Getting a boat from Europe to the left coast?

[mako]

Interesting thread. I ran a cost comparison for shipping a very heavy boat from China to the Persian Gulf versus sailing it in legs (I have a full time job). There was a $10k savings in having it shipped, plus little wear and tear.

Wouldn’t be as much fun though

[TrentePieds]

The real question for me would be, why buy in Europe if you are gonna settle on VI? From a money point of view that makes no sense at all to me. As an FDP I can understand why you would like to cruise the Baltic, the Swedish skerries and what Danes jocularly call the "Southern Ocean", the waters south of the island of Funen - my native island.

Scowegians do that in boats that are smaller than we are accustomed to here in the Salish Sea because the distances are a great deal smaller, and the summer weather is almost without exception benign, in August even balmy. A Folkebåd or the slightly Spækhugger can be bought for little money and both would be easily sold again. You do NOT have to fit the boat out for cross-oceanic work to cruise those waters, Good brokers are plentiful so you could leave for VI with confidence even before the boat was sold again.

If you are buying for the sake of having a competent cruising boat, rather than for the sake of having the bragging rights that come with some of the newer European boats that are so assiduously marketed, you will do far better financially buying here than by shipping from Europe or making the passage.

A few slips over from me lies a beautiful Fast Passage 39 in beautiful condition. A Billy Garden design. I don't know this particular boat, but I have sailed a friend's. The FP39 is not to be sneezed at! Fitted out for ocean work, this one is. She was listed at Can$65K in October. As you will know, boats sell for far less than listing price usually.

TrentePieds

[Chris777]

Originally Posted by Paul Howard

I have used Seven Seas for transporting a boat to Victoria, B.C. (PNW). They were very careful and the boat arrived on time and without a scratch.
As to the cost, if you sail the boat across yourself, think of all the wear and tear on sails, engine hours, fuel, marinas, maintenance and Panama Canal fees.
Our boat, a 39ft catamaran, was 'lift-on, lift-off.'
We motored to the side of the ship, they sent a diver down to arrange the slings on the bottom, lifted the boat onto the deck, welded chocks to the deck to hold in place. Paper work was easy.
If the objective is to get from point A to Point B, it is the easiest and fastest. If you want to cruise on the way there, that is a different objective.

Exactly what we did..... Recomend them highly.

[billburr]

As a right-wing nutbar, why do you want your boat on the “left” coast. There’s lots of water on the east coast.

[MartinR]

You could put it on a Mafi and ship it by RoRo vessel to the East coast at a reasonable price.

[LaughingWarrior]

Thanks for your post TrentePieds,

My philosophy on things of this nature is to thoroughly consider my usage case, build a wish list, and buy the best I can afford, with as few compromises as possible, then use it until it's not serviceable any longer. Basically, understand what I want, and then buy my last one, first. I'm not much of a believer in the 'starter kit' approach.

My wishlist is as follows: 35-45' monohull cruiser, sloop or cutter rigged, built with offshore capability in mind as a design parameter, by a company with a track record and appreciable history of well-regarded products. I would prefer either a centre cockpit, or possibly pilothouse design (only if a full helm is included inside). It should have a well thought-out interior (this is obviously subjective), with good liveaboard accommodation for a single or couple, with the ability to host up to 3 guests or crew (or I suppose a couple and 2 cubs) occasionally. A nav station/working desk with proper seating (not perched at the end of a seteé) is key, as I spend more time at a desk than on a sofa, if said desk is available. It needs very good tankage, ample refrigeration and storage, and room for systems upgrades including RO system, additional house batteries, interior heating, auxiliary power generation, etc. The rig should be possible to manage single-handed, and simple for 2 or more.

On top of all these things which define a "competent cruising boat", there's that intangible notion of beauty that goes with all purchases like this - house (I've built and delivered almost 200 new homes to clients), car, motorcycle, boat...

Boats which check all these boxes for me, without prejudice against any particular marques, tend to be Hallberg-Rassy, Najad, Nauticat, etc., and generally boats of less than 30 years old. From there the answer to your question is simply one of availability. There are simply scant choices (though there are some) in Canada and the US for these boats, and they are priced considerably lower on that side of the Atlantic.

[LaughingWarrior]

Originally Posted by billburr

As a right-wing nutbar, why do you want your boat on the “left” coast. There’s lots of water on the east coast.

Meh, I'm a libertarian. I'll live where I like. I can't imagine a reason to choose the East coast over the West, personally. Most of my family in NS and PEI are older or passed on already.

Honestly, one of my main reasons for heading to VI is winter weather. If I never see another frozen river in my life, I won't be saddened in the least.

Funny side note: I was speaking to a young lady from Cape Breton the other day, and prior to that conversation, I had no idea that they have seasonal sea ice there, thick enough to drive a truck on.

[LaughingWarrior]

Originally Posted by patrickbarbary

I don't want to sound sarcastic, but if you call the west coast the left coast, you may not quite be ready for that crossing...

It's simply a tongue-in-cheek colloquialism I've been hearing all my life, no doubt owing to the flavour of politics.

In honesty, I wouldn't even consider such a trip at this stage, but with proper determination and planning, a competent individual can learn and accomplish much, given enough time used wisely.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by patrickbarbary

I don't want to sound sarcastic, but if you call the west coast the left coast, you may not quite be ready for that crossing...

Depends.. Is he facing North..?

[westwon]

Off topic I know, but that Fast Passage is a stunner
Steve

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by LaughingWarrior

If you bought a boat in Europe, and wanted to get it to the PNW, how would you go about it, and why?

To normalize the discussion, let's assume that whatever the boat, the purchase price and relevant costs are within your budget, and the boat capable of making the trip. Assume a cruising monohull sailboat of 35-45'.

That said, it's a long way, and there's a pesky continent in the middle.

Would you sail it yourself? Hire a delivery crew (or possibly several, owing to the distance)? Have the boat shipped as cargo?

Why would you make your choice vs. the other available methods?

If your choice was to self sail the journey, which route would you choose and why?

Deck cargo.

[hellosailor]

Sail it up the St. Lawrence. Somewhere between there and Chicago, formally import it into the US, and send it overland on a truck. Skip the two grand in the Panama Canal, skip the long trip up the west coast. I think that's your shortest sea trip and your shortest (or least expensive) overland connection, since you're staying "north" as best you can the whole trip.
Might be more effective to sail into someplace between Boston and Virginia and have it trucked from there, but you'd have to figure time and expense of the ocean crossings versus the trucking to get an idea. An extra week on the water might or might not matter to your time constraints.

If you have nothing but time and crew, by all means, enjoy the sightseeing and sail it over. If you can live with the schedule and have deep pockets, float-on-float-off certainly is an option. I think if I was "sightseeing" and wanted to bring a boat home that way, I'd be tempted to head through the Suez and come back the wrong way across the Pacific. But, apparently that involves sailing upwind and gentlemen don't do that.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by patrickbarbary

I don't want to sound sarcastic, but if you call the west coast the left coast, you may not quite be ready for that crossing...

what's the problem calling my home the left coast.
It is the left coast from two different perspectives. Look at a map of CONUS and the west coast is on the left side of the chart.
Now the bad reason for left coast and has to do with the governance ( which I didn't vote for btw) .

[newhaul]

Everyone is saying sail west to the CONUS why?
If it were me I would take 2 years off and sail the other way .cruise the med for a season then its off to the Suez . Cruising around India has some absolute beauty I am told . Then its off to Thailand. Have not been there in many years but still looks beautiful. Then the Philippines .then up to Japan . Then a 3 week crossing to Victoria or Neah Bay in Washington.
Trip of a lifetime.

[TrentePieds]

Westwon:

Quote: "...that Fast Passage is a stunner"

You sound like you know the one I'm talking about :-)??

TP