How much would you charge?
 

This question pertains to O/Os or those with a good idea of how to get this done.

My father wants to transport a boat from Seattle, WA to San Diego and is interested in exploring how much this will cost. He's thinking a flatbed.

The boat is 12ft wide, 39ft long and weighs appx 15.5K.

What would be the best way to transport? What is the best process to hire on an O/O or other company to do this? How do you ensure the driver or company has their "affairs" (insurance, etc) in order?

Only serious responses please. Thanks.

I can't give you a price but that is an over sized load because of it's width. It will also require someone experienced in securing the boat to the trailer. How high is the boat? A flat bed is about 5' tall with a normal max of 13'6". You may need a step step deck instead.

I'm sure many people will chime in here with outrageous rates but I'm sure $2.50 per mile will get you many drivers willing to take the load. If it requires permits that will raise the total amount also.

Hope this helps.

Just stick her in the water and head south! :wink:

There are trailers specifically designed to haul boats. Depending on the height, a flat could work, but most likely it would require a step deck. With that length you will need a 53' step because of the length. I have a 42' bottom deck on my 53' step deck. I usually get at least $3/mile for my step deck doing over sized, plus permits. Boat haulers can charge $4/mile or more, but have most of the special blocking you need to safely haul boats. You may find someone who will do it for less. If the boat is more than 8'6" then it will not work on most flat beds. My step deck will legally haul anything up to 10' tall. If it is more than 10' tall then you will need either a low boy or boat trailer to move the boat. Most states will not allow more than 13'6" tall, some of the Western states will allow you up to 14' tall. Of course, you can usually permit for higher loads.

If you go with a carrier you need to check their motor carrier authority and insurance. If you have their motor carrier number it is easy to go to the federal website to check the status. You can have their insurance company send you a certificate of insurance. There are companies who specialize in hauling boats, but I can't think of any of them right now.

Perhaps a double drop with outriggers. Would sure lower it down more. I'll tell you what, I will do it for $1,000,000 or I can do it for $250,000 and you buy the fuel.

I wasn't soliciting the load. I don't have a step deck in the area. I was only stating the minimum that I would charge for such a move. I doubt that you would need outriggers with a boat, but a double drop or RGN might be needed, depending on the height. There are always those who will haul for less. It depends on how many pieces you want it in when it arrives. :wink:

No one in their right mind would offer to put a boat of any value on a step-deck, if you can afford the boat you can afford to move it the right way, at least it would seem that way.

Try these people

http://www.jouleyacht.com/index.php

I have seen some high value boats being moved on a step deck. However, it depends on the type of boat and how it is designed. I would say that it would be best to find someone who has a regular boat trailer to haul most larger boats because they have the setup to do it right.

Thanks to all who responded with serious, GOOD information - especially GMAN, SteveBooth, and Jumbo (one post anyway :lol: ) ...


For those of you who don't know (Darin Younce :roll: ), boats get even lousier mpg than tractor trailers and the diesel costs even more. You can relate that things cost more for t/ts - it gets even crazier when the part or service is for a boat!

My dad has a 48ft Navigator here in San Diego and the boat in question in Seattle is something he's looking into as a little investment. I will pass on all the good information that I got from you guys - I knew I would - including the suggestion to look into specific boat transporters.

Keep 'em turning safely...

Don't haul cheap freight !!!!

:shock: :o

$2.50 would be VERY cheap for that kind of load.

I'd say closer to $5, maybe even $6.

Plus whatever it costs to pull it out of the water, then put it back in.

It's probably better to boat it down there, I'm sure you can do it a hell of a lot cheaper then $5 a mile or so.

Re: How much would you charge?
 

At 39 feet, your Pop is not going to get that moved on a flatbed or even a stepdeck. The length and wideth are not the problem...the height will be. He is going to need to use a "Boatmover". In Seattle area there is Dudley's Boat Moving. They do a ton of west coast boat moves. Ryder Logistic Services also does boat hauling, as well as System Transport, out of Spokane.

As I said, boats are unbelievably expensive to operate on the water when they have any sort of size to them... Current prices for boat grade diesel in San Diego ranges from $3 to $4.45 per gallon and the boat may get as low as 1-3 mpg. They have a 82-foot yacht (a Hatteras) in SD that burns 40 -50 gallons per hour just idling! It's not a cost effective mode of travel for any distance on the water - your tractor trailer gets better mpg!

Boats are FAR from hauling cheap freight! Like I said, my dad is trying to figure out if this is going to end up being a good deal. He's already got the boat he's keeping... took delivery just this year! 8) 8) 8)

P.S. Just saw your reply OrangeTxGuy - very good info that I will be passing on.

40-50 gallons a hr. just idlling are you sure. I worked on a 60 or 65 ft tugboat. pushing a big fuel barge that thing with both v-12 detroits would burn about 60 gallons a hr. and thats workin.

Hey Mackman, don't know what to tell you other than there's a fairly large difference between a 60-65ft tugboat and a 82-ft Hatteras - AKA Yacht! I don't know the size of the engines but much bigger than v-12 Detroits - you can google it yourself... The boat name is Reel Pain II and its owned and docked in San Diego (also chartered to deep sea fish). There was an article in the paper a year or two ago and it was in reference to how expensive it is to fuel and operate a boat. Diesel has actually gone up since that time, I do believe. :shock:

Re: How much would you charge?
 

Goin fer it might end up being the driver. He just started there. Make him a side deal.

You might also check with some of the big yacht brokers to see who they use. Hatteras makes a nice boat. I spent a lot of time in the marina when I lived in the US Virgin Islands.

Re: How much would you charge?
 

Thanks Bigmon... might tell my dad to check him out. Also, just for clarification - the gas pig is a Hatteras, I'm not sure what type of boat the one in Seattle is. My dad's current boat is a 48' Navigator.

First, the mpg is nearly irrelevant as it's the permits and escorts that are going to cost extra.

The fuel cost might be 5-10% of the linehaul cost.

Even at 2 mpg, the cost will be about 25%-30% of what it would cost to haul it down there on a truck.

tbrown wrote:
"For those of you who don't know (Darin Younce ), boats get even lousier mpg than tractor trailers and the diesel costs even more. You can relate that things cost more for t/ts - it gets even crazier when the part or service is for a boat"

Well , actually my post was sarcastic ( note the littie winking thingie), I had a friend that had a 42 footer years ago and I couldn't believe at that time how much it cost to operate.

Hey Darin Younce, sorry about that :oops: I just thought I'd point out a response countering the "put it in the water" thing... sorry I missed your :wink: winkie!

And allan5oh, to clarify, I was not trying to pit mpg against either vessel, just clarifying that as lousy a gas mileage that a t/t gets, a boat's is even worse. I'm still not so sure you would have that big a disparity against linehaul cost, especially given the fact you would have to get the boat up and around the harbor from Seattle and down the coast - I'm not sure of the difference in nautical miles.

I'm not sure whether the boat is currently in the water or drydocked...another factor to consider re: transporting it! :) 8) :wink:

I understand that, what I was saying is that of the total linehaul cost on a shipment like that, fuel is maybe 10-25% of the "total cost" due to it being oversized.

Like I said, permits for each jurisdiction, pilot cars. That costs a lot.

Thanks allan5oh. The prohibitive cost is one of the reasons my dad wanted to check out various modes of transport... he gets a little (no, make that a lot :o ) spontaneous when it comes to $$ ventures of one sort or another. He pays more for marina fees for the Navigator than we do for our apartment, and where we live that's saying quite a bit! He actually believed my fiance could just nonchalantly ask his comp for a quote and I'm simply trying to give him some resources to check out.

Thanks again to all who gave input...