Taking a friends boat to Canada

[RedRascal]

In July I'll be taking my friends boat from Washington State to Victoria Canada. The boat is in an LLC. I am expecting to get quizzed on why I am on a boat that doesn't belong to me when I check in at the customs dock. One owner will be in Scottland at the time and the other owner will join me a day after I get into Canada.

Anybody do something similar lately? Any tips?

 

[tiltrider1]

On several occasions I took my boat from Seattle to Desolation Sound and a good friend brought my boat Back.

I left a letter on board that said my friend had my permission to use the boat. Customs never asked him for the letter. Never made a big deal out of the boat not belonging to anyone on board.

We have found with both Canada and Us Customs, never lie, answer only yes or no and never volunteer any information.

 

[Hippocampus]

Usually not an issue. A signed letter from the owner(s) is a good idea. Include you names, details of transit and expected dates of the trip.
Also make sure you’re named on the insurance for the trip. Some marinas want to see a minimal view of amount of liability (commonly $1m) and details of ownership. You would be servicing as interim owner . Being unpaid the Jones act stuff wouldn’t apply even if you stop again in the US along the way.

Tilt offers great advice that seems true everywhere in the world

never lie, answer only yes or no and never volunteer any information.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. RR. Also be aware of the customs restrictions (alcohol/tobacco/firearms etc.) that might cause problems. I've never had problems with customs in either country. Strictly professional.

 

[Portage_Bay]

My experience matched that of Hippocampus and Tiltrider. No problems with moving the boat from Kethcikan to Pender Harbor clearing into Canada at Prince Rupert. My friend has cruised to / from Canada for years. Because of this when I checked in and gave CBSA the boat's particulars they wanted to know where the owner was, who I was and why I was bringing the boat into Canada. My short answer "We're moving the boat to Pender Harbor, the owner will meet us there." Satisfied them and that was all there was to it.

 

[sunchaser]

RR
Questions that will arise:
Is this a Documented vessel? How long will you and the vessel stay in BC? Can you prove you’re acting in the Owner’s behalf and not stealing the vessel? What is purpose of trip?

 

[RedRascal]

These are excellent responses vs. stories of complex ordeals. I was thinking a letter would be a good document to have if questions came up. I've taken various charter boats from Washington to Canada and that has never been an issue but all those boats were "in the system". The boat I am taking in this time probably hasn't been to Canada for 20 years and that would have been under different owners. So I am not sure if they'll have the boat in their system or not. I'll report back later in July how it works out. The boat is not documented.

I have a land crossing coming up next week so I'll ask at the border if there is something new in place that I need to account for in the above scenario. Thanks for the comments!

 

[RedRascal]

Okay here is how it played out for me bringing my friend's boat into Canada(Victoria) from Washington.

Short story is non-issue, never was questioned about me not owning the boat.

Here is how it played out. Arrived at customs dock and was informed there was about a 45 minute wait to reach an agent on the customs phone from another boater. Called in using a cell phone on speaker instead of dock phone and did boat chores while we waited. After about 45 minutes an agent came on the line and we accidentally fed the customs agent the registration number of the dinghy instead of the boat. Realized our mistake and said sorry sir we gave you the dinghy number and here is the boat's number. He said dinghy was not in system but the boat was in the system and all was good. Then he moved on to who we were. I have an enhanced driver's license which was no problem. Never asked anything about why we're on a boat we don't own. Then moved onto the regular food and weapons questions. Eggs raised a flag but said it was okay if we didn't take them off the boat. Once the agent was on the line it was quick and easy.

We did have a letter on board from the owners that said we had permission to operator, maintain and make necessary repairs for the month of July.

US customs was a hassle in Friday Harbor. Walked up to the customs booth and no one was in there but they called us on phone on the outside of the booth. They told us to register online so we fiddled around for about 30 minutes doing that then they came down to the docks to take our eggs. As far as we could understand from studying the websites it was okay to bring eggs into the U.S. from Canada. There was a restriction earlier in the year be we understood it to be dropped. However it doesn't matter what we know or think it's what the customs guy decides. He even mocked the point that he could give us a form to send in to get refunded the cost of the eggs if he was wrong but said it wouldn't go anywhere. We cut the conversation as short as we could since it was pointless and I'd rather spend my time tracking down a flavorful ice cream waffle cone.

So it all worked out and we had a good cruise.

 

[tiltrider1]

Entering the USA has changed over the years. As a NEXUS holder I was allowed to call ‘Bellingham Airport Customs and report crossing the border. Never had a wait. Always cleared immediately and never had to go to a dock. Now everything is done through CBP Roam. It is however, even easier for me. The App is preloaded with our info. I just pull it up and send. Minutes later I get a confirmation.

I have been told that calling in will delay you and more likely to get searched.

 

[RedRascal]

2019 was my last Canada to US boat crossing and it was easy in Roche Harbor with the dock side agents. So I'm clearly behind the times. I can see how the CBP app makes it really slick to enter now because you don't need to waste time coming in to a specific customs dock. The customs agent told us we don't even need to declare a specific harbor as our point of entry but could enter something like San Juan Island or Lopez Island. Looking forward to saving some time in the future when we cross borders again.