Hi, Lee,
LL>I bought a CS in the US some years ago. Bringing it back to Canada was
LL>not that much trouble. Even the paperwork was not that onerous.
LL>Canada Customs was very helpful apart from the lady in charge at the
LL>customs depot. She could not get it through her head that the CS was a
LL>Canadian boat built only a few kilometres from where she worked.
LL>"But it's being imported," she kept repeating.
LL>My wife and I had had an enormous amount of trouble having her
LL>repeatedly overruled by her head office.
LL>Eventually she gave in but, when the boat arrived, subjected it to a
LL>full-scale search and kept us waiting an inordinate amount of time,
LL>several hours, in fact. I think she was miffed at being overruled and
LL>was getting her own back.
When a boat is exported no FST (now GST) had been paid on it.  Did you
have to pay FST (or GST)?
Reminds me of the time that I brought my Soling, Abbott (Canadian)
built, back from a regatta in Rochester.  I had sailed CORK and went
around the east end of the lake to get to Rochester and I couldn't
remember if I had done it Wednesday or Thursday, so I didn't know the
numer of days that I had been in the States; I was exhausted after two
weeks of very tough sailing.  When I was asked, "How long have you been
away?" I replied, "I don't know."
Wrong answer!  I was pulled aside to be searched.  Apparently,
they couldn't find anything wrong with bringing dirty clothes
back into Canada, but they were sure that there was something fishy
about the boat.  "It's Canadian built," I said.  "Prove it," she said.
Now, a Soling sits about 7 feet high on a trailer.  I eyed her bulk,
leaned back on my car, and said, "There is a builder's plate inside in
front of the rudder post."   She tried to get onto the boat for about 5
minutes; without success.  Puffing slightly, she scowled and waved me on
my way.
(I would like to add that this is the ONLY time that I have had the
slightest trouble at the boarder.  Generally the people, both US and
Canadian, are polite, pleasant and efficient.)
But, about tariffs & stuff...
I was with a friend when we imported a non-Canadian built Wayfarer.
There was paperwork for the boat, paperwork for the trailer, so it took
a maybe 45 minutes.  He was charged about $100 ish on the $685 US boat
and trailer.  I can't recall what the charges were for, but it was too
long ago to have any significance now....
Cheers,
Robert Rayfield - TS&CC - Toronto
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