Beneteau First 235 Forums

rudy · Newbie Joined: 15 Sep 2007 Posts: 4

hi there!
although i am not an owner,(the reason mainly is because i'll be relocating to europe for 3-5 years) yet, i have a question about taking a first-235 to europe!
from what i heard there are strict regulations about conformity certification. a norm(s) called, CE-certification, that might prevent or at least make import complicated. here in the us we don't have such regulations and am wondering if someone is knwoledgable about this subject. i know that some boats have been sold/bought and shipped to europe. there has to be a way! also, the first 235 is, or has been produced in france/europe at some point. most of them swing keel, or fin. no wing from what i understand. besides the $ is close to double. anyone can help!
thanks,
rudy

siggib

Idefix · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:19 am Post subject:

Regarding CE certification: the system is in effect a self-certification process, where companies have to guarantee that their products comply with all relevant safety and manufacturing standards. For boats, builders must use approved testing facilities to validate their conformity claims. In other words, it would be up to Beneteau to provide you with the relevant documentation. You could check with Ben USA if their boats were built identical to their European cousins, but I suspect it would be Ben France who would have to issue you the certificate. Note that since the F235 was mainly built before the current CE standards for boatbuilding were published in 94, I'm not sure the CE certificate is actually needed - worth checking for sure.

My strong suspicion is that CE certification will be not be enough though. Every country still has its own safety regulations to some extent - and you might need to get the boat inspected and adapted to local rules, especially with regards to additional safety gear needed on board (Europeans are much stricter on safety gear than the US or Canada). Countries vary greatly in how rigourous they are in imposing and checking safety gear. France is notoriously picky. You should check the regulations of the country you are moving to.

On the issue of importing the boat: I assume no duty would be due if it's part of your "household" i.e. if you import it as part of moving your whole household to Europe. Typically used personal goods are exempt of any duty in a move. A new boat would be a different matter, since one could argue that if it was bought just before the move, it should have been bought (and taxed) in Europe. Any good customs broker should be able to answer this question.

Good luck!
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Boudewijn
Idefix - Hull #336