Re: Importing pwc to Canada, from Ohio.
Apologies for monster post...but you asked d
I imported my Scout (along with a trailer) from North Carolina last fall. It was an adventure dealing with the various government agencies on both sides of the border. Depending on the time of day you called, you got different answers as to requirements. It was, in short -- a monumental pain in the *ss.
It got to the point where I had to stop asking about it and just go do. So I departed on the adventure, still without clear answers from either government about what would happen at the border. Perhaps not wise but my flight was booked and it was nonrefundable.
What I had been told -- more or less -- was that at the border back into Canada I would need:
Clear certificate of title for watercraft
Clear certificate of title for trailer
Notarized bill of sale for watercraft
Notarized bill of sale for trailer
Immediately I was in deep as I discoverd NC is a "title optional" state and so none existed for the original owner to give me. I did have a certificate of origin which seemed to satisfy Canadian Customs, but it was touch and go for a while. To this day I'm not sure I'd get through again without a title. (This is explained in somewhat more detail at the site I've linked to below)..
Back to the other documents. Make sure the bills of sale are separate documents or at least separate line items on the same document. They tax you differently for the boat and trailer but tax you they do. You'll get zapped immediately for GST and PST on the boat, GST on the trailer. (PST on the trailer comes later).
You do not pay duty if the boat was manufactured in the US. The Scout hull was indeed, but then there was that Yamaha hanging off the back with a big Made in Japan sticker on it. That was good for a skipped beat or two in the secondary inspection line, but no-one asked about that detail so I'm assuming the entire Scout factory package is considered to be good old American-made from stem to stern....to Japanese skeg...
So, that's just to get across the border. Then you have to make sure the boat and trailer meet Transport Canada's approval for use in Canada. Your insurance company will be most interested in this process as well.
For the trailer:
You need a declaration of Recall Clearance from the trailer manufacturer to prove no roadgoing issues were discovered with the model of trailer you bought after the date of manufacturer. Apparently you can write the manufacturer directly from Canada for this. I haven't done it yet as the trailer went almost immediately into storage.
You must also present your trailer for inspection at an approved facility, part with $200, and get a certificate stating the particular trailer you bought does itself meet spec for use on Canadian roads. It's important that all identification and load labels are present and legible. If you want, you can prepay this inspection fee at the border when you come into the country.
Go present the recall clearance and inspection certificate at the licence office and you get your plate. This is when you pay your PST for the trailer. I believe you also have to mail in the info to Transport.
For the boat:
(and I'm not sure if this includes PWCs) you have to submit various measurements and photographs -- again to Transport Canada -- so they can issue the Canadian Compliance Label -- the equivalent to the US Coast Guard placard regarding load limits, etc. They told me on the phone that the backlog for this process is so huge that, instead of the placard, I will get a letter back saying it's ok to use the boat and the placard will be sent in about a year (I kid you not)...Armed with this letter of intent to issue a placard you can go get your registration numbers for the boat.
Info on the Compliance label application process is here:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafety/tp/tp1332/appendix2.htm
The next link is to a site I found while researching the the entire importing issue. You will see that people's mileage varies on the hassle factor. When I got back I recounted part of my story and they posted it. I'm the "Toronto Boater [who] finds "title optional" States (October 2006)"...another delightful twist.
http://boating.ncf.ca/buy-usa.html
You will note that there is some uncertainty over the requirement to present yourself to US Customs and Border Protection on the way out to declare that you are removing the boat and trailer from States.
Wanting to head off any issues I presented myself to them anyway. If I hadn't been so stressed out it would have been funny. I went to the counter, didn't get two words out before I was asked if I had been called to the counter. I had not and said so.
The officer told me to sit down and wait my turn. I tried to explain there was no real "turn" involved with respect to calling my name but he lowered his voice, stepped back from the counter, cocked his arm like he might actually go for his sidearm and told me again to sit down. I sat.
Five minutes later I summoned the courage to again approach the counter. Again I was asked if my name had been called. This time I said in the most polite tone possible "How can you call my name when you don't know who I am or why I'm here?" Eventually we determined I needed to speak to someone else about boats. I guess I was in the strip search line or something and had completely baffled them.
The upshot is, you do not need to present yourself to US Customs and Border Protection when exporting a boat...unless you want the strip search...
Frankly, it would have been easier for me to build a damn boat rather than import it. If I think of anything else to add to this little note, I'll post it.
