Second-hand boats; re-certification to be expected from Brexit
The British yachting industry associations, British Marine and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), have been working with the relevant authorities in the UK and the European Union to clarify the regulatory requirements for the cross-border sale of used boats. Whether it is a sale of a boat from the EU to the UK or a reverse Channel crossing, a re-certification process is expected:
- a CE marked second-hand boat imported from the UK into the EU since 31 December 2020 at 23:00, will have to undergo post-construction assessment and third party verification to ensure compliance with the Yachting Directive
- a CE marked used vessel exported from the EU to the UK from 1 January 2022 will be required to obtain a UKCA certificate of compliance with UK regulations, through post-construction assessment and third party verification. (The one year delay is linked to a transition period, as the UKCA certificate is not yet fully operational).
Significant costs that worry brokers
Beyond the administrative hassles and the slowdown in transactions, British yachting professionals are worried about the financial cost of the process. Depending on the size of the yacht or motor launch, the budget will vary from a few hundred to several thousand euros (between £500 and £5000 according to British Marine and RYA). The associations indicate that they will continue to lobby institutions to relax these rules.
