Boat Transport By Road

Move Your Boat By Road

Lift-on/lift-off boat moving via ship, semi-submersible or overland hauling can bring those far-off destinations within reach. It is an efficient method for hauling from one state to another. Even when shipping via sea, you in many instances need to use road transport to move it from the seller to the port for sea freight.

One option for moving by road is to hire trailers. The cost is often dependent on the size. For example, if your craft is less than 12’ in width or 13’6” in height, you’ll pay close to $7,000 to move from Maine to Florida. By road, it will take about four days to move the boat from these two locations, and it will take a week or significantly more days to relocate it by water. Just like when hauling by sea, cost goes up as the beam and height increase. For both sea and road freight, the price increases as the size of the boat increases. This is because, the larger the boat is, the more delicate and the more complicated the process of relocation.

When hauling by road, keep in mind that preparing for offshore transport is just as important as preparing it for sea.

Preparations For Hauling

Hire a moving specialist

It's best to find a mover who specializes in freight. Before you proceed to negotiate the costs, ask the hauler for copies of DOT or cargo insurance. If the mover looks hesitant to provide this information, start looking elsewhere for a legitimate transporter. You could also request to see the status of commercial carriers’ licenses, history of inspections and crashes, etc.

Read the contract word by word

All transportation agreements should be documented. The carrier should provide complete information about costs, tariffs, taxes, security, scheduling, and delivery locations. Also, go through their rules about cancellations and refunds. Most people loathe reading contracts, but you have no option here but to read the contract word by word before you sign that agreement. Failure to understand the contract may come back to bite you. When checking the insurance contract, find out if that insurance protects from damage and theft. Many insurance companies only cover against the shipper’s negligence. When this is the case, if the driver runs a light and damages in the process, you’ll end up shouldering the claim. Have your insurance provider coordinate with your transporter to ensure that you’re fully covered.

Document the boat’s condition before departure

Before the trucker leaves, make sure you document the condition, then share the copies with the transporter. This will act as proof of the yacht condition before departure and upon arrival. You should also take photos before you dispatch it to the trucker so that if you notice any damage when unloading, you will have enough proof to present to your insurer.

Prepare for overland moving

Most insurance claims result from inadequate preparation. When preparing for transport by road, you need to take into consideration that the trucker may be traveling down in hurricane force winds exposing it to vibration for days. To prevent damage, it is important that you hire an experienced prepper. The process of preparing for road transport involves the following things:

• Removing all stays, shrouds external halyards and, spreaders. Then, marking them and packaging them in the boat. Also, duct taping all turnbuckles.
• Disconnecting any mast headlights, wind instruments, antennas, and the like. These contents are not built to withstand any vibration in a horizontal position.
• Removing any external halyards. Should you decide to leave them on, wrap them properly and tape them to the mast.
• If the mat is painted, wrap it properly with at least two layers of bubble wrap or carpet. Don’t use plastic as it is too thin to prevent chaffing. Also, don’t allow any objects such as wires and shrouds between the mast and the wrapping. Vibrations from the trucker can cause chaffing damage even when the masts are padded when you allow objects in between.
• Removing any exterior canvas such as dodger bows and storing them separately.
• Disconnecting any batteries and tying off any cables to prevent contact.
• Detaching any removable arches to reduce the yacht height so that it can fit in the truck. The boat should fit well in the truck, and it should also be tied well to the truck. When all these things are complete, the boat is ready for transit

Feel free to contact us for more information.