Getting a boat from Pacific Coast of Mexico to Texas?

[ErBrown]

Howdy Folks,

My wife and I are still hunting down boats and one on the Pacific Coast of Mexico has caught our eye. Still very early on in the process no communication with the listing broker yet but it's a boat we know we like so the real questions at this point are condition and cost.

Before we can even determine if it's worth pursuing I'd like to get a rough idea of what folks who've done something similar think it would cost to get a 40ft sailboat from the Pacific coast of Mexico back to the Houston area. We'd be open to either trucking/shipping it back or if we can make it work bringing from a cost/time perspective. Bringing it back with the help of an experienced skipper.

My gut is that the shipping option is probably the cheapest but thought a thread here would be a good place to start.

Obviously there are a lot of unknowns here so I'm not looking for exact numbers but am mainly just trying to get a feel for how much of our boat budget would be consumed with transportation costs vs bringing something back from the NorthEast US.

Thanks in advance,
EB

[skipmac]

It's a long way and a lot of money from Pacific coast MX to TX no matter how you do it.

Trucking a boat that size that far would be very expensive. Unless it is the skinniest 40' boat on the planet, it will exceed width restrictions and require special permits AND an escort car. WAG maybe $10,000.

South to Panama and through the canal back north to TX in the same ball park after you pay canal fees, crew, expenses, fuel and repairs and wear and tear for everything that breaks or wears out on the trip.

Unless this is a very special boat or a very special deal it would be better to look closer to home.

[model 10]

I have pretty much the same opinion but which is more interesting? You could start pouring to much money into your sink hole right from the start.

[skipmac]

There is always the option of sailing it back yourself.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy EB!

I am also in Texas and have wondered the same thing about the cost of moving a boat purchased in West coast of Mexico, so I am glad you have brought up this topic.

I recall that another forum member here posted something about trucking his Caliber 40 boat from (IIRC) La Paz Mexico to Seattle. He posted the cost for the trucking to do this and estimated it was a better cost to him than slogging upwind up the coast or "wear and tear" on gear and people (time and comfort) and fuel costs to get back up the Pacific coast from Mexico. The sailor's name is TacomaSailor.

As for going from West coast of Mexico to Houston? I don't know. What about trucked from West Coast of Mexico to East Coast of Mexico, then you or a Houston based delivery skipper bringing it up the Texas coast? I would consider that, if the boat was "ready to sail" condition, but...if not in great condition, then keeping it on the truck would be my choice.

While I do not have personal experience doing this (truck transport or Panama Canal transit etc.) I do hope that others on this forum will add to the topic discussion too.

I also hope you will post a "final choice" or what you learned off forum so others (like me) can learn from it too.

[Paul L]

Another possibility is to ship via a ship. The yacht transport companies stop on the West coast of Mexico for pickups as well as in Costa Rico.

[ErBrown]

Originally Posted by skipmac

There is always the option of sailing it back yourself.

Definitely an enticing option given the costs and we haven't ruled it out entirely but the time involved in getting to the canal, through the canal, and then up the gulf, seems a bit daunting with our current busy schedules. If we had the luxury of taking our time and learning the boat as we went, this would definitely be the route we'd take but at this point, that's just not realistic. If we did it on our own, we'd definitely be burdened with a schedule.

SteadyHand - we're also kicked around the idea of a truck through Mexico, drop it in the gulf and sail back. My gut says de-rigging and re-rigging process is a big piece of the trucking cost but definitely one of the options we want to explore.

Paul - Shipping (by ship) is definitely an option but am not sure of cost...sounds expensive. Any idea what something like that would cost?

As I said, this isn't something we're committed to, just trying to get a feel for how much cheaper a boat would need to be, to make this an attractive option.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

What about trucked from West Coast of Mexico to East Coast of Mexico, then you or a Houston based delivery skipper bringing it up the Texas coast? I would consider that, if the boat was "ready to sail" condition, but...if not in great condition, then keeping it on the truck would be my choice.

Cost and time wise I think this would be the best option. However, I would make sure the boat as cargo, was fully insured and I would be there to oversee the entire project.

[ErBrown]

Well, just got a quick quote from United Yacht Transport and they would want $22k from Pacific Mexico to Florida. Then I'd need to get it back to TX from FL, so my guess is the shipping (by ship) option is out.

[JayCall]

erBrown-if you are still interested in shipping, call Peters & May. You can google them. World-wide experience shipping yachts as deck cargo. Depending on where in Mexico, they should be able to get you shipped directly to Houston. I would take a wild guess that $20-22L is not too far off the cost. They are good at what they do and take care of everything for you.

[model 10]

I have never heard of anyone getting their boat trucked across MX. Maybe far north near the border? The roads going inland where we have been look rough and the trucks, they look a little rough also. Guatemala has a nice freeway part of the way from east to west and a really crappy looking truck and trailer.
The least expensive way would get it to San Diego and truck it to TX. Sometimes boats get lucky and the Baja Bash is a piece of cake.

[SV THIRD DAY]

Add $30K to the price of the boat, plus some drama and if it is still worth it sure, but your better option would just be to fly there and start your cruise there!

[ErBrown]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

Add $30K to the price of the boat, plus some drama and if it is still worth it sure, but your better option would just be to fly there and start your cruise there!

Unfortunately we're not leaving for our cruise for several years. This is the boat we're hoping to start building so coastal cruising experience in and a few trips to the Caribbean, with the hope it will become our long-term cruising boat. So for now, we have to work and for now that means Texas.

[RTB]

PM Charlie here on CF. He got a quote to ship his 41' s/v from Ca. to Kemah, Tx. I don't think it was in the $20K range. He may still be in Europe, sailing with his family, but he checks in here from time to time.

Ralph

[Greenhand]

I just thought I would add that purchasing boats in Mexico is a very gray legal area. This is one reason they tend to be cheaper, as a limited number of brokers and buyers will operate in that area.