturer still exists / is reasonably reputable.
Given the additional costs and current exchange I have a budget of 8000 US$ to buy a 20 - 22ft cuddy cruiser. It also needs to come in at under 2000 kg when loaded on a trailer (so that I can tow it with my present car) ........ so far so good, the question is what boat?
My priorities need to be:
Quality
Manufacturer still trading
Fuel efficiency (If 4 $ a gallon seems steep to you guys - try 10$ a gallon for size!)
Out and out speed is not so important, but good handling, reliability and easy servicing are.
The manufacturers that seem to me to fulfill these criteria best are:
Bayliner
Crownline
Rinker
Larson
Regal
Sea Ray
Four Winns
Maxum
Carver
Chaparral
How do these compare? Have I missed any out that should definately be on the list or should any definately be left off?
Also do boats sell at different prices or have very different availabilty in different areas of the US - Shipping is going to be cheaper for me if the boat is from the Eastern seaboard.
Lastly, it seems to me that power plants for inboards basically narrows down to Mercury, OMC or Volvo Penta - would you advise any particular preference?
Any advice on any of the above would be really gratefully received