Boats on Used Victoria and Other Areas

Bank FX rates are ridiculous and you can get a much better rate using a 3rd party currency broker. I've used TorFX in the past when I lived in the UK and had to send GBP back. Vancouver Bullion Exchange is an example of a local firm I've used for work.

You can get an even better rate using a trade called Norbert's Gambit if you have an online trading account (google it for more info). I used it last week to convert USD to CAD as my wife gets some of her compensation in USD. Fairly straightforward and you end up getting the spot rate less your trading costs (i.e. $9.99 x 2 for the buy / sell commissions). Happy to answer any questions.
Agreed, last boat I brought up I saved a lot by going through an exchange company. There was no return happening so I cannot add to what @Rayvon went through.
 
What do you guys think this is worth?
I saw a few sold in 2020 listed with new motors (inboards as well) .. slightly older hulls and all in the mid 20s range.

I contacted the seller.. he’s in the middle of building a new house but seems to have zero interest in providing any information (I know it has original leg and a new carb’d chev 350 block).

I have a 17 Arima with a new Suzuki 90 but I’m yearning for a little more coverage and a place to sleep! Would be hard to say goodbye to 5MPG though.
Looked at this boat few months ago. It's in ruff shape. Soggy wet wood trims inside the cabin,
A full roll of paper towel was under a seat cushion box fully saturated. Mustynsmelling inside as well.

If you Google search 23 hurston for sale bc the same boat was for sale by a guy wanting a smaller boat. That's not the current owner who originally had the boat priced at 42k
Wouldn't have offered him 20k
 
Bank FX rates are ridiculous and you can get a much better rate using a 3rd party currency broker. I've used TorFX in the past when I lived in the UK and had to send GBP back. Vancouver Bullion Exchange is an example of a local firm I've used for work.

You can get an even better rate using a trade called Norbert's Gambit if you have an online trading account (google it for more info). I used it this week to convert USD to CAD as my wife gets some of her compensation in USD. Fairly straightforward and you end up getting the spot rate less your trading costs (i.e. $9.99 x 2 for the buy / sell commissions). I ended getting 1.260 on Wednesday - the spot rate that date was between 1.256 and 1.262. Happy to answer any questions.
Sorry to hear that, after I drove to Oregon to find the surveyor had missed the fact the boat I wanted had been beached and the clear coat was gone and worn down to the fiberglass, it was a long drive home, with USD burning a hole in my pocket. Bought a better boat the next year about this time as we sea trialed on the Friday before the Seattle boat show. Your ship will come in Ray and in the meantime, I hope to splash the boat in a week or two and we can get out.
 
Hull and trailer project 2000 LIFETIMER 18ft center consule
$19,500 Victoria. PS ultimate salesman won't respond to messages. Good luck I had a dozen messages/offers from flakes just for my gps, can't imagine how many pipe dreamers it will take to find a taker on this.
 
For anyone thinking of looking at a boat in the US be prepared to pay $1.28 Cdn. for $1.00 U.S which is the rate the bank is charging these day's. And if you don't buy the boat for any reason and you convert the U.S that you took down to buy the boat back to Cdn. the bank only gives you $1.24 back.So you lose .04 on every dollar. Please don't ask how I know,it still hurts.That's $2000 on $50000.

if you have a discount brokerage account, you can swap CAD for USD for basically no spread (just the commission on each side) using currency etfs on the TSX.

1. Buy DLR on the TSX (you are buying USD in CDN dollars). It is currently C$12.85.

2. Via your online brokerage account, swap the DLR to DLR.U (USD in USD). You can also call in to the trading desk and they will do this for you. If you call in they can do it to avoid settlement delays.

3. Sell DLR.U for settlement in USD. It’s currently US$10.05.

4. Transfer USD to your USD bank account

works in both directions if you want to get C$ cash after selling US$ stocks.

 
if you have a discount brokerage account, you can swap CAD for USD for basically no spread (just the commission on each side) using currency etfs on the TSX.

1. Buy DLR on the TSX (you are buying USD in CDN dollars). It is currently C$12.85.

2. Via your online brokerage account, swap the DLR to DLR.U (USD in USD). You can also call in to the trading desk and they will do this for you. If you call in they can do it to avoid settlement delays.

3. Sell DLR.U for settlement in USD. It’s currently US$10.05.

4. Transfer USD to your USD bank account

works in both directions if you want to get C$ cash after selling US$ stocks.


For step 4 there - do you need to open a seperate American bank account? Or is there a way to hold USD in a chequing account?
 
For step 4 there - do you need to open a seperate American bank account? Or is there a way to hold USD in a chequing account?
I use Wise Payments for European purchases through work. Seems to be a way better deal than going through the bank.
 
I use Wise Payments for European purchases through work. Seems to be a way better deal than going through the bank.
Cool, thanks. I'll take a look into it. Looks like more attractive deals south of the parallel, last week I saw a 2017 18' weldcraft with a 90 yammy for 26k USD. Great buy, I need to be ready for those.
Think I'll be listing my 16' lifetimer in the near future, falling ill with the notorious 2ft-itis.
 
The boat I lost out on was a 1999 Pursuit 2470 w/2014-Yamaha 300 w/220 hrs. and 9.9 Yamaha kicker. My dream boat that I haven't been able to find locally ,so I was willing to pay the US dollar to get it. Even with the exchange rate it was well worth it.
 
The boat I lost out on was a 1999 Pursuit 2470 w/2014-Yamaha 300 w/220 hrs. and 9.9 Yamaha kicker. My dream boat that I haven't been able to find locally ,so I was willing to pay the US dollar to get it. Even with the exchange rate it was well worth it.
That sucks, was it sold out from under you or not as advertised?
 
That sucks, was it sold out from under you or not as advertised?
It came down to a matter of trust.The seller told me he had arranged for me to pay out his loan on the boat in exchange for copies of the titles held by the bank which is a must at the border. But when we sat down together at the bank and he wanted me to hand over the cash,the banker said he couldn't guarantee that the titles could be obtained the same day.So I would be paying out his loan with nothing in return.I wasn't comfortable enough to trust someone I didn't know to follow through with the deal,so I had to leave.Crossing the border during covid and carrying a lot of cash I wanted to return the same day,hopefully with my new boat.There was very little wrong with the boat,I thoroughly checked it out,the motors alone were worth what I would be paying.He had a bill for the 300 Yamaha bought in 2015 for $37K.Cdn..He sold it the next day to a local.I will regret not buying it for a long time and it cost me a lot,an expensive learning experience.
 
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It came down to a matter of trust.The seller told me he had arranged for me to pay out his loan on the boat in exchange for copies of the titles held by the bank which is a must at the border. But when we sat down together at the bank and he wanted me to hand over the cash,the banker said he couldn't guarantee that the titles could be obtained the same day.So I would be paying out his loan with nothing in return.I wasn't comfortable enough to trust someone I didn't know to follow through with the deal,so I had to leave.Crossing the border during covid and carrying a lot of cash I wanted to return the same day,hopefully with my new boat.There was very little wrong with the boat,I thoroughly checked it out,the motors alone were worth what I would be paying.He had a bill for the 300 Yamaha bought in 2015 for $37K.Cdn..He sold it the next day to a local.I will regret not buying it for a long time and it cost me a lot,an expensive learning lesson.
Did you or would you consider using a broker next time? This title situation probably would have been eliminated. Worth a few bucks to use one to protect you and close the deal, especially in hindsight.
 
Did you or would you consider using a broker next time? This title situation probably would have been eliminated. Worth a few bucks to use one to protect you and close the deal, especially in hindsight.
Yep! I learned my lesson back in 2016. Was exactly in the same situation as Ray. Never thought of using a broker in my initial plans. If you have the experience of using a broker and a certified shipper, most deals that look expensive are well worth the money in the long tun. I just didn’t have the knowledge and experience of using a broker at that time.
@Rayvon that really sucks. There’s going to be more deals in the next couple of months. Just be prepared to pull the trigger when the right deal comes up and use a broker/surveyor to check out the boat and sign the papers remotely. It’s just how it runs these days.
 
It came down to a matter of trust.The seller told me he had arranged for me to pay out his loan on the boat in exchange for copies of the titles held by the bank which is a must at the border. But when we sat down together at the bank and he wanted me to hand over the cash,the banker said he couldn't guarantee that the titles could be obtained the same day.So I would be paying out his loan with nothing in return.I wasn't comfortable enough to trust someone I didn't know to follow through with the deal,so I had to leave.Crossing the border during covid and carrying a lot of cash I wanted to return the same day,hopefully with my new boat.There was very little wrong with the boat,I thoroughly checked it out,the motors alone were worth what I would be paying.He had a bill for the 300 Yamaha bought in 2015 for $37K.Cdn..He sold it the next day to a local.I will regret not buying it for a long time and it cost me a lot,an expensive learning experience.
Sorry to hear that didn't work out for you. That title thing in the US can make things difficult. It's irrelevant now but isn't it just the trailer title that is important to get it registered on the road in Canada? I used to import a lot of dirt bikes when the dollar was at par. Title didn't matter but the stupid RIV process was the hassle for me. I did bring a couple boats back and if I remember correctly I had the seller break the invoice up into 3 seperate invoices (boat, motors, trailer). It was a long time ago but I don't think that lack of US title was really big a deal. I guess it depends on the value of the deal. Maybe I just got lucky. I'd love to hear the opinion of those that have imported some high dollar value items. I was bringing back $5000-$10,000 items so I wasn't too worried about a US bailiff knocking on my door.
 
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My understanding is that you’d need to present the proof of full ownership at the border by way of showing the seller’s title ownership for the whole thing. Unlike hat we have here in Canada, there’s no separate registration for the trailer and the boat. Everything in the package is usually listed in one certificate. If there’s a lien on the package, the seller wouldn’t be able to give you a copy of the ownership certificate. You’d need to get the lien removed first before taking ownership. That’s where Ray seems to have been running into a trust issue.
Gotta admit that I’ve only bought and imported two boats from the States so I’m not the most experienced here….
 
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