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View Full Version : Question for Leezor & other importers



HH565L
11-06-2008, 07:17 PM
G'day Lee,

Since you have recently gone through the trouble of importing a boat, I thought I'd ask for your expert opinion on things.

My brother in law is about to take receipt of a 2002 Wellcraft 250 with twin 150hp HDPI Yams and trailer. The boat and trailer are in immaculate condition and the engines have 2 hours on them since full rebuild. It's fitted with a hardtop similar to yours, certainly a sweet looking ride. Would ove to do same myself but the minister of finance and increasing interest rates and fuel costs have got me a little worried!

The questions I have relate to the trailer and trailer wiring and any comments you can provide on that would be appreciated.

Hitch and tow ball size seem to be different to our standards in Australia. Can you please advise how you dealt with that issue?

He has asked me to look at trailer plug wiring for him but I expect the colour coding system and possibly even the configuration would be different in the US to what we have here. Are you able to provide any commments on that or point me to a US web site that covers trailer plug wiring colours and connections?

I noticed from your importing a Seawirl thread that you changed out the radio equipment. This makes perfect sence to me. Was there anything else in the electrical or electronics systems that needed replacing and why?

Look forward to hearing from you.

PS: Decided to ask these questions via a discussion thread in stead of a pm becuase I expect other Ausfish members will also benefit from your reply.

Thanks in advance & regards,
Spiro

leezor
11-06-2008, 07:50 PM
Hitch and tow ball size seem to be different to our standards in Australia. Can you please advise how you dealt with that issue?

When I took the trailer into the transport department to get it registered they didnt question the ball or coupling so I kept the standard US one.

He has asked me to look at trailer plug wiring for him but I expect the colour coding system and possibly even the configuration would be different in the US to what we have here. Are you able to provide any commments on that or point me to a US web site that covers trailer plug wiring colours and connections?

The trailer wiring was different to ours, I took a standard light board to the port when I picked it up and rewired it when I got it home. I had to purchase additional LED marker lights and a set of amber indicator lights to make it legal over here. Here are some links to the way my trailer was wired up.

http://www.accessconnect.com/trailer_wiring_diagram.htm (http://www.accessconnect.com/trailer_wiring_diagram.htm)
http://www.easternmarine.com/em_store/tech_info/light_tech.html (http://www.easternmarine.com/em_store/tech_info/light_tech.html)

I noticed from your importing a Seawirl thread that you changed out the radio equipment. This makes perfect sence to me. Was there anything else in the electrical or electronics systems that needed replacing and why?

The Striper didnt come with any electronics, the guy I bought it from used the electronics in his new boat. I had no other problems with electricals, all the wiring, lights, bilge pumps etc worked OK.

Hope this helps, feel free to contact me if you have any other queries.

Cheers,

Lee

HH565L
11-06-2008, 07:58 PM
Thanks Lee, you've been a great help. Very much appreciated!

I'm not even sure that he knows about the need for over-size signs and flags. Will let him know.

Thanks again & regards,
Spiro

kizza1
12-06-2008, 04:58 PM
trailer lights are generally wired so the brake light flashes as an indicator/turn signal.

with most us boats its easier to just run your own lights/lightboard than trying to modify original ones.

charleville
12-06-2008, 06:07 PM
You mention Australian standards so I may be telling grandma how to suck eggs here but just in case I am not, the Aussie vehicle design standards for trailers are to be found at ... http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/bulletin/vsb1/index.aspx

You will see in that document that they do specify a wiring convention which makes sense if someone else needs to tow the trailer at some time.

In terms of the coupling, the design standard refers to Australian Standards numbers so perhaps there is a table somewhere that equates Aussie standards numbers to US standards but perhaps this will be less important to an inspector than the trailer's critical dimension ratios, the braking arrangements and lighting requirements. I am no expert but I have built a couple of home made trailers and the rego inspection process did not involve looking at couplings but it did involve the use of a tape measure on dimensions and checking the load capacity of the wheels.



trailer lights are generally wired so the brake light flashes as an indicator/turn signal.


Yes - of course they are. ;D Just have your hot milk and take another rest. ;D

;D ;D ;D


.

leezor
12-06-2008, 07:56 PM
[quote=kizza1;839940]trailer lights are generally wired so the brake light flashes as an indicator/turn signal.
quote]

I noticed that with the wiring on trailer I imported, thought it was a little strange that they had no amber indicators, must be a seppo thing..

HH565L
12-06-2008, 08:04 PM
Thanks guys, appreciate your input.

We have now decided that a light board is the way to go for pick up and we'll re-wire once home. It takes the pressure off and allows us to do the job properly in our own time.

Interestingly enough he's been told by the local Wellraft dealer that he does not need over-size sign or flags. They know he has imported on his own and have nothing to gain by giving incorrect information........but I'm still not convinced.

Thanks again & regards,
Spiro

leezor
12-06-2008, 08:11 PM
Also check the size of the ball on your towbar, mine was an odd size, 2 5/16 from memory.

Cheers,

Lee

stevea
12-06-2008, 09:07 PM
I have been trying to make the import a US boat exercise worthwhile. Been looking the 18-20ft Walkarounds, eg Trophy, Seaswirl, Seafox plus many other brands. Some good new deals going. Just can’t seem to get over the line with import costs.

What import agent do you recommend,
What transport method? Eg 40ft Flat Rack, ROLO etc

leezor
12-06-2008, 09:28 PM
What import agent do you recommend,
What transport method? Eg 40ft Flat Rack, ROLO etc


Thanks Steve


Hi Steve, I brought mine over ROLO out of Savannah. I looked into the 40ft flat rack but from memory the ROLO was the most economical. I used Import-A-Boat in Brisbane and had no problems, they arranged everything except for the trailer.
I probably could of saved a few bucks going directly though the shipping company and doing the customs myself, but thankfully I decided to let the pros do it which I reckon saved me time and money in the long run.

charleville
13-06-2008, 08:53 AM
[quote=kizza1;839940]trailer lights are generally wired so the brake light flashes as an indicator/turn signal.
quote]

I noticed that with the wiring on trailer I imported, thought it was a little strange that they had no amber indicators, must be a seppo thing..



Oops! You mean that this is fair dinkum for the Yanks? I thought that kizza1 was just being funny about trailers with faulty earths which cause such things to happen. [Sorry kizza1!!!]

What a dill, I am! ;D

MyWay
15-06-2008, 11:58 AM
HH good chose on boat Wellcraft are very good boats my mate had coastal 2350
good to see your brother getting trailer from USA . My mate had to change 3 trailers and so many adjustment and and was still towing like dog on rod . Simple was no trailer here design for it .
good luck to him and all the best

myway

HH565L
17-06-2008, 01:50 PM
Howdy guys,

Just thought I'd provide an update and ask for more of your expert advice.

To cut a long story short the boat has arrived and it is stuck at the docks. My brother in law was told he could not pick it up, reason given is outstanding information regarding the trailer. Apparently paperwork on the trailer is to be submitted to a 'department of sorts' in Canberra, they are to check through that, and authorise a release for the docks.

I'm not sure of the exact details or whether he is getting a bum steer but the problem he has is that turn-around time for this paperwork is approx 2 weeks. As part of the shipping contract (I think) he arrange for up to one week free storage at the docks. If Canberra don't provide the authority in double quick time, he will start to cop storage fees calculated on a daily basis.

Does any of the above sound true or logical? If anyone can shed some light on the matter it would be very much appreciated.

Regards,
Spiro

leezor
17-06-2008, 05:21 PM
Spiro, I waited over 30 days for the trailer import approval from DOTARS. Luckily I submitted mine well before it was due to land in the country to avoid it being held up by customs.
From memory their website said to allow 21 days from the day they receive the application, after 3 weeks I called them to chase it up which they didnt seem to happy about. Anyway, without the approval customs wont release it so it looks like the brother in law is going to be up for some storage costs.

Cheers,

Lee

HH565L
17-06-2008, 09:35 PM
Thanks Lee,

It's clearly an oversight on his part. He has imported boats (cruisers) previously but has never needed to worry about trailers. If he had known that he needed trailer import approval I'm sure he would have chased up/completed all the relevant paperwork and had it submitted very early in the piece, that's just the sort of bloke he is. Just goes to show you can never do enough homework.

Anyway, thanks again for all your advice Lee. I've learnt heaps from your original thread and this experience. I'm sure it will hold me in good stead when I eventually go the import route myself one day.

BTW, how's the Seaswirl going mate? Are you happy with your selection or would you opt for an alternative if you imported again? On a personal note, I would have to flip a coin Seaswirl heads, Wellcraft tails. Love them both. But for a pure off-shore fishing rig, it would have to be an Albemarle. There's a couple of very nice 27's for sale and I am watching closely as the asking prices for them continue to fall. ::)

Regards,
Spiro

leezor
18-06-2008, 06:43 AM
Thanks Lee,

BTW, how's the Seaswirl going mate? Are you happy with your selection or would you opt for an alternative if you imported again? On a personal note, I would have to flip a coin Seaswirl heads, Wellcraft tails. Love them both. But for a pure off-shore fishing rig, it would have to be an Albemarle. There's a couple of very nice 27's for sale and I am watching closely as the asking prices for them continue to fall. ::)

Regards,
Spiro

Am happy with it so far, it suits my style of boating up here in Townsville at the moment though both my kids will have their drivers licenses next year, discover girls, booze and nightclubs so I will probably downsize to something a little easier to handle on my own in 18 months or so. With the rising costs its hard to justify having a big boat to fish on your own these days.

Good luck with the Wellcraft mate, hopefully DOTARS will get the import permit to you without too much delay. Being a public servant myself, I know how slowly the wheels turn in these Federal Government departments and with the new KRUDD government slashing employee numbers it's only going to get worse.

Cheers,

Lee