Shipping Chris Craft to Hawaii?

[davidnjeannie]

Hi there,
My husband and I are considering shipping our 41 foot Chris Craft Conqueror to Hawaii in 2-3 years. We are trying to figure out the cost. We have had a couple quotes, but it seems extremely expensive. Has anyone out there shipped a boat this size or close there? How much did it cost you? It would be easier taking it with when we move, rather than buy another boat there. They just do not have much to offer there in the type of boat we want. And they are higher priced. We would hate to not have a boat. She also has a pilot house we cannot remove. Any advice would be appreciated. thanks in advance

[marley]

Hi david and jeannie,

If you dont want to ship your boat, i know i very experinced salior and delivery skipper, he has done 20 deliverys between hawaii and the mainland. plus much more.
I beleive it would be cheaper and safer then shipping. If you would like more details let me know. Good luck.

[skipmac]

Don't think the Chris has the range to make Hawaii on her own bottom.

[Norm]

Very old info from me, but I used to manage the biggest the boat business in Hawaii decades ago. At that time, when I bought boats in Southern California it was cheapest to truck them up to Coos Bay, Oregon and have them brought over by Sause Brothers Barge Co. Matson Lines between L.A. and Honolulu were much more expensive.

Experienced delivery skippers will have access to supplemental fuel bladders to achieve the range needed to make it there on her own.

[skipmac]

To get that range out of that boat is a lot of bladder and weight to secure. Didn't take the time to do the calculations but if you add 250-300 gallons you are putting over a ton of weight on a 41 power boat. Plus I believe most of these old Chris Crafts were powered with gas engines and I would not recommend a bladder full of gas.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by davidnjeannie

Hi there,
My husband and I are considering shipping our 41 foot Chris Craft Conqueror to Hawaii in 2-3 years. We are trying to figure out the cost. We have had a couple quotes, but it seems extremely expensive. Has anyone out there shipped a boat this size or close there? How much did it cost you? It would be easier taking it with when we move, rather than buy another boat there. They just do not have much to offer there in the type of boat we want. And they are higher priced. We would hate to not have a boat. She also has a pilot house we cannot remove. Any advice would be appreciated. thanks in advance

Welcome to Cruisers Forum, Jeannie and David. It's good to have you here.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you did say "any advice would be appreciated." I think you should carefully reconsider your plans. Cruising the Hawai'ian Islands is nothing like the San Juans. This thread, http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...waii-6233.html might be worthwhile reading, and if you do a CF search, you will find several others.

It's great that you want to continue enjoying the water after you're there, but I think you'll find a bluewater sailboat much more suitable. Making Hawai'i your base, then going exploring from there is a great option, but your Chris Craft won't take you far. And even for exploring the Islands themselves, I think you'll find a strong sailing vessel more suitable.

As hard as it may be to believe, the entrenched political powers in Hawai'i don't see yachting as something they should promote. As a result, the facilities there are sparse and, generally, poorly maintained.

It would be worth your while to contact some of the members here with more recent Hawai'i experience that mine, such as SkiprJohn or Celestialsailor. Since you're not going there for two or three years, you have time to gather more information and get a clearer picture about cruising the Hawai'ian Islands.

TaoJones

[davidnjeannie]

Thanks for all the replys. Yes we have been looking at sailboats as well. Probably better to sell our Chris and see what other options we have. We would love to sail to Hawaii, but not sure what type of yacht/sailboat would work for this and the cost related. As we are liveaboards we would really like to keep it that way. We have already contacted several marinas and yacht brokers in Hawaii who have given us great info. Our issue is, it seems every sailboat we see online just doesn't have as much room (specifically the salon)as we do on our Chris Craft. Anyone have any advice on sailboat makers that have more roomier options? Or can we cruise/sail to Hawaii and not break the bank? None of the yachts or sailboats say what there range is online. We have also looked into purchasing another vessel and shipping it there, but it seems the loan companies will not include shipping on the loan. We are looking at every possible option to having a boat in Hawaii and how to get it there. The boats there are much more expensive. Otherwise we would just move there and buy a yacht/sailboat when we find one.
thanks Jeannie

[skipmac]

Hi Jeannie,

Sailing to Hawaii is relatively simple as it is typically a downwind run from CA. While not recommended plenty of marginal sailboats have made the trip. Plenty of threads on this forum about which boats are suitable for bluewater sailing if you want to research specific brands.

On a sailboat range is more about water and provisions than fuel. The wind is your fuel and can take you anywhere your food and water will reach. Pick a well made boat and you will not have to worry about the boat making the distance.

Regarding room, the problem is sailboats just are not made like motorboats. Power boats typically reach their full beam about one third of the way from the bow and it runs all the way to the stern, that is they are wide and fat from almost in front to all the way back. Sailboats on the other hand tend to be pointy on both ends and fat in the middle so for the same length you get a lot less living space. You can certainly get a sailboat with as much or much more space as your Chris but you will have to get a lot longer one to get it.

If you have doubts about your sailing skills and ability to get a sailboat to Hawaii it would relatively simple to find an experienced captain to assist on the voyage.

[Randy]

Look at cats for the space you'd like. I really don't see your Cris Craft doing well out in the Islands, 12' seas are common unless the plan is to sit in a marina.