experience with boat transport?

[nor'easter]

Has anyone here had practical experience in prepping a convertible and re-commissioning after over-land transport. Models would be 50-55C. I know the FB and any 1/2 tower or tower need to come down. Any good or bad experience? Any ball park costs?
For a number of reasons, over-seas transport to the W coast from the E coast or GL may not be practical and I am thinking ahead while shopping.
Thanks
Paul

 

[Passages]

Well, it would be an oversize load, complete with $65 permits for each state you cross along with escort vehicles and only being able to travel during daylight.

That said it can be done. I know a broker who has recently moved a 41' Egg Harbor. No sweat according to him.

Possible problem with a 55' might be weight restrictions. At 30 tons you will need to research carefully.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

I believe that the maximum width that is allowed on the highway is 16'. Most boats of the size you are planning to buy will exceed that maximum. Their are no permits that allow a wider load than 16'. The best way to get that job done is to motor the boat to Ft. Lauderdale and put it on the submersible yacht hauler. This freighter sinks to allow you to motor the boat on, then a diver arranges the supports for the hull, lastly they re-float the whole thing and away they go. I talked to a guy that shipped his 40' double cabin MY from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale and the cost was $13,500. He had to pre-pay to get that deal, but was very happy with the whole experience.

 

[nor'easter]

I would prefer to ship it by sea, but it may not be possible for logistics/timing reasons.
I know of 54 berts that have travelled this way (truck) and their beam is 16-11. I am shopping for mainly 52Cs, and beam would be 16-4.
I am most concerned with the prep for- and then recomissioning and what that costs, and some of the possible hazards.

 

[Ross Macdonald]

One of the key points in preparation for trucking a boat anywhere of that size is to be absolutely sure you have the same guy(s) take it apart and put it back together again. The best way is to get your person and fly them to where the boat is located and have them back here to re assemble it. After seeing it done a number of times at Basin Marine Shipyard in Newport Beach, it is the only way to do it. You might want to consult with Dave New, the owner of Basin Marine. He is a great guy and has had many, many boats brought into his yard from the East and Gulf coasts.

 

[hattitude]

I shipped my 46C from Tampa to San Diego in 2000.

Back then, the decommissioning cost $3000. That included the removal of half tower, flybridge, and loading on the truck.

The truck ride cost $11,500.

The recommissioning cost $ 5000.

Had I put it on a transport ship at that time, it would have cost $28,000.

My research found that at less than 50' it was cheaper to truck the boat. If over 50' it would have been cheaper to ship the boat.

As mentioned, the larger the truck load, the longer the route needs to be (to avoid overhead problems) and the more expensive the permits, chase vehicles, etc becomes.

The other problems are the people who take it apart and put it back together. I had problems on both ends of that equation that took some time and money for me to eventally get right. It's important to note that none of these costs or problems would have occured had I put the boat on a ship.

There are currently several waterborne transport companies and if I had to do it all over again I would put it on a ship.

The other option was to pay to have it delivered on it's own bottom. That would have cost me $30,000 at the time, not to mention the hours on the engines and any unplanned repairs that would have been made to keep it underway.

Good luck with your decision. I bought my 46C for about 70k cheaper than I could have gotten one here on the West Coast at the time. It was also in much better condition than the ones I looked at out here.

But did I mention, if I did it again, I'd put it on a ship.....

 

[nor'easter]

Message recieved Hattitude, thanks for your input.
What were the issues regarding putting the bridge back on, and how much did the recomissioning cost?
Believe me, I would love to put it on a ship and meet it in Ensenada with a bottle of tequila under my arm. Depending on timing and location though, it may not be possible for me.
If it were later in my career and I had the time to shake her down properly and do it myself, I would love to bring it around myself, but I don't want to do that if someone else is driving.

 

[Dave Phipps]

I had a 42' Grand Banks trucked from Long Beach, California to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin about 10 years ago. The yard that did the disassembly did a supurb job and carefully documented their work in photographs so that the crew on the other end would be able to work quickly reassembling the boat. I had a wide variety of bids for the actual transport....ranging about 100% as I recall. I was lucky in that I found a qualifed boat truck/trailer on a "back haul", (the otherwise empty return leg of a delivery) so I saved a significant amount of money. Palmer Johnson yachts did the reassembly work, and did an equally impressive job. A survey will be required prior to transport, along with a special insurance adendum to your policy, (or a separate special transport policy), and a survey must be completed on arrival. These surveys are not the usual full survey, but are specific to the transport and will still utilize a qualified marine surveyor.

As a tip, you might look for the companies that deliver new boats from a manufacturer...they choose carefully, and they may have back haul legs available at a discount.

In my case, the trip took longer than planned, because as the boat enters each state the state highway or transportation department can require the driver to use a certain route (depending on weight and height restrictions). Some states will also require a follow up truck or driver depending on the load size.

My boat did arrive with some minor damage....apparently the driver drove under some trees at some point...at a motel or someplace, and the branches damaged wood trim on the flybridge....which was mounted over the aft deck on a special platform. The driver's insurance paid for the damage and repair without a problem...and Palmer Johnson did a beautiful job of repairing the damage....you could never tell it had happened.

My suggestion is to work with the larger brokers or new boat sales organizations in the area...they'll have good connections and know who does what well. After several phone calls you'll begin to develop a feel for what might work best for you. My broker in Long Beach, Phil Lupton of Stan Miller Yachts, was exceptionaly helpful and did much of the contact and planning work for me...and by the way....he earned his commission and did a great job. (There was no extra charge for all of the time consuming planning
work.)

Good Luck!

Dave

 

[hattitude]

What were the issues regarding putting the bridge back on, and how much did the recomissioning cost?

The problems came from my recommissioning yard..... I chose poorly..

I used Driscoll (Mission Bay) and based on my experience I wouldn't haul my boat there if I were sinking..........

They quoted $3500 turnkey to put her back together and when I picked it up the cost had jumped to $5300 without so much as a phone call. They connected systems wrong (SSB, Trim Tabs, Auto pilot). That was hard to do because my Hatteras has a terminal strip mounted under the flybridge where almost all wires from the bilge go to the terminal strip and then to whatever. Luckily it was easy for me to fix and I learned alot about my boat systems. That's just the tip of the iceberg with them.

Had I gone with another more competent yard, the process would have been more positive.

There will always be little things that pop up from the taking the boat apart and trucking it across country that do not reflect on the skill of the yard taking it apart or the trucking company. There will be things needing to be painted, cracks to fill, and something will probably get bent during transport.. all fairly minor but needing to be made right. Also most would be avoidable if brought over on a ship.

Overall I still saved a bunch of money, I would still buy from the other coast for a great deal, but I would be a little more involved in the process.

Good luck

 

[mike]

Used Dockwise in 2001 to ship our 53MY from Ft. Lauderdale to Vancouver BC, cost $28k. Truly a "float-on, float-off" process. It’s the only way to go. The biggest issue was making certain the batteries were charged. No lost time spent de & re-commissioning. We got to use the boat immediately......

 

[Mike36c]

I had my 36 trucked from Texas to FL when I purchased her. My shecdule didn't allow me to run her myself and the engines were way tired. The half tower and bridge needed to come off plus the yard on the loading end did a piss poor job, sparse labeling of wires (just cutting some), hardware thrown in bags, rags stuffed in hydraulic hoses etc. A real PITA to get everything back up and running. Even if the loaders are perfectionists you will still need to employ a crane to re-install big items. Too many chances for a "Oh S#%$!". I'll second the float-on float-off method for transport, it may cost more but will remove loads of variables and headaches from the equation. No surprises.