Shipping a boat, North East U.S.

[dinghydreams]

Ahoy!!

I'm going to see a boat outside of Boston and it may very well become my first sailboat! I am currently based on the East End of Long Island. I'm a young sailor and my finances are precarious but it's the middle of winter and simply "launching the boat and going," isn't an option. I've gotten one quote for shipping at it was nearly $2,000 !! This makes no sense to me as when I lived on West Coast my mate and I got a quote for shipping a boat entirely across country and it was $4,000 or so. This is 300 miles tops! It's a 28 ft sailboat with an 8 foot beam. Just wondering if anyone knows of any any reliable and affordable east coast boat trucking companies! I've looked online and requested quotes from some of the major companies but thought I'd ask here!

Fair winds!

[Clamdigger]

You should travel around to local marinas, both up where the boat is, and where you're bringing it. You may find a hauling rig just sitting idle and able to take your boat for less money. The majority of the boat hauling in New England occurs Spring through Fall due to Winter making the roads hell for tractor trailer drivers. The owner operator types don't care to position/ or endanger their equipment by booking loads up there during theis time of year.
I would take a look on the sidebars at Sailboats for sale from Sailing Texas, Sailboat Classifieds, sailboat for sale by owner, and maybe contact the owner of that website, Allison, (a really nice lady) who could give you some contacts possibly.

Your load is'nt a 'Wide Load' transit issue, it's logistics. Most boat hauling is down on the I-10 route South this time of year. Which is why the high cost quote. If you can wait until Spring then it would probably be half that.

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by dinghydreams

Ahoy!!

I'm going to see a boat outside of Boston and it may very well become my first sailboat! I am currently based on the East End of Long Island. I'm a young sailor and my finances are precarious but it's the middle of winter and simply "launching the boat and going," isn't an option. I've gotten one quote for shipping at it was nearly $2,000 !! This makes no sense to me as when I lived on West Coast my mate and I got a quote for shipping a boat entirely across country and it was $4,000 or so. This is 300 miles tops! It's a 28 ft sailboat with an 8 foot beam. Just wondering if anyone knows of any any reliable and affordable east coast boat trucking companies! I've looked online and requested quotes from some of the major companies but thought I'd ask here!

Fair winds!

$3/mile is a typical rate plus loading and unloading.

We shipped our Liberty 458 (44,000#) from Seattle to Berkeley in 2012.

I forget the trucking companies name but Canal boat yard in Seattle made the recommendation. They should be able to help.

You might face additional wide load costs on the east coast. Although 28' and an 8' beam probably dont exceed wide load limits depending on keel height.

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[Paul Annapolis]

Well.....you want to buy a boat but you say that your finances are "precarious" and I always have to chuckle because every time someone is looking for a recommendation of a service provider they are sure to include "reasonable" or "affordable", as if we would otherwise be looking to spend as much money as possible. Many people can buy a boat but not all of them can afford the boat. Can you really afford a boat? And yet I wonder why you can't sail it from Boston to the tip of Long Island come April or May? I cannot imagine how anyone in this day and age could take any sized boat and drive it across country for only $4000, as you said was quoted to you once. If you want a cheap service provider to haul your boat, go out and get quotes online--it's easy, but beware of lowest bid. It's not just the labor and the fuel but the capitalization to have a truck and a trailer. But why not buy a boat on Long Island?

[dinghydreams]

Ah! Yes, thank you for bringing the hammer down sometimes I need that. I guess it's pretty annoying to have people posting on here that seem to not want to do their own research. Not my intention. There is absolutely no reason why I can't sail the boat down come Spring, but want to begin working on it right away and alas, I don't live in Boston area and definitely don't want to sail it down this time of year (not like you suggested that). Keeping the boat where it is until the season changes is definitely an option. I wasn't asking someone to do the research for me, rather for specific suggestions if anyone has had their own boat shipped by a company in New England and can recommend a good company they have personally used.

Can I afford the boat? This particular one, yes I think so. Maybe I'm naive but you gotta start somewhere!

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by leftbrainstuff

$3/mile is a typical rate plus loading and unloading.

Might have been $3 a mile a long time ago. we just hauled our morgan 41 from deale, MD to Buffalo (450miles) this spring and the best price we could find from anyone was $4000 plus load/unload costs!!! typical costs now are closer to $10 a mile

[dinghydreams]

I could always sell a kidney!! Basically my meager savings will all be taken up by the purchase of the boat and initial storage fees, and I will continue to work while I sail and outfit her...

[c3po]

What kind of condition is she in?

With Amtrak or Grey hound having very cheap tickets, perhaps you can just sail it down over the course of several weekend sails. Plenty of coastal ports are also transit stops.

No better way to learn!

Or what type of engine does it have?

[skipmac]

A boat that small you could tow yourself if you can access (beg, borrow, steal, rent) a good sized pickup truck and a trailer. 8' beam is street legal and the boat will be way under weight limits. If you are handy, rent a big flatbed trailer, build a cradle for the boat and drive it over. A friend did this with a 26' Columbia he got free in CT and drove it all the way to FL.

Don't forget you will have to pay a boat yard to lift it off the trailer, set it in their yard and will charge you storage and launching fee come spring.

[exkma367]

Stonington marine transport, of Stonington Ct, hauled our Tartan 34c from East Lyme CT to the middle of PA at a very reasonable rate. We have a long driveway with an uphill dog leg at the end that most haulers would have balked at. He persevered and got her set in the driveway. I will use him again when we move her back to the water. His trailer does not require a crane to load and unload.

[Dymaxion]

There was a decent factory built tandem trailer around here this fall, carried a Viking 28 which sounds same size as yours. The boat was junked but I can ask around for the trailer. Likely cost you as much as a carrier would charge, plus you'd have to collect it here, in full winter conditions. I'm in New Brunswick, (Fredericton) Benefit of course is that you'd own the trailer, could trailer launch/store, and move to new water at 50mph if wanted. You'll need a 3/4 ton truck or better when the boat is on, an SUV could haul the empty trailer. I can ask around if you'd like.

[CaptTom]

How much work does it need? Assuming it's in sailable condition, I'd leave it where it is, visit on weekends to develop the "to do" list, and be ready to bring it down in the spring. Save the $$ you'd otherwise spend on transport for the inevitable "to buy" list that comes along with the "to do" list.

[redhead]

I lived on Long Island for 20 years and just left in 2015. I have since found that everything in NYC, Long Is, Westchester, & CT is priced higher than the rest of the country. All this time I thought those prices were normal!

Look for a company slightly north or south of Boston area, (not metro). I don't know if they'll be more affordable, but probably better than LI. Good luck!

[ztsf]

I'm sure you have your reasons - but why even transport it now? It will likely be much cheaper just to leave it in winter storage until Spring, when you can fit-out, launch it and sail it down. Depending where on Long Island you live, you can do that in one or two jumps.

Depending on the seller's agreement with the marina that the boat is stored in, the winter storage may already be paid. Even if he's month-to-month, you may be able to negotiate having him pick up the balance of storage until April/May, or splitting it.

I don't know your details. I live in NJ and recently bought a boat in MA during the winter. My seller had paid the storage, so I just made the trips up and sailed it back when the winter weather broke.

If you do decide to move it over land, and you're not too anxious to get it down, you may have more lower cost options by finding a national marine hauler that is dead-heading back out of the region, and will cut you a deal for a short haul in the area. I can heartily recommend a company called J. Daniels Marine (www.jdanielsmarine.com) This husband-wife team has been in business over 20 years, and has never had an insurance claim filed against them. Super careful. Moved my 40 foot C&C from the Midwest to the East Coast without a scratch. I have no idea what their current rates are - but they are constantly on the move, and if they can fit your short haul in, they may be competitive. One thing's for sure, you'll get the boat delivered exactly as it left. Good luck.

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by dinghydreams

Can I afford the boat? This particular one, yes I think so. Maybe I'm naive but you gotta start somewhere!

having owned boats for more than half a century ranging from 16 to 36 feet i find this a slam dunk easy question to answer. if your financial situation is such that 2 large scares you then you damn sure cannot afford this boat. i spend three times that each year in slip fees alone. at the slip rate i pay that means you'll pay more than four grand a year and i cannot imagine long island slips not costing even more.