DIY Boat Shipping Vs. Hiring A Professional Boat Transporter

While DIY projects help build individuality, ingenuity, and innovation, some things are just not DIY-appropriate. One of them is sending your vessel. Whether you’re selling a luxury car, a motorcycle, or a boat, you need to let the professionals do it for you. Here is why:

You’ll incur more when you do it yourself

It saves you money when you use a professional boat transporter. Although the oceans present wonderful opportunities to haul goods, sea carrier also presents many hazards. Some threats associated with water transport include typhoons, hurricanes, squalls, and cyclones. All of these can cause serious harm to cargo vessels and damage your vessel. Professional transporters know the best ships to use when sending automobiles.

Besides, professional transporters have cargo insurance that can cover your boat in case of damage. When you ship the vessel for yourself, you risk incurring losses in case of sea catastrophes. Also, if you add up the cost of eating while traveling, the cost of the gas, and paying for a hotel for long trips, you’ll see why it’s cheaper to use professional movers for your new boat.

Apart from helping you cut costs, hiring a professional craft carrier will save you time. Taking time to understand the shipping procedures, the insurance procedures and the safety measures is time-consuming. Hiring a professional transporter also frees you to continue with your daily life as you wait for your vessel to arrive at its destination safely.

You May End up Dealing with Transport Brokers When You Diy-Ship Your Boat

Boat carrier brokers are something that most first-time buyers aren’t aware of as they ship their vessels. A boat transport broker is a company that bids your shipment to a group of other haulers. The problem with using a transport broker is that you may not know what carrier they will broker your order to.

Yet, the condition of your boat by the time it gets to you largely depends on the carrier used. If your vessel is exposed to moisture, it risks getting interior damage as well as abrasions. Most professional transporters will shrink-wrap your boat to prevent damage, but if you fall into the hands of a transport broker, you won’t have a way of knowing how your vessel is being hauled.

To ensure that you’re dealing with a legitimate vessel carrier, research the transporter's reputation online by reading reviews online. You could also ask for recommendations from local dealerships, family, and friends.

Professional boat transporters will help you ward off cons

Remember this is not their first time to ship automobiles. They not only know the best shipping practices, but they are also familiar with how to tell between legit dealers from cons. Professional dealers can help you avoid falling into the hands of cons if you involve them from the word go. An obvious red flag that you may be dealing with a con is when they ask you for a deposit instead of waiting till the vessel is either picked up or dropped off. A legitimate company should at least allow you to pay when the boat is picked up by your carrier. This way, you have a chance to see if the boat meets your standards. If you’re not available to inspect the boat, the professional boat transporter can help you with inspecting the boat, and verifying that the seller has the actual registration and title of the vessel. Only then should you proceed.

Experienced vessel Movers understand the process better

Professional boat transporters will take the responsibility to ensure that your boat arrives at its destination undamaged, for this reason, they will ensure the boat’s gear and all its accessories are secure. They will secure floors and seal them to avoid water damage. Further, they will empty the fuel, water, and waste tanks before transportation. If it is winter, a professional transporter will make sure they drain all the water systems, air conditioners, and any other pumps. The truth is, any other transporter who has zero experience in hauling vessels won’t go into these details. Remember, the main agenda of a professional carrier is to get your boat to its destination undamaged. Incurring losses is the last thing they need so they take full responsibility.

When shipping your boat, your watchword should be ‘quality over quantity.' The cheaper choice, when it comes to boat hauling is not the safest choice. Usually, the hauling process reflects on the quality of carriers and the professionalism applied in the transportation logistics. When hauling a boat, you don’t want to spend cash buying it, only to have it arrive at its destination damaged. As mentioned earlier, shipping, especially that of sensitive goods such as automobiles should be left to professionals.

If you need help hauling your vessel, reach out to us, we will be thrilled to help you.