Shipping a 32' sailboat from Antwerp, Belgium to Chicago, USA

[Verichai]

I think I may have found The One.

Problem is I'm in Chicago and the boat is in Belgium.

Do I have it shipped? What is the typical order of events for a process like this?

I'm sure the figure is eye-watering, but can anyone provide a ballpark figure/estimated guess of what something like this would cost to actually pull off?

It's a nearly 40 year old 32' fiberglass sloop.

I want it.

I don't want to spend $20k on top of the purchase price getting it over here.

The logistics seem totally overwhelming.

Any insight would be appreciated.

TIA!

[Paul L]

Probably cost you around usd$20 -30k to ship it. You could sail it if you have the time. It really only makes sense to purchase a boat in a remote to you location if it is high value - where the cost to ship is a small percentage of the boat cost, or if you are willing to take possession where the boat is and start using it,

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Verichai

I want it.

I don't want to spend $20k on top of the purchase price getting it over here.

That's about what it will cost to ship it. Alternatively fly into Europe and sail it here. $20k will buy a lot of flights.

Pete

[CFS Klopas]

I think the only way he can keep it under 20k is to sail it himself with volunteer crew, and he'll still be cutting it close. The only other possibility I can think of is hitching a ride on a yacht transport ship already going to Chicago. I doubt that's possible, there are very few new yachts delivered to the Great Lakes.

I've heard of people loading yachts on container ships, but there is no container traffic to the Lakes either. If the yacht is somehow small enough to fit inside a container, there are options, but that's also unlikely.

[Verichai]

Originally Posted by Paul L

It really only makes sense to purchase a boat in a remote to you location if it is high value - where the cost to ship is a small percentage of the boat cost, or if you are willing to take possession where the boat is and start using it

Hi Paul,

Thank you, that's pretty much what I figured. In this case, the boat is only about 24% more than the number you quoted. It just doesn't makes sense to ship it. I did put in for a quote anyway, just to see what they come back with, but it's all wishful thinking at this point. I guess that's' why the broker was so dismissive of me when I called, lol.

Believe me, I would love to quit my job, buy a one-way ticket to Antwerp, write a check for the boat on arrival and spend the next 18 months living aboard. and exploring The Netherlands.

Flying over and sailing the boat back is in an interesting idea as well, except that my home port is on the great lakes. If I lived on the East Coast, I may give this more serious consideration. I'm also not ready for a transatlantic voyage in a 32 foot boat, I know that much!

[Verichai]

Originally Posted by CFS Klopas

If the yacht is somehow small enough to fit inside a container, there are options, but that's also unlikely.

Hmmmm...this is an interesting outside-of-the-box idea...or is it an 'inside' the box idea? I do sort of think it would fit in a cargo container, and that would also solve the East Coast port to Great Lakes problem, because they would just take the container off the ship, drop it on a truck and off she goes to Chicago...right?

Probably still prohibitively expensive.

No, I think the answer here is to go over, buy the boat and sail around for a while. After a year or two decide to either sell the boat there or sail it back here.

And with the that, the entire thing began to slip through my fingers like fine Mediterranean sand.

[CFS Klopas]

If it's possible, which includes someone in Belgium willing to rig a cradle and haul it out, cramming it into a container is your cheapest option. There are companies like that scattered around, don't know if one is in Belgium.

[taylormobile]

It might save some money to ship it to NYC then move it yourself up the Hudson River and through the Erie Canal to the Great Lakes. A great, scenic journey.

Steve

[wolfgal]

you are in love, admit it! been there, done that... sooooo many times

i really do not know how things work in the states and canada, but you may want to peek at the process involved in "importing" the boat from abroad.

if it is anything like the EU, this boat could give you a very expensive headache.

good luck, in any case!

wolfgal

[Scubaseas]

A standard 40' container has an opening of 7' 8.125" X 8' 6.25"

Cheapest but most time expensive would be to sail it over on it's own bottom, up the coast to the St Lawrence or up the Mississippi.

Or ship to Newport or other East Coast port and ship it over land. Shipping as deck cargo is usually cheaper than a yacht transport ship.

[Cadence]

I think you would be better off continuing your quest closer to home. Especially considering the age of the vessel.

[TrentePieds]

Verichai:

Why ever would you do that???

32 foot FG boats abound on this side of The Pond. Sailing across the Atlantic is well within the competence of most 32 foot "cookie cutter" boats if they are in reasonably good nick and fitted out for the voyage. The REAL question, if you are contemplating that, is this: Is YOUR skippering competence up to it?

We can't evaluate that for you since you've told us nothing about yourself, and you have not told us what the marque of boat is.

What I CAN tell you without the slightest hesitation is that no man should spend more money on a boat than he can walk away from with a smile still on his face :-)

There's gotta be a plethora of functionally equivalent boats right there on The Lakes. No need to make life more complicated than it needs to be.

All the best to you.

TrentePieds

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Verichai

I think I may have found The One.

Problem is I'm in Chicago and the boat is in Belgium.

Do I have it shipped? What is the typical order of events for a process like this?

I'm sure the figure is eye-watering, but can anyone provide a ballpark figure/estimated guess of what something like this would cost to actually pull off?

It's a nearly 40 year old 32' fiberglass sloop.

I want it.

I don't want to spend $20k on top of the purchase price getting it over here.

The logistics seem totally overwhelming.

Any insight would be appreciated.

TIA!

Hire a captain and go get it. If you're up to the job of captain, at least hire some help - that's a fairly long trip to undertake solo. Shipping by boat will probably double your purchase price. And then there's Covid (which is still pestering us) - can you even get to Belgium?

[wolfgal]

and it may not be such a good idea to try to do all this while covid is raging across europe...

in france, we are in total lockdown. only essential workers/shops. no schooling. locked in our homes, cannot go out after 7 pm..., and, yes, we were counting on the j-n-j jab, but that's not really panning out so well. (thank goodness the UK got it together!)

anyway, perhaps post what the boat is, the make, etc., and perhaps folks here could point you to the equivalent (which could possibly be a much better boat anyhow) that is a bit more accessible....?

it's ok to fall for that impossible boat. some of us do it quite often...

[wmac]

Taylormobile has the best choice. Ship to NYC and use the Erie canal. You could do that in stages with family/friends as crew.