Shipping costs

Does anyone know what is involved in shipping a boat half way across the county? Costs, who to use etc...? Looking at possibly buying a used boat. Don't feel like driving 40 hrs, and burning $500 in fuel to go get it. I'm just exploring options. Might be easier, albiet more expensive to just buy a new boat.

I know there are some frieght companies that will do it reasonably cheap. But the dates may vary widely and most of them will not pick up from residences.

Another option that is slightly off the wall. My dad got a bass boat shipped from Florida by going to a local trucking company and asking if they had any trucks in the area of the boat. Sure enough they did and after 200 bucks the driver stopped close to where the boat was and dropped the boat off at the local truck stop where my dad was waiting. So just find a trucking company with a cool guy running it and maybe they can help you.

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

buy a new boat! The problem is not the shipping its the packing, if the boat were new still in box shipping is rather affordable. If they boat could be boxed you could ship it for that 500 bucks I think.

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Brad Stephens
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The shipping company idea is a good one. I've done it before, you would just need to find a company with terminals in both locations. A cat w/o a trailer actually makes great "blow" freight, which can be stacked on existing product on a trailer, especially masts. Many trailers only have partial loads that have to travel anyway, there is an opportunity, and with a trailer, extra room on a flat bed is probably a better idea because it could be secured better and the liability of existing freight shifting and damaging the boat is less. Truckers think about weight, space, and time. If you are a little flexible and can wait for a partial load, which might be sooner than you think. I went in to talk to them personally. I don't think they would have done it if I had just called. The easier you can make it for them the more you can deal. I would look for a smaller company with a cool guy.

Karl,

These people are freight "brokers"
http://www.freightcenter.com/
They'll sell your load to the best bid. You'll have to supply all the information, how many boxes, size, weight, etc.
I used them to ship a set of Magnum wings to the West coast. They email you all the forms to hand off to truck drivers and made it easy, as the shipping party.
Now all you have to do is convince the seller to do all the measuring, weighing, any packaging/crating and provide dock high loading or assistance to load.
Shipping an assembled boat on a car transport is another option, but it may be pricey. Reduced weight of your load doesn't matter because they could just as easily have an auto in that spot and they'll probably upcharge because they can't turn the key and drive your boat on the rack, and then there's the tie down issue.

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HCANA Class Member

I like the car transport idea. Seems the simplest. 40 hrs of driving, and probably $500 in fuel for me to get to the east coast pays for alot of frieght charges. Not to mention another 2500 miles on my pickup, missed work, tolls, food expenses, it all adds up quickly.

Ship it!

I went to pick mine up about 2500 miles around trip and it ended up costing me THOUSANDS of dollars and 3 days of work when my transmission craped out. Still dealing with the problems a week later.

There is three FX-1's for sale in New Jersey. I might just tow a flat bed out there and pickup all three and bring them back to my division. Maybe. I can't get a new FX-1 until November-ish. Doesn't do me any good in the middle of winter. Plus a brand new one is more than a $1000 more than last years model. Not that I care, but used ones are about half of new.