Having a boat trailered, reasonable?

[Neutronbomb]

I live in Atlanta, GA. Near Lake Lanier. There are always tons of sailboats for sale on the lake. As the girl and I are getting closer and closer to buying a boat, I'm starting to wonder if its reasonable to buy a boat in GA and have of trucked down to the coast? Are the prices on having a 30 foot sloop trailered and hauled 300 miles going to negate buying a boat that's cheaper?
The boats for sale on the lake are significantly cheaper than those I find for sale at the ocean. If I'm saving $5K buying the boat on the lake here, is it going to end up costing me $5K to have it hauled out of the lake, the mast dropped, loaded on a truck, driven 300 miles, dipped in the ocean, and the mast raised?
So many decisions...

[a64pilot]

I've gotten a quote to ship a 36' 14.000 lb 12' beam boat from Jax to Panama City, with dis-assembly and re-assembly etc, trucking it all comes to about $5,000

[a64pilot]

Being in fresh water is generally much kinder on a boat, so take that into consideration too.

[Neutronbomb]

That was definitely a thought as well. I guess even if it costs a little more to have a freshwater boat trucked to the ocean, it could definitely be worth it.

[djmarchand]

Shipping will be lsss than $2,000. If you do most of the rigging/prep work yourself you can spend as little as $500 on each end.

But I am surprised that boats on Lake Lanier are cheaper. There is a very slight benefit to buying a fresh water boat. Boats are made to last in salt water.

David

[a64pilot]

My 5K estimate is based on worst case, plus having it done, not doing anything myself and assuming since the stick is down, surely it's time to re-wire it and assuming it needs a lot of work. Plus since the boat is now out of the water, shouldn't you take advantage of that and budget the time to inspect and see if the cutlass bearing needs replacing etc?
Seems if I don't budget for worst case, I always end up coming up short, but if I budget for it, I don't need it. Some sort of sub set of Murphy's law I guess.
It's been my experience if things are equal, a freshwater boat ages at about half the rate of one kept in salt water.
Of course you'll have to replace your aluminum zincs with zinc going from fresh to salt too of course

[KrazySailing]

Try Shipping Companies in Canada | International Shipping to Canada - uShip and once you have joined you can see what similar shipments costs.


or the Yellow Pages

[KrazySailing]

In my previous posting uShip shows-up as being a Canadian shipper that's just marketing as they know my Internet address is in Canada. uShip is mostly US trucking companies.

[boatpoker]

Great Lakes fresh water boats average about 25% higher sales prices than salt water boats for very good reasons. There are many 30yr old boats in the great Lakes with virtually no corrosion on 30yr old rigging, engines, electrical systems, running gear etc.
I don't know the Lake Lanier market but a fresh water boat will cost you less in the long run by far.

[HappyMdRSailor]

NukeBombster...

Go for it.... A64 definitely is at the upper limit for 300 miles, but has budgeted for everything being done...

ALSO... There is big difference between 30' and 36'...

As mentioned, 2k is more reasonable, but 2-5k, and you have a freshwater boat...

[Boatdrinks]

Consider shipping it over to the Tennessee River in Chattanooga. That's just a little over 100 miles. From there you can motor/sail to the gulf.
That may give you a good chance to get to know the boat.

[a64pilot]

The money is is pulling the boat and stepping the mast, re-rigging etc. Once on the truck the mileage is reasonable.

[Sand crab]

The other thing to consider is the beam. Anything over 8' 6" is considered a wide load and usually entails extra fees for the trucker. When they get really wide it requires a pilot car depending on the state. A 30' boat would be cheaper to ship in many ways.

[Neutronbomb]

Wow, motor sailing the river to the gulf. That's true that it would give plenty of time to get to know the boat, I just worry about dragging the bottom. Is it a common route for keel boats to take?

I think there are cheaper boats turning up on Lanier because Lanier often suffers from low water and people just don't get out and sail as much as they do when the lake is full and pretty. By the time the level comes back up maybe the sailing bug is gone.. Who knows. I just see the prices and some come up pretty cheap.

I also often find cheap boats in the keys, which I assume is due to an abundance of boats in the area and the fact that they're sailed year round and have a lot of wear and tear on them.

We were hoping to have a boat by September, so I still have time to think on it. It's just getting to the point now of thinking and procrastinating too much. I want to get off the lake and get into the ocean!

[tdoster]

I have found deals about anywhere. If you are looking for something special, like a certain make/model, then obviously your search takes you further and in many cases, inland. If you are generally looking for a better deal all round in that size range, I have rarely found much better deals on lake boats. As far as condition, I don't think lake vs ocean is as big of a factor than actual location. West Coast Boats are almost always in better condition than anything you will find in the Southern States by rule. East Coast and GL Boats that get used every season are normally in good shape and offer good values - Especially at the end of the sailing season. Gulf boats from Texas to Florida are as a rule in worse shape.

The other thing I have learned from moving a couple boats to/from lakes is there always seems to be consequential costs with things breaking and/or not going as planned. And be very careful with UShip as many of the bidders are brokers who will kill you on the fine print and you will have a lot of hidden costs once it gets to a carrier. Don't just ask for a quote to move it, find a hauler familiar with that lake, crane access, etc. who is willing to quote getting it out of the lake. Don't be afraid to put it on UShip to get a feel of the costs.

If the Lake does not have facilities for haul out or one facility that can charge whatever they want when they want or having a crane come in, the prices can vary hugely.

Before committing to buy a boat in a lake, make sure to do all your homework on how and how much it will be to get it out and move it where you want.

You can find some awesome deals on drought lakes, but in some cases, a fortune to get the boat out of there when they are down 20+ feet.