Taking a Mac to AUS

[ausmike]

Hi all. Anyone out there that has bought a Mac in the US and had it shipped back to AUS?

I am currently living in the US and will be returning later in the year. I am determined to get myself a Mac before I return, and want to have some idea of what kind of modifications are necessary (I am assuming at least the trailer would need some changes) to get it past AUS (NSW) regulations. Also anything from the MSB or Waterways authorities you are aware of?

Anyone out there with some experience I could learn from? I want to be sure I can do ALL the math before I make the leap to join you lucky people.

[Mistral]

Hi Ausmike,

I have imported a Mac direct from the States. There seems to be confusion about the trailer modifications. I had mine modified, but other got the American version passed.
I would ask Phillip on this site, as he imports several of them and he would be in a better position to answer your queries. We both used the same broker and he was very helpful.

[puggsy]

In both example I know of...my own purchased here 2ndhand but imported through Philip, and of a friend's MAC also imported through Philip, both expressed to me that they had problems. Mainly in contacting Philip. Just how bad that is am not sure, and Philip, the sole australian agent, may be upset. but two not so good reports is not good.
From those reports, I would import it myself , and deal direct with the necessary government departments re import duty etc.
With 08 MACS being sold here at up to $72,000 AUS in a time when the exchange rate is about $AU.96c= $US 1.oo, it makes sense to buy one there for $21,500, with a bit of fruit and pay import duty and GST on top of that, get it here then buy your motor HERE...So it is covered with Australian warranty.
Imagine trying to sort out a motor warranty problem with a USA motor dealer...One big headache.
There is virtually nothing that can go wrong with the MAC hull, nothing that cannot be fixed by any good fibreglass shop, but the motor is a different ballgame. Aus. also has many businesses that can handle any of the rigging.
And get this...Import duty for a boat is ONLY 5% compared to 10% for vehicles...GST is then added to this...can't avoid this.
And if you are already over there, get a container and supervise the loading of it yourself.
hope this helps...forewarned is forearmed...

[Mistral]

puggsy, Phillip is not the sole agent for importing 2nd hand Mac's. Anybody can do it if you want to go through the trouble. I did it myself, but had discussions with Phillip beforehand and found him helpful.
There is a whole raft of issues with importing Mac's.
If you do it as an individual the system is relatively straightforward if you follow the rules and know what to do beforehand. If you keep on importing than you are considered a trader or something like that.
I personally found the quarantine issues the hardest to deal with, partly because of their incompetence or "stupid" regulations.
The other issue was the trailer as per my previous post, but at a cost of A$1200 it was worth it to me.

In regards to the motor if you import a Mac with motor older than 1 year there would be no warranty on the motor. It would also be hard to import a 2nd hand Mac without a motor, as they all would have a motor on it. If you bring in a new Mac into Oz, you would void all warranties as per the Mac website.

Dirk

[ausmike]

Thanks to those who have replied so far.

Agree that getting one at 70K+ in Aus V one from here at $30k - $40k landed from here makes a pretty difficult decision . My view on warranty... if I buy a boat that needs that on the hull I have bought the wrong boat from the wrong mass manufacturer anyway, my research so far indicates that there is very little to worry about, yes there are some bits that could be upgraded or done better from the factory but it's not like it has a keel that can just fall off or something.

So, yes I intend to do it myself from here. Have not yet decided to lash out and get a new one (minus motor) or a young 2nd hand . I have time, and am lucky enough to have access to 3 or 4 boats to sail over the summer when ever I choose at the moment.

So if someone wants to confirm what I think the list of things to think about will be, here is my guess:
- Freight it from here in a 40ft box (supervise loading and packing - get some old tyres and stuff for that). Assume it fits in one for height on the trailer with the mast and any high deck bits removed?) - suits me as I have household stuff to come back anyway.
- Pay duty and GST on landed cost?
- Get insepected by the Customs guys. If it has any wood in it they will want to gas bomb it I guess. Do they charge for this???
- Alter the trailer lights (they are only red blinkers here). Assume roads authorities don't care that compliance plates are in LB's only???
- Any experience witn the new Aluminium trailers back there??? With the old ones just being painted mild steel, expect they will rust in 5 minutes after a dip in salt water back home. Assume the Roads guys are happy as long as it has a compliance plate?
- Get it weighed, passed and registered by Roads guys.

Will I need a local Customs agent to help with the clearing in Aus? Anyone had any "good" experiences there?

Is that it???

ausmike

[ausmike]

Thanks for the pointers from Dirk and Philip and the reast of the therad on the trailer mods for Aus. At least I have a clearer picture on the trailer and what needs to be done there...

Will add that to my budget

Mike

[Mistral]

ausmike,
My suggestion is to put in the hands of a broker. Will safe you a lot of hassle and you can still supervise the loading. They know the tricks and do the proper loading. Don't forget to insure it as well.
As far as your import permit you will need to contact DOTARS here in OZ.
Dirk

[davidbagnall]

I second Dirks thoughts. A broker will save you a lot of hassle

[puggsy]

Hi Mike, as to the steel trailer....I have SEAHORSE now on a swing mooring, and my STEEL trailer is in my backyard. I am watching it like a hawk to see any rust spots starting...It did have a good washdown since last launch in SEAwater...and has been thoroughly rained on since. so far it looks good, halfway into its econd year. It did nothing in its first year of life except sit in the [former owners] yacht club yard. When i got it, i rubbed dopwn and primed all the rust spots that showed. And I hope to eventually strip it and get it hot dip galvanised...Might even add a couple of extra bracings before. I built my tandem bilge keeler trailer that way and it still looks like new after five years. Regards...puggsy

[Mistral]

It seems I might have made wrong quote here about the sole importer of Mac's.
Phillip King is the sole importer of Mac's into Australia. In my post I meant the other Phillip, that is a member of this website and that is the one I have had discussions with. I agree with Puggsy that the importer Phillip is not very responsive as I am still waiting for a response on a question I asked more than a month ago.
Hope that clears it up

Dirk

[Boblee]

If you are thinking of bringing in a new I would make the effort to ring Phillip King of Synergy yachts and ask what options he can suggest, it will save you money and you will have warranty and after sales service.
We bought ours through him and it was cheaper and a far better deal than what is being charged for secondhand here today even though the dollar was only .70 US and it is now .95 US.
No US dealer is allowed to sell to you if he knows the boat is being shipped to AUS, only new boats I presume.
You could be in a better position being over there for a secondhand boat and am not sure if Synergy are interested in importing secondhand boats but it would be wise to also contact Synergy in this case as then you will have a working relationship established for parts etc.
We looked at importing our own new boat and buying from a local dealer who was trying to set up in opposition, in both cases we were far better off buying through Synergy and Sharp marine, my experience only.
Contact details are [email protected] or mob 0409048175 alternatively you could try Sharp Marine which is actually a division of Macgregors contact details are Laura Macgregor Sharp at [email protected] or www.macgregorexport.com.
I would imagine if Synergy are not importing S/H they should be happy to assist in any method of getting a boat into Aust by other methods.
Puggsy I think it is a bit unfair to compare a basic and I mean basic US boat of $21.5k USD which actually can't be purchased for import to Aust to a fully fitted out Aust model with motor and rigging mods including exclusive stern rails and Aust compliance trailer at $70K AUSD.
If I hadn't wanted to do the mods and rigging myself I would think Synergies deal for the work and extras is very worth while and more than competitive, you need to compare apples to apples.
I recently saw an for sale from an importer which was going to be sold for $52-55K? for an extra $15K you could buy a fully optioned 2008 for $70K+ but to do the options yourself for far less with no risk and full warranty here on everything?

[Mistral]

Boblee, as a quick comparison my boat cost me A$43.400, 2005 model, blue hull, 50HP E-tec, mast raising system, genoa furler,vhf radio, bimini, plus other extras, transport, insurance, stuffing around with AQIS and trailer mods. Time wise, it would have cost me the same as dealing with the dealer direct here and I still get after sales service from the broker.
That is one hull of a lot of savings on a new boat and I could not have afforded a brand new one. Mind you I am still spending money on all kind of other things for the boat.


Edited 2/06/08 Changed cost. Where I did loose money was on the transport, clearance and AQIS inspection. Was quoted about $10K, but ended up costing me $14K. So originally I would have calculated getting my boat for under $40K

[pokerrick1]

Mind you I am still spending money on all kind of other things for the boat.

Remember the definition:

A boat s a hole in the water into which you throw money

Rick

[Oskar 26M]

I agree with Mistral. I tried to buy a new 26M new from Synergy, but had real problems with responsiveness, although to be fair, that was in part due to the difficulties for a novice of how to get a Mac from Sydney or Adelaide to Perth in West Aust without busting the bank.

I remained keen but I got no response to emails, text or voice msgs. After some weeks I eventually found out that the boat I thought I had agreed to buy had been sold. Eventually was advised an alternative was available but when it came to forwarding the required deposit I still got no response to enquiries on where to send it.

Meanwhile, Oskar (who had been imported thru Synergy, but was then un-named) came onto the market here in Perth - with quite a few mods already done and with a faster blue hull as well !

So, I bought Oskar.

Based on the lack of response to a very high potential sale from our Aussie dealer, I have serious doubts about the value of the 'warranty'. I am also pessimistic about the potential to get any useful help if a warranty issue develops.

As others have suggested, I think it would have been better to go for a direct import of the boat ( minus motor, where warranty might pose real problems) supported by a good marine survey of the hull prior to purchase.

Think of all those boat bucks that can be saved and used on those nice (but expensive) mods that will make sailing fun!

[Boblee]

My initial contact with Synergy came from an enquiry to a US dealer (Bill) regarding possibilities of them sending a boat ot here, within hours I had a reply from Laura Sharp explaining how they do things and within hours of that an email from Phillip explaining his options.
We eventually took Phillip up on one of the original options after basically telling him that he was overcharging (wrong) this option worked out far better than the scenario he outlined of things which could go wrong if customs had decided to go through the boat but at least we were warned.
We bought our boat through Sharp Marine with any required options fitted and/or supplied including trailer brakes etc all at advertised factory prices in USD.
The transport costs to the wharf in Sydney were $4500 and $1000-5000 aus dollars cheaper than any we could find with any local broker at the time.
Even with Phillips commission we still worked out cheaper than most who were very vague on what could go wrong through customs but advising of very hefty additional costs.
Phillip on the other hand knew what could go wrong and advised accordingly, when our boat arrived he was there to help with loading which for a small fee to? had mostly been done and really all we had to do was bleed the brakes and the biggest problem we had was sourcing a trailer plug to fit our vehicle for the light board he supplied at no extra charge.
We drove home (900 k's) with his trade plates and started off with exactly what we wanted, in some ways we could have been better off getting a boat completely set up as my only prior experience was a short sail on an we looked at but have really enjoyed doing it myself and have learnt along the way why things are done a specific way.
We also had the option of buying Aust equipment which complies with Aust regs and warranties or a new warranty in the US eg radio's, motor, chartplotter etc.
One instance where this worked well was our E-tec which we had minor troubles with but due to going back to the dealer a few times has been updated and serviced regularly it now is being fitted with new injectors ($700 each+ fitting) prior to running out of warranty (est total $3000).
My wife who is a compulsive book keeper and cost freak worked out the boat had cost us less than $60,000AUD after everything was added last year and that included all mods, everything except my time.
Today that would be $6-8 K cheaper due to the exchange rate and only a couple of thousand dearer than the alternate dealer? offered for a very basic US boat with an Aus motor fitted.
I don't think Phillip encourages this option and I don't blame him as there is too much potential for things to go wrong especially as he is such a nice bloke and would probably feel obliged to help above and beyond which considering his commision would/could cost him money.
If we hadn't wanted to use our boat the way we do and the circumstances were different and still wanted a new boat I would today use one of his other options and packages without hesitation or import a cheap S/H boat from the US especially if I could inspect them prior and was totally at ease with the broker as I am now more aware of the traps involved.
I would still contact Synergy yachts for advise though irrespective of what I was doing.
Everything costs and you get nothing without paying for it and neither should you expect to have someone do it for nothing, Oskar was lucky in that he found a yacht that someone had to sell and almost new built to Aus standards but there are a few that went to WA direct to save transport costs and I feel these could be the ones Puggsy is talking about.
Sorry for the long reply but after running my own business for thirty plus years without advertising once, I believe it is important for satisfied customers to give fair assesments of their dealings as this helps all parties.