# Boat Transport - 30ft sailboat



## sail20458 (Mar 10, 2003)

I''m considering having my Scampi 30 hauled from North Cicago, IL to Charleston, SC. Any advice on how to select a hauler? What to expect price wise? What to watch out for?
Could I rent a trailer & haul it myself?
LOA 30ft
Beam 9''6"
Disp 7500

Thanks for any/all advice


----------



## drynoc (Jul 17, 2001)

It''s very rare that I actually have something to offer on here, other than questions. 

If you do a search on the net titled something like "boat shipping" you will get a long list of shippers and agents for shippers that you can contact. I called some of both, got estimates, and picked the one that seemed to promise the best combination of price and performance. It all worked well.

What you will find out is that there are trucks of opportunity and dedicated trucks. The first is one that is near where your boat is on some other mission and can pick it up as part of its return trip. This is much cheaper than the second, which is a truck sent to pick up your boat. In essence, you are paying for both trips, rather than just the return. If you are in a hurry, you might want a dedicated truck. If you have time, you can wait for a target of opportunity.

Secondly, there are hydraulic trailers that can lift the boat off of its stands and carry it away. These are more expensive to hire, but they do not need the support of a crane from a nearby (one hopes) marina, which support adds to the cost of a regular trailer.

It cost me roughly $1200 to ship my 35'' boat from Newport, RI to Deale, Maryland on a truck of opportunity with a hydraulic trailer. I''m guessing that the trip you are contemplating would cost at least twice that.

It would probably be very difficult to find a trailer that would accommodate your specific boat, and very expensive to have one built.


----------



## hamiam (Dec 15, 2000)

This isnt going to be of much help but you really need to go online and ask for quotes. Also, keep in mind that depending on the time of year, the cost will be RADICALLY different. Its all a supply/demand thing. I think the boat is a bit too large for any normal suv/pickup truck to haul and you run into permit issues and the like. The extra cost of a hydraulic trailer is well worth it, in my opinion given the expense and hassle of finding a crane operator and hiring the crane etc.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

We used "M&N Transportation" in 2002 to move our Alberg 30 from Detroit to Solomons, MD. Cost from Detroit to Solomons was $1500.00

Very friendly, very professional--Dave was the manager, Jack the driver. We
were very pleased with their handling of our "new" baby.

They can be reached at (810) 679-4067. 

Fair winds, Bill


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

With most states limiting the maximun trailer width with overhangs (sailor, read "beam") on public highways to 8''6" without requiring a permit (for each state) and a "chaser" vehicle displaying a "wide load" warning, not to mention dealing with a curb weight well beyond the towing capacity of any production truck I can think of (even the GMC only tows around 5600 lbs., with a gasoline engine, as I recall, and you won''t be at anything nearly as svelte as 7500 lbs. with boat, trailer and equipment: I don''t think even the biggest, burliest diesel can pull that. And Lord, I don''t want to assume that kind of liability while on the road, either!), this is not a do-it-yourself operation. Almost anything beyond a 25'' water-ballasted Catalina or Hunter is a "truckable" but not a "trailerable" boat.

Good Luck,
Jeff C

P. S.- you get to pay a per-mile charge for the chaser car, too!


----------



## Yodagwb (Nov 10, 2002)

Talk About Transport check out the following address

http://www.pianoladynancy.com/recovery_usscole.htm


----------



## Yodagwb (Nov 10, 2002)

Talk About Transport check out the following address

http://www.pianoladynancy.com/recovery_usscole.htm


----------



## pjfsail (Mar 15, 2003)

I had my 34'' Yorktown, 11'' beam shipped up from Marina Del Rey to Morro Bay, California last year. A distance of about 220 miles. Due to traffic conditions it needed to be split into a two day haul. I received estimates from $800.00 all the way up to $2,400.00. I didn''t want to just pick one at randem so I called around to the yards in Marina Del Rey and asked who they used most often to ship vessels for them. I was surprised to find out it was the guy who quoted me $800.00. He did an excellant job and went to great lengths to make sure my boat arrived in good order. If I were to do it again, I would call around to the boat yards and ask them who does THEIR hauling. I think if you do this you will get sound advice. Regards, Peter


----------



## sailorman10 (May 8, 2001)

I own a 30'' Helms that needed to be moved from Ft Worth Tx to Whitney Texas, about 100 miles south. Quotes to move the boat were around 3000 dollars and would not allow any time for bottom painting for maintenance in between. So, I built a trailer myself and had the boat hauled by crane and then had the painting/maintenance done. It wound up sitting on the trailer for one year. In the meantime, I took a new job in Florida and wound up moving the boat myself 1200 miles to St Petersburg, Florida. The total cost of the move including fuel both ways, permits, launching the boat by crane in florida, stepping the mast, and a couple hotel nights was less than 1000 dollars (minus the cost of the trailer which is now for sale). I used a dodge diesel 3/4 ton truck and had no worrys about the ability to pull the load. No issues in transit either. I was quite anxious during the first day of the move since I had never moved a load that large before. Once I knew everything worked, it was smooth sailing. The permits averaged 15 $ per state and can be arranged over the phone. It was a little hairy going thru Baton Rouge during rush hour and getting in a traffic jam on I 10 just over the Miss. River. My insurance company covered the move with no additional fees as well. Would I do it again? No problem.

Randy


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I had my 30 footer hauled from Oakland CA to NW Florida by Associated Boat Transfer. About $5700. Very satisfied.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Sorry, I omitted that Associated Boat Transfer is located in or near S.C., and their # is 800-274-1198.


----------



## BigRed56 (May 27, 2001)

Ahoy, mateys.... wot in de sam hell is going on here... youse all must be addled to de quick I say!!! Chi town to de Carolina''s why iffin I might be so bold to say wot in de tarnations is de problem wit yer vessel? ain''t it got a bottom in it? Did ye lose your rigginn and your nerve in a storm? Are''s youse sick or dying? Wat de water all dry up outten de lakes? Are''s ye depressed and thinking bad thoughts?.. There there now.... ever heard of SAILING it there? Yeah I know.. you ain''t got the time, yer wench got de noose around yer neck, dere ain''t never enough money my friend. SAIL. SAIL. SAIL. Pirate of Pine Island


----------



## bthomasail (Dec 10, 2003)

You could do it yourself. I don''t know where you could rent a trailer at, but having one built may be an option. I use my trailer for winter storage at my home, but I would guess yours will stay in the water year-round in SC. We pulled ours home with a buddy''s 1 ton Ford with a V10 engine. I have a 27''er, disp 6800 9''2" beam. With the trailer she probably weight in at 8000 or so. He had no trouble pulling it, and the trailer brakes were not even functional. We only pulled it about 40 miles and picked EARLY on a Sunday morning to avoid traffic. I would not recomend a scenerio such as this for your trip, but with the proper tow vehicle and trailer it could be done. You would also need the proper permits (a step I also skipped). It is actualy amazing how easily such a heavy boat can roll around when trailered. I use a ''91 Ford Explorer with a 4.0 V6 to move it around my yard. But the weight ratio is too far off to try it on the road. Best of luck with your move.

Bryon Thomas
"Shore Leave"


----------



## Sasha_V (Feb 28, 2004)

I live in Australia, where the SUV''s are much smaller...and I beg to differ on the issues of towing.

This is the link to the minor epic of moving my 27 foot boat.
Not the thirty footer that the threads originator is asking about...but hey, it gives me a chance to show off my cradle building and engineering skills.


http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=26214&highlight=amphibious+yacht


The towing vehicle is a 2.2litre 4 cylinder. Maintaining 80kmh was no problem at all with the pedal nowhere near the floor. The trailer''s brakes need to be good (in this case electrically augmented brakes to all four wheels).

I do not neccassarily recommend this as a "good" option, but it was the most cost effective and efficient way of doing it for us. If I was moving the boat one-way interstate then I would likely use a transport company and negotiate to drive my car as the "wide load" support vehicle to make sure that all was well. (and save a few dollars too)


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The pirate might not have the worst idea! Even if you don''t have the time I''ve seen a couple of Captains that you might be able to hire to sail it for you. Last week I was considering purchasing a boat in the Galveston Texas area (to Chicago) and called a couple of shippers. 5 or 6 grand. I found a boat closer. I can''t imagine that it would run anywhere near that to have one of these guys sail it for you though.


----------



## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

my sugestion would be to list it on a website called uShip - The Online Shipping Marketplace - Ship Freight, Furniture, Vehicles or Moves its one of the sites ive used to find backhauls when i was still driving. just be sure to check out the companies numbers with the dot and be sure to get them to show insurance binder prior to loading good place to find a shipper without paying a broker his fee. newhaul=newby hauling and transport


----------



## drgamble (Oct 28, 2008)

I just shipped my boat with very similar dimensions as yours and used uShip. I was very satisfied with the process. If you do use uShip I would recommend upgrading your posting (approx $20) versus the free posting as you will receive a lot more bids on the move. I also contacted several natiowide and local shippers just to confirm process and prices. I found the variation in price (shipping from Missouri to Marina del Rey, CA) to be within about a $1,000 variance between shippers. I booked Thomas Duncan - Thomas Duncan Towing - and was extremely satisifed. One nice thing about uShip is you get a lot of visibility to customer feedback. When I booked, Thomas had ranked as the second highest in customer satisfaction for sailboat shipping, which was the major factor in going with him.

I have no affiliations with uShip or Thomas Duncan... just relaying my very recent experience (boat was shipped 2 weeks ago).


----------



## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

This probably doesn't sound like a very attractive option, but:

Sell the boat in Chicago.

Buy another boat on the coast.

Now you just have to transport the money from Chicago in a brown paper bag.


----------



## bobmcgov (Jul 19, 2007)

Early 2004. One suspects the Scampi has scampered.


----------



## drgamble (Oct 28, 2008)

Hah! I've always enjoyed a good chuckle sitting on the sidelines reading a revival of an old dead post; looks like I'm now a part of the entertainment!

Only Scampi can provide the "where are they now" rendition...


----------

