Shipping a boat on a truck
 

Anything one should be concerned about, besides having insurance, in
hauler selection, and preparing a sailboat for long distance hauling by
truck?

Sherwin

Anything one should be concerned about, besides having insurance, in
hauler selection, and preparing a sailboat for long distance hauling by
truck?

Hi Sherwin,

We shipped our Express 37 from Seattle to San Diego a number of years ago.
I also prepped a boat for shipment to Singapore by ship. In general, I'd
say the biggest issues are pretty obvious: find a good trucking company
(check references!) and prep the boat as if it were going to be bounced
around continuously for days. I spent a lot of time around the docks in San
Diego, where boats are delivered by truck every day. From my experience,
most boats arrive without mishap.

When you find a good, reliable trucker, the driver can be a great asset.
Ours inspected everything like a hawk, looking for anything that might come
loose or get soiled enroute.

Boat yards run the gammut as far as being helpful. Our yard in Seattle was
great, but the yard in San Diego was lousey. I watched the S.D. yard prep a
boat for delivery to the East coast... I'm glad they didn't prep our boat!

For the outside, remove all canvas (take off that dodger!) and lines that
may get soiled or stained by diesel exhaust, rain and soot. A coat of wax
on the hull and deck wouldn't hurt (protects the gelcoat). Some shipping
companies even "shrink wrap" the boat, which is a great idea if you can do
it. Shrink wrapping the mast is also a great idea. Our boat had rod
rigging, so we packed them in PVC pipe and secured it alongside the mast.
Wire rigging is normally coiled up and secured.

You'll also need to unrig, lower or remove all antennas, radar masts, etc.
If your boat is a trawler or sport fisher, the flying bridge will need to be
removed (which can be a -big- project).

On the inside, make sure everything is secured and packed properly.
Especially heavy items that may vibrate against fiberglass or wood. We
wrapped our anchors in bubble wrap before securing them below, and other
items in old towels, etc.

Before un-stepping the mast, it helps to take pictures of wiring and
rigging. Be sure to label all wiring as thoroughly as you can.

When the boat arrives at it's destination, this is a good time to inspect
the mast and rigging thoroughly, give the boat a new bottom, replace /
repack seals, etc.

Hope this helps,

Paul

http://www.renewontime.com

(Everything that Paul mentioned. )

I have shipped a 34 ft ketch from SD to Seattle and have prep'ed and loaded
a similar boat from Seattle to SD for a friend.

For my ketch, I was leaving it in storeage in SD for a short period, before
the haul and I had stored the masts on deck. A lot of extra work, however
most all regular boat haulers are able to haul your mast on the trailer.

My boat had a lot of road grim in combination with diesel soot and it took a
long time to get it clean. TSP was my choice, but the boat yard wouldn't
allow it because their yard drained into the Sound. I ended up using TSP
which didn't contain any Phosphate (go figure).

At the time, 1994, shrink wrap wasn't available to the average boat, new in
the shipyard scene. I now believe it is a good idea if you can afford it and
have it done properly.. Boat hauler I have talked to claim that if it comes
loose enroute, they must remove the whole mess and that might be at your
expense. They just don't have the material or equipment to repair it.

Finally, you mentioned insurance. Most yacht policies don't really cover
such a method of moving and your boat hauler will have his insurance to
cover the move. You can ask for confirmation of this but I believe is is
standard with them all.

There are a number of trucking outfits that are equipt with special boat
trailers and I would recommend sticking with those who know their business.
As opposed to some independent with an ordinary 'low boy' equipment trailer.
Check the ads in your areas local boating magazines.

My experience and opinions. FWIW.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

( For Paul, Which boat yard did you use in SD?? My friends had a bad
experience with South Bay Boat Yard (damaged the paint on the mast).

Be damn sure you get it ALL in writing and I wouldn't use any hauler I
wasn't personally comfortable with, as in one-on-one.

I've had 2 moves and both were unsatisfactory because I was under time
constraints that wouldn't permit a carefully prepared, thoughtful,
deliberate process. My fault. It won't be repeated. I've since gotten my
own rig.

These people can cause you a lot of grief and expense.

HTH,

Courtney


sherwindu wrote:

Anything one should be concerned about, besides having insurance, in
hauler selection, and preparing a sailboat for long distance hauling by
truck?

Sherwin




--
s/v Mutiny
Rhodes Bounty II
lying Oriental, NC
WDB5619

Sounds like Steve's and my experiences were pretty similar. The shrink wrap
I've seen used was very heavy duty white material, and I've seen it used on
new boats pretty frequently. It was not available when I shipped my boat,
but if it was I would have given it a try. If your truck driver is against
it, I wouldn't argue. He's the one that is ultimately responsible for
delivering your boat safely. If you can't trust his judgement, find someone
else.

Incidently, the last time I had a boat shipped, I didn't pay anything until
delivery of the boat. When the boat arrived (a day early in fact), I
thoroughly inspected the boat before handing over the cashier's check. If
you are not able to be there to meet the boat, I would advise finding a
knowledgeable / responsible person to do this on your behalf. As I mention
later in this reply, a yacht surveyor may be someone to contract for this
purpose.

( For Paul, Which boat yard did you use in SD?? My friends had a bad
experience with South Bay Boat Yard (damaged the paint on the mast).

I can't say that -I- had a bad experience (yes, the same yard as your
friends), but I watched their crew prep a boat for shipment. Pretty lame
job: left the canvas dodger on, but unbolted the bowspirit and bow pulpit
(which they duct taped to a lifeline). If it were my boat, I would have
been pretty upset.

Working with boat yards takes a bit of know-how. I conduct the entire
process in as professional a manner as I can. After nearly 30 years on the
water front, I've taken everything from 20' sailboats to 900' ships into the
yard. After a while, you learn how they work and are able to get things
pretty much the way you want them. I usually prepare a written schedule of
work I want done, and get them to commit to completion times and costs.
While the work is being completed, I'm in the yard frequently and monitor
their work very closely. A positive / friendly attitude, but sharp eye for
details is pretty much the main rule. Boat yards vary alot, and even in San
Diego where the yards have a reputation for being expensive and hard to work
with, I've had good experiences over all, even at South Bay.

I guess one more bit of advice would be, if you are not 100% comfortable
with the yard that is doing the work and cannot be there to monitor their
work, you might want to find someone to monitor the job for you. A
reputable yacht surveyor may be a good candidate for this task. It's been
money well spent in the past for me.

All the best,

--
Paul

=-----------------------------------=
renewontime dot com
FREE email reminder service for licensed mariners
http://www.renewontime.com
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Thanks for all the feedback replies. Since first posting, I have had
thoughts
about shipping the boat with the mast on or off the boat. I have a boom
crutch
and a support for the mast tabernacle, which together with the bow pulpit
gives
me a three point support. This has worked well for me on extended motoring

trips, like going down the Mississippi from Illinois to Florida. Some
carriers have
recommended that I remove the mast and stow it on the truck separately.
They
also say to expect some scratching on the mast. Unless they do a real
careful job
of stowing the mast, I feel more comfortable stowing it on the boat, if
they will
permit it. Does anyone have any strong opinions either way on this aspect?

Sherwin

sherwindu wrote:

Anything one should be concerned about, besides having insurance, in
hauler selection, and preparing a sailboat for long distance hauling by
truck?

Sherwin

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 00:22:17 -0600, sherwindu
wrote:

Anything one should be concerned about, besides having insurance, in
hauler selection, and preparing a sailboat for long distance hauling by
truck?

Sherwin

It's all in the preparation. Bear in mind that you are condemning the
exterior of the boat to enduring storm force winds for a week or so.
Anything that can flog in the wind will flog itself to death, along
with everything around it. That includes stays and halyards. Don't
just close the cockpit lockers, lock them or wire them shut. Dog the
hatches shut. You may be able to save money by paying close attention
to height and width of the boat. Taking the mast pulpits off my boat
got it under some critical height that allowed the truck to take
shorter routes and pay fewer tolls.

Inside, you will have unusual shock loadings. You won't have the side
loadings from heeling, but you will have bangs and bumps from
potholes. Anything delicate should be packed like you would household
belongings for a move. Disconnect the batteries lest vibration cause
a short. Empty the water and fuel tanks lest they slosh around on the
road.

If your boat is is of an age, consider replacing the sheaves and other
worn or substandard hardware on the mast as long as you have it down.
If there's a spar shop at the destination you could have them give it
a good going over. Consider replacing the mast wiring. Not a bad
time to redo the standing rigging, either.

__________________________________________________ __________
Glen "Wiley" Wilson usenet1 SPAMNIX at world wide wiley dot com
To reply, lose the capitals and do the obvious.

Take a look at cpRepeater, my NMEA data integrator, repeater, and
logger at http://www.worldwidewiley.com/

Some
carriers have
recommended that I remove the mast and stow it on the truck separately.

If by "truck" you mean the mast will be secured to the trailer, this is what
is normally done.

They
also say to expect some scratching on the mast.

This is -not- normal. Did they say WHY you should expect some scratching of
the mast? Perhaps the rigging rubbing against the mast? I recommend you
strip the mast of all rigging (leaving fishing line leaders to re-rig
halyards) and wrap the mast if necessary. Then use layers of carpet to
protect the mast where it may rest against the trailer and where it will be
secured. Dirt and grime are normal for delivering a boat by truck.
Scratching and other damage are NOT normal. If the trucking company insists
otherwise, find someone else.

Unless they do a real
careful job
of stowing the mast, I feel more comfortable stowing it on the boat, if
they will
permit it. Does anyone have any strong opinions either way on this
aspect?

I'd have to see your boat and how you want to secure the mast. Normally,
the mast is removed and secured to the frame of the trailer. The boom is
either secured to the trailer, or stored inside the boat. For most
situations, I think this is the best approach.

Keep in mind, NEW boats are shipped cross-country all the time and are
delivered without even the smallest scratch. If the boat is prepped
properly, secured to the trailer properly and the driver is competent, there
is almost no reason for your boat to suffer anything more than some filth.
If the trucking companies tell you otherwise, you need to shop around some
more. Maybe call a few new boat dealers in your area to find out who they
use. You might be able to get them to take your boat on a return trip.

--
Paul

=-----------------------------------=
renewontime dot com
FREE email reminder service for licensed mariners
http://www.renewontime.com
=-----------------------------------=

Anything one should be concerned about, besides having insurance, in
hauler selection, and preparing a sailboat for long distance hauling by
truck?


Be there and help them load it.