Michel Maartens, over at Drascombe Netherlands, has published a great post talking about the recent partnership between Just Lugger Joinery and themselves. Just Lugger Joinery is the sister company to Dragon Drascombe and provides hand made parts and accessory’s for Drascombe Boats. It has been translated to English but the original can be found here. July 3, 2024
“It will come as no surprise that the cooperation between Europe and England since the introduction of Brexit has not exactly delivered the British (but also us) what they were promised. On the contrary, where you used to choose your dream boat overseas and happily drove home with it, the import of British boats has now become a total gamble. Both new Drascombes and pre-loved ones hardly reach the European borders anymore, an entire branch of sport has been expertly killed off for the British trailer sailer industry. If you have followed the media about this, the various bankruptcies in this sector are an unfortunate consequence of this.
What does British customs think, what are the hats like in Hoek van Holland or Calais, what import duties are you being assessed for? Perhaps you have to pay VAT again on something that was paid forty years ago, etc. What does such a boat ultimately cost? As a private skipper, it is no longer possible to estimate, hiring a transporter is expensive (and hardly justifiable).
But also the import of original parts can take on a life of its own: apart from the sometimes extreme delivery times, something like this is entirely dependent on the product category in which the part is classified. Percentages are attached to this, VAT is levied on this and customs handling costs are also due for this. If you do not pay within a week, no problem, the entire package will be sent back to the UK! The tricky thing is that there is no way to predict it: for example, simple cockpit covers were classified in the category ‘ bronze bearings for combustion engines ‘… Logically, there are brass eyes on the ends of the PVC/polyester covers. Objection seems pointless, only delays things further.
That’s why we contacted Phil Osborne of Dragon Drascombe. He rents out a fleet of nine Luggers in Greece (https://dragondrascombe.com) in the summer and runs his shipyard Just Lugger Joinery (https://justluggerjoinery.com) in Wales, N of Cardiff, in the winter. We knew Phil from our Greek contact Gijs van K. and several skippers who had enjoyed warm dream holidays with his Luggers in Lefkas. But also from British Drascombe friends who had brought their boats to Phil for maintenance.
Phil is a Drascombe afiliado with his heart in the right place. We spoke the same language and quickly agreed that Drascombe Nederland would carry the Just Lugger Joinery stock for Europe. This prevents waiting times, parts can be delivered off the shelf and prices are clear in advance.
Wednesday 17 April 2024 saw the delivery of the first shipment, a full truck and a Longboat full of masts, gaffs, booms and grinding frames. In the meantime, the first Drascombe owners have experienced the benefits, they sailed again the same day after damage. Other skippers were able to upgrade parts of their ship for reasonable amounts.
Additionally and perhaps interesting for your 2025 sunny Drascombe cruise: Phil is busy preparing a pre- or post-season Dutch Rally in the South Ionian Sea . That will be sailing with your own ship or in a rented Dragon Drascombe Lugger, staying overnight on board or in a local Greek Bed & Breakfast, definitely attractive!
Come and have a look in Huizen or call us for free tips and advice, as we have done for almost twenty-five years now.
DRASCOMBE NETHERLANDS
Michel Maartens