Questions from potential future MacGregor owner

[Anonymous]

Hello,
I’m almost a year member (trial one) of this club and finally, I’m hoping I will be able to get my boat (thanks to big delay called Covid19).

Regarding that (getting a boat, not Covid ;-)), I would like to ask if somebody can answer some of my questions:

– What to look for when buying (used) MacGregor 26M?
– On what to pay attention while checking the boat?
– Can somebody suggest some dry winter storage in the area from Surrey to Abbotsford? What is the estimated monthly cost for it?
– The next one is really from newbie to boats. When I want to buy/sell a used car I go to ICBC and they switch owner for a vehicle. Does something like that exist for boats?

Thanks in advance
Vlad

[Ron Gillies]

Vladimir, licensing is done through Transport Canada. Here is a link which covers the process and contains the application. Make sure that the sellers provide you with a signed bill of sale stating the purchase price for sales tax purposes. https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/licensing-pleasure-craft . The registration for the trailer would need to be transferred through ICBC, the same as a vehicle. Tax (12%) on the purchase of the boat needs to be paid directly to the Province of BC, Ministry of Finance. Here is a link that explains the process and provides a link to the form. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/taxes/sales-taxes/publications/pst-108-boats.pdf .It is up to you to submit the tax. When you license the boat Transport Canada advises the province of the sale and they will track you down eventually. I’ve heard that at that point they could assess a penalty since you didn’t pay it at the time of the purchase.

[Ron Gillies]

Also, if the boat has a DSC VHF radio with an existing MMSI number you will need to send an application to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to transfer the MMSI number into your name. https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf01032.html#s9

[Brian Sears]

Ron

Just reading this, we also bought a M26 this year, the vendor did not mention anything about an MMSI number but we do have a VHF radio. How do we find out if we have a MMSI number?

Thanks

Brian

[Anonymous]

Brian,
how was your purchasing experience? Was there anything special that you checked during purchase?
Also, after few months of owing a boat, is there anything that you found missing, or wanted that you spend more time looking at it?

Thanks,
Vlad

[Ron Gillies]

First, is the radio a DSC radio? Does it have a Distress button covered by a small red plastic cover? If so, you can go into the menu system in the radio and pull out the MMSI number that is set in the radio (if the previous owner did that). Every make/model of radio would have a different menu system, so find the manual for yours and it would tell you how. Once an MMSI has been entered into the radio it is not recommended that you try setting a new one in, use the existing one and re-register it in your name. If the previous owner never entered an MMSI number, then you would apply for a new one and enter it in the radio. Remember that you must have an ROC(M) – Restricted Operator Certificate (Maritime) in order to use a VHF radio. Self study courses are available online through Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons.

[Ron Gillies]

Brian, another way to check would be to go into the government’s MMSI search tool (https://sd.ic.gc.ca/pls/engdoc_anon/mmsi_search.ship) and enter the boat name or previous owner’s name and see what comes up. I looked in our membership roster and don’t see a boat name beside your name, so you might want to provide the information to Kelvin so that he can update your info. It’s best to pull it from the menu in the radio if you can, but this is an alternative. If the boat name has been changed or the previous owner got it from someone else and never registered it in their name, this system might not work.

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