U.S. resident getting Insurance in Canada

[dfharris02]

Hi:

I'm hoping to purchase a beautiful classic trawler in Nanaimo, Washington
(https://kellyyachtsales.com/boats-for-sale/1947-custom-42-trawler-42).

I live in the U.S. but would like to keep it there for one year since the Gulf Islands are great cruising grounds. I am striking out on insurance because there Hagerty has a Canadian residency requirement. How do U.S. citizens who keep boats in Canada get insurance?

Thanks, David

 

[slowgoesit]

Just to clarify, Nanaimo is in British Columbia, Canada, NOT in Washington.

I would suggest you contact Peter Ricks of Novamar insurance in Seattle, Washington. He is intimately familiar with insurance requirements on boats in Canada.

Peter Ricks; Marine Insurance Specialist; 2100 Westlake Ave N, Suite 103, Seattle, WA 98109; (800) 823-2798/ (206) 350-5051/ fax(206) 281-8036

No affiliation besides being a happy customer!

 

[dfharris02]

Thank You

Thanks so much. I'll be calling in the morning.

 

[dfharris02]

Oh Yes, Nanaimo, British Columbia.

 

[sunchaser]

DF
Carefully inspect the iron fuel and water tanks. Best to have a trusted pro onboard for an evaluation of these tanks pre offer and survey.

Then comes the wood hull nearly 80 years old. There are some graybeards in BC that could give you great insight into this area especially if the build history and ongoing hull maintenance are known.

Due to the vessel’s age, location and wood hull, as mentioned, Peter R is a go to insurance guy. Can you settle for liability only? If so your potential purchase path may be simpler. Ditto a non financed deal.

 

[JDCAVE]

I know an excellent shipwright in Nanoose (near Nanaimo) who can provide advice on the planks on this vessel. He has over 45 years in the trade and has much experience on maintaining/replanking wood vessels in the commercial fishing industry in British Columbia. Contact me by PM for his contact details. He may well know this particular vessel and it’s history. Not all marine survey surveyors have the expertise on wood vessels. Having Murray around for the survey would be an excellent idea.

Nice old Gardner!

Jim

 

[dfharris02]

Thanks so much for the great suggestions. The survey is quite good, especially the hull and the tanks were refitted when she was converted. JD, I will contact you about the shipwright. Finally, I'm fine with liability only. I'll update what I find later.

 

[soin2la]

Thanks so much for the great suggestions. The survey is quite good, especially the hull and the tanks were refitted when she was converted. JD, I will contact you about the shipwright. Finally, I'm fine with liability only. I'll update what I find later.

The conversion took place more than 30 years ago, don't take tankage for granted.

Who did the survey, when and for what purpose?

Here is a little history.
https://www.nauticapedia.ca/dbase/Q...Diligence (II)&id=4471&Page=1&input=Diligence

Nice to see a vessel which has kept its original name through 75 years and 8 owners.

 

[dfharris02]

Wow! This is amazing. The survey was done by Frykas Marine Service...I think he's based out of Victoria, BC. It's a pre purchase survey.

 

[soin2la]

I’ve never heard of Frykas, but that doesn’t mean anything. His bio shows a decent history with wood boats and his employment at Philbrooks is a good solid reference. All the same, I would want any insurer to give their blessings of any surveyor, even if only insuring for liability.

And just so you know, the PNW ends at the Washington, BC border. From there it becomes the BC coast, up to SE Alaska.

 

[sunchaser]

I live in the U.S. but would like to keep it there for one year since the Gulf Islands are great cruising grounds. I am striking out on insurance because there Hagerty has a Canadian residency requirement. How do U.S. citizens who keep boats in Canada get insurance?

Thanks, David

The best BC cruising, especially with this vessel, may well be above the Gulf Islands and heading up the Inside Passage well into AK. Can you get permanent moorage in Nanaimo? Undercover?

Lastly and repeating above, don’t assume 40 year old steel tanks are OK.

 

[Pau Hana]

Just to clarify, Nanaimo is in British Columbia, Canada, NOT in Washington.

I would suggest you contact Peter Ricks of Novamar insurance in Seattle, Washington. He is intimately familiar with insurance requirements on boats in Canada.

Peter Ricks; Marine Insurance Specialist; 2100 Westlake Ave N, Suite 103, Seattle, WA 98109; (800) 823-2798/ (206) 350-5051/ fax(206) 281-8036

No affiliation besides being a happy customer!

Thank you for the kind words!

I spoke to David today- there are some challenges to overcome (the primary one being the requirement for the vessel to US flagged and registered). We're working thru it...

 

[Gregorama]

I just added my boat to my State Farm insurance, asked if it covered travel through BC, and the answer was yes. I don't know if MOORING in BC makes a difference, but I'm told I'm covered for transiting to Alaska.

 

[Pau Hana]

I just added my boat to my State Farm insurance, asked if it covered travel through BC, and the answer was yes. I don't know if MOORING in BC makes a difference, but I'm told I'm covered for transiting to Alaska.

I’ll assume you have a US flagged/registered vessel. The challenge I’m having in boating coverage for the OP is the vessel will remain BC registered (per the buyer). I recommended he contact a marine escrow company in Anacortes to discuss the ramifications.

 

[Amy J]

Just to clarify, Nanaimo is in British Columbia, Canada, NOT in Washington.

I would suggest you contact Peter Ricks of Novamar insurance in Seattle, Washington. He is intimately familiar with insurance requirements on boats in Canada.

Peter Ricks; Marine Insurance Specialist; 2100 Westlake Ave N, Suite 103, Seattle, WA 98109; (800) 823-2798/ (206) 350-5051/ fax(206) 281-8036

No affiliation besides being a happy customer!

If you don't have any luck I suggest you contact Tracy at Western Financial (250-758-3343). I live in Nanaimo and she handles all my insurance needs. I'm sure she could help or advise you, no other affiliation other than a satisfied customer.

 

[Shrew]

Flag the vessel in the US. Get insurance in the US. Then VISIT Canada.

 

[Landshark]

Eight years ago I bought my trawler in Nanaimo, BC. The boat stayed in Nanaimo for a year after I purchased. To obtain Canadian insurance I was required to obtain a Canadian boater's certificate. It was not complicated. Essentially a mandatory 40 hour computer based correspondence program with tests. I could provide you with pother insights about bringing a Canadian flagged vessels into the United States. It is complicated.

 

[REO]

We kept a US owned boat in BC 20 years ago. It is not an easy thing. When checking in we got a cruising permit. That lasted 6 months. To stay another 6 months we had to get a permit for work to be done- another 6 months. Your case is a bit different, but I bet with other challenges. Here are questions I would ask:
What is the legal process for an American to purchase a Canadian vessel?
Once the boat is purchased how long can it legally be kept in Canada?
When the boat is brought back to the US, how much is the duty fee?
There is an interesting article in the Boat Us magazine this issue that mentions the duty fee, seems like it is significant.
We loved cruising the BC coast.

 

[Portage_Bay]

My thoughts on purchasing Diligence and keeping her in Canada.

The steel tanks are mentioned many times in this thread. They don't appear to be similar to the "black iron" tanks many of the older trawlers have. They may not be a concern. Of course get them checked out, but I don't think you'll find problems. Looking at the welds on the top these appear to be much heavier construction.

Another concern in a timber hull of this age will be the fastners. No matter the material galvanized iron or bronze they will need to be inspected. Refastening may be called for. To do it well also requires reefing out the seems before re-faseneing then caluking when done. Not a trivial project.

Regarding the tarrif, I would want some help with this. Best to go through a boat broker or customs broker with experience in cross border boat sales between Canada and the US. If NAFTA were still in effect you'd be in free on a Candain built boat. USMCA is a different animal. There are some boat brokers with broad expereince in cross border sales. One that comes to mind is Pacific Boat Brokers. Perhaps they or someone with their experience could act as your buyer's broker. They may also be able to provide some guidance in finding insurance.

A big question to address is are you ready to take on the stewardship of a wooden vessel? It's nothing like a fiberglass boat where for the most part you can ingnore it between uses. She's a beautiful treasure and deserves to be kept so.

 

[sunchaser]

PB
Black iron, black steel or steel or often interchangeable and most of the time the same stuff. But, what do I know I’m only a metallurgical engineer.

 

[SteveK]

Hijack.
And here I thought the name reference was changed to create equality to metallurgical tech. Everyone else is a tech, why not engineers, inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Portage_Bay]

PB
Black iron, black steel or steel or often interchangeable and most of the time the same stuff. But, what do I know I’m only a metallurgical engineer.

My point is that those tanks appear to be constructed of heavier material. If that is true then they will have a longer life and suffer less from the level of corrosion that will ruin the lighter built tanks seen on many of the older trawlers.

 

[sunchaser]

PB
Your point is correct in that if the tanks were well made they could well be just fine. But one never knows thus a more than cursory look see is best to do.

The pros and cons of steel tanks and construction techniques have been known for a very long time. Thread drifting a bit, when stainless steel first became common (thank you INCO) one of the predecessor products was a very corrosion resistant and easily produced alloy called Monel. Monel products entered the world's navies big time a century ago as its anti corrosion properties became well known.

Many yachts have been built with Monel fuel tanks, I had one built in 1971. Due to costs and special welding techniques and protocols modern Monel and other SS products are not commonly used for fuel. A properly constructed and installed mild steel tank is about 1/2 the cost and if not subjected to exterior moisture or filled with bad fuel, can last a very long time. There are many steel fuel tanks used on mobile equipment approaching 90 years old.

Some older wood boats were built with Monel tanks that can harmlessly turn black, brown or green. Some old wood vessels may well have a Monel tank disguised as a corroding steel tank. In this case, wouldn't that be nice.

BTW, the name of the Chairman of INCO 135 years ago was Monell.