Shipping a boat, North East U.S.

[Comogene]

Exactly where outside of Boston" is the boat? There are several haulers north of Boston and a couple just south plus those in the Cape Cod area. Some are strictly local (no ICC permits) and any would have to return empty thus requiring you to cover that cost as well as the trip to LI. If you are buying from a dealer or a broker, they may have a transportation contact. So might the seller if a private party.


Your best bet would be to beg or borrow a trailer that can handle the boat and a full-sized pick-up truck. Keeled sailboats can require a customized trailer, but as I look at a map, it is all downhill from Boston to LI.

[cabinboybob]

This thread gives me some PTSD. This is what happened when our brand new Tartan4000 was shipped from the factory in OH. All was fine until the last turn into the boat yard in RI. The carrier was not exactly forthcoming with $ for damages and we were stuck fronting all the repair money to the yard while we waited for them to finally find their wallet. There was about $15K in damage for the yard plus replacement parts from Tartan (20 foot long piece of cap rail for one thing).

https://picasaweb.google.com/1154979...k&noredirect=1

More photos
https://picasaweb.google.com/1154979...k&noredirect=1

That all said.... this hardly ever happens.

[bobnlesley]

Just how cold is it to the north of Cape Cod t this time of the year; frozen/icebergs? We sailed through there in late September - bloody cold I'll admit - but even in February there must be the occasional nice/sunny day? From Boston to Onset below the CC Canal is an easy day sail and you've got a secure, well sheltered and free anchorage there. I know it doesn't freeze-up south of there in the Sound and a couple more easy day sails will take you to the east end of Long Island. Probably not a whole heap of fun, but doable and good experience surely?

[Sailing55]

Reply #17 by bobnlesley sums it up nicely. Cannot be improved upon. In all honesty the reason for owning a sailboat is to embark on adventures such as the one they describe. And it would be so much fun...if you needed to transport cross country, trucking makes sense, but just down the coast?????

[ebsail]

5 years ago we had a 25 foot Oday transported from Maryland to New York, (250 miles) for $650. Transporter used a hydraulic trailer and we picked it off at our boat club with a crane, so that was the total cost. We got that price by asking around at boat yards in Maryland and found a person who did most of their local transporting. Being flexible on the moving date helped. On a separate note, we are very frugal and try to keep expenses as low as possible, and still maintain the vessel in first class condition. We belong to the Nyack Boat Club (about 25 miles north of New York City) which is member owned, and where almost all work on everything, is done by members, which in turn keeps annual dues down to about $700 per year. For instance, winter storage is only $17 per foot vs. $30 at local yards. But boat expense still averages about $3000 per year. Please try to be realistic in looking at the boat expenses. I don't think you can own a boat anywhere on Long Island for less than this amount. And don't forget the chance of a sudden major item going bad that you can't do without. such as an engine repair. Anyway, good luck and start accumulating cash reserve.

[hamburking]

I suggest you pay the storage and sail it home in the spring. You'll have to pay storage even if you brought it home now, right? Trucking a boat is expensive, as you have just found out. There are a few independent owner/operators who offer good service and cheap prices, and I think that is what you were asking for in your post. I had one of these guys move my Cal25 about 400 miles (20 years ago) for about $1200 usd. The posts suggesting you buy a trailer and move the boat yourself are valid, but you get into all kinds of other issues and costs, like insurance.

Short answer: boats are expensive to own, even if the boat itself was free. Moving boats is expensive. Often the best way to move a boat is to sail it. Most people prepare for week, months, or even years for a big sailing trip. So moving your boat a big distance on day 1 is a daunting task. If you lack dollars, you can make it up with time and energy.

Or just find another boat closer to home...there are a lot of good used boats out there. Maybe buy one in Canada...your usd go a long way here right now. The trip down the Hudson River is an easy trip compared to an ocean coastal passage.

[bauer965]

Try Lockview Marina. I was happy with them and price.

[captlloyd]

Would some of you folks give it a break !! The OP is looking for someone to haul his boat at a reasonable price !! He probably doesn't want advice on owning a boat and he wants to start working on it now. Maybe he doesn't feel he is qualified at this point to sail it that distance. Having said that, my advice is to try good old Craigslist under ''Services''. In Ohio I see small operators who could haul this size boat with no problem. Search a number of cities and start with your area and move out. Things should be slow for a lot of these guys, you might find a deal. Good luck.

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Would some of you folks give it a break !! The OP is looking for someone to haul his boat at a reasonable price !! He probably doesn't want advice on owning a boat and he wants to start working on it now. Maybe he doesn't feel he is qualified at this point to sail it that distance. Having said that, my advice is to try good old Craigslist under ''Services''. In Ohio I see small operators who could haul this size boat with no problem. Search a number of cities and start with your area and move out. Things should be slow for a lot of these guys, you might find a deal. Good luck.

Oh come on now, he may decide to have an adventure. No one means any harm.

And he is going to be moving a boat from Boston to Long Island, not Ohio. There could be considerable difference in cost. Boat movers charge much more if there is deadhead mileage involved. To get a good deal there has to be a two way haul for the trucker.

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Would some of you folks give it a break !! The OP is looking for someone to haul his boat at a reasonable price !! He probably doesn't want advice on owning a boat and he wants to start working on it now. :

he may not be asking for advice on owning a boat but when he says, "Can I afford the boat? This particular one, yes I think so." after say that a couple grand to transport it scares him he sure as hell could use some advice on owning a boat. sure, we can all just advise him on shipping his boat that he THINKS he can afford and may save him a few hundred bucks and he buys the boat and gets it moved now. a year down the road he discovers that slip fees alone will cost double what he thought was outrageous to ship the boat. then what?

i often ask myself, 'what question am i not asking that i should be asking?' i think some of the responses here answer some questions he should be asking.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by jrbogie

he may not be asking for advice on owning a boat but when he says, "Can I afford the boat? This particular one, yes I think so." after say that a couple grand to transport it scares him he sure as hell could use some advice on owning a boat. sure, we can all just advise him on shipping his boat that he THINKS he can afford and may save him a few hundred bucks and he buys the boat and gets it moved now. a year down the road he discovers that slip fees alone will cost double what he thought was outrageous to ship the boat. then what?

i often ask myself, 'what question am i not asking that i should be asking?' i think some of the responses here answer some questions he should be asking.

He didn't say ''can I afford this boat. He did say that he didn't have deep pockets. There is a difference.

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

He didn't say ''can I afford this boat. He did say that he didn't have deep pockets. There is a difference.

never said he asked a 'can i' question did i? indeed i quoted exactly what he said. in fact i suggested that he is NOT asking questions he should be asking. the only real difference here is that you don't think he needs any boat owning advice and i and others do.

carry on.

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

He didn't say ''can I afford this boat. He did say that he didn't have deep pockets. There is a difference.

Capt, if your son came to you and said "Dad, I have a decent job so I am going to buy a 1956 Go Fast 500 Ferrari.And after having it shipped to me here, I can live in the garage and do all my own maintenance. But as you know, I don't have deep pockets".

Would you offer him any advice, or help find him a Ferrari mover? :]

[OrangeCrush]

Not that anyone gave me a vote, but I would also vote for waiting until Spring. I disagree that you can get a couple nice days and sail it to Long Island. Even a nice winter day is insanely cold out on the water. That's a decent stretch of distance to cover and the water is rough in the winter. If money is going to be tight anyway you might as well save your shipping budget for maintenance costs. They're right around the corner, believe me. And even if you get it to Long Island, you won't be able to do most of the work you want to do until it warms up anyway, unless you pay for heated storage. I kept my last boat in NYC, usually working on it during March and sailing it during April, and that was cold enough to keep most sensible people away. And some years it was too cold (or rough) for me too and I just had to wait.

If the boat needs so much work than you can't get her ready in one trip before sailing her back from Boston in the Spring, then maybe you should look for a boat closer to home. It's really hard to save money with a fixer-upper, and maintenance is likely to outpace marina costs in no time. I paid $3k for my first boat, about 3k each year for a slip+storage, and easily two or three times that on maintenance and upgrades. And if by chance you think it's mainly the NY area that suffers from overblown prices, welcome to the boating community.

But you should still definitely go for it! Good luck.

[dinghydreams]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Would some of you folks give it a break !! The OP is looking for someone to haul his boat at a reasonable price !! He probably doesn't want advice on owning a boat and he wants to start working on it now. Maybe he doesn't feel he is qualified at this point to sail it that distance. Having said that, my advice is to try good old Craigslist under ''Services''. In Ohio I see small operators who could haul this size boat with no problem. Search a number of cities and start with your area and move out. Things should be slow for a lot of these guys, you might find a deal. Good luck.

You hit the nail right on the head and I appreciate you sticking up for me in this regard! Oh yeah and PS---I'm a SHE