Boat Transport Planning
TAKE TIME TO PLAN
Over the road boat transportation requires proper preparation, careful planning and attention to detail on the part of the owner, boatyard, and transporter. Typically, the preparation is the responsibility of the owner and performed by either themselves or the boatyard. Boat transportation companies do not typically prepare boats for transport, however, the good ones will offer direction and advice as well as look over the preparations performed before heading out on the road to ensure nothing was missed. If you need assistance with preparing your vessel we can help by working with you to select a full service marina or boatyard to accommodate your needs. If upon loading we feel your boat is not properly prepared for shipment, we will bring it to your attention so that the areas of concern can be discussed before proceeding. In any case, we do not physically provide preparations for the shipment of your boat and therefore cannot accept responsibility for any resulting damage.
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
When you’re choosing someone for your boat transport, did you know that many companies are transport brokers or agents rather than boat transport companies?
Broker or “Agent”
A transport broker or Agent is definitely not a transporter or an owner / operator. Brokers or agents do not have the operational and logistic capabilities transport companies have. They do not have trucks or yacht transport trailers, professional drivers, proper transport equipment, and in many cases not much transport experience at all. Transport brokers or agents are sales teams that book your transport with you and attempt to sell it to the lowest bidder. Then they tack on their markup and sell the transport to you at an inflated cost. Others quote you a rate then attempt to find a transporter that will provide the service while still leaving the broker or agent with some profit. The problem comes when they are not able to find a transporter for various reasons – low estimates, availability, resources, and the list goes on – in this case you can get stuck without a transporter on the day of your move. Many transport brokers or agents operate from call centers located anywhere in the country. When you call or email someone for a quote make sure to ask the company whether they are an actual transport company that will be picking up your boat, a broker an agent. References are also a good idea. They can help you determine if the person you are hiring is, in fact, the person showing up to pick up your boat or if they sub out the job to others.
Boat Transport Company
Boat transport companies differ from owner / operators by employing salespeople who book your transport then schedule it with one of their hired drivers. In this case, you have little control of who is transporting your boat. It could be the veteran boat transport driver that has been transporting boats their entire career or the career driver who has very limited experience loading, supporting, securing, or transporting boats.
Owner / Operator
Owner / operators are small boat transporting companies that are there own salespeople that also drive. Many are family teams and may even have other owner / operators that drive for them. They operate their own trucks, trailers and equipment, answer their own calls and emails, and do their own scheduling. They are specialized haulers of boats only. When you hire them you can feel confident that they will provide the highest level of service in transporting your boat. One drawback to them is they typically have fewer trucks and trailers. Their schedule is much tighter than the large transport companies that operate many trucks. It is very common for the good ones to be booked 2 to 4 months in advance. This is mostly due to that higher level of service you can expect from them so early planning is wise.
CHOOSE AN EXPERIENCED BOAT TRANSPORTER
An experienced boat or yacht transport company or owner / operator will have the necessary experience working with The Department of Transportation, State Permit Departments, marinas, boat yards, and ports to ensure a smooth transport avoiding costly delays. They will further have extensive knowledge of the interstate highway system as it pertains to transporting over width and over height boats nationwide to avoid unnecessary stress to your vessel. They will not move your boat under any circumstance if it is believed to be unsafe in any way and are highly trained and experienced at boat transporting as that is all they do. It is critical to the safety of your boat as well as the general public to choose a transporter that has the knowledge and experience to use the required private and police escorts and high pole escort cars when state regulations require them, and even sometimes when they don’t. Professional boat transporters also know how the boat must be supported, balanced, stabilized and secured. They know how to properly distribute the weight of the boat across all the axles of the truck and trailer as well as how to correctly secure the boat to the trailer.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT MARINA FOR YOUR BOAT TRANSPORT
Here are some basic questions to ask when choosing a marina for your transport.
MEASURING YOUR BOAT FOR TRANSPORT
When requesting a quote to transport your boat, the dimensions you provide are extremely important. Please follow these guidelines for measuring your boat accurately.
OVERALL LENGTH
Include bow pulpits, swim platforms, outboard motor brackets, outboard motors themselves (the length of the motors or out drives in the raised position). If on a trailer, include from the tip of the tongue to the end of the motor.
OVERALL HEIGHT
It is recommended to have the boat hauled out of the water for measuring the height as it is very difficult to obtain an accurate measurement otherwise. It is critical to measure from the lowest non-removable part to the highest non-removable part of the boat in order to determine the overall transport height. If your boat measures under 12’10” in height than there will, more than likely, be no reason to remove anything to reduce the height for transport over land. This is of course assuming you choose a transporter with the proper equipment such as a wide belly, low boy type trailer that can set the keel down low enough to pass under bridges safely (typically 6” – 8” above the roadway).
OVERALL BEAM
The beam of your boat is measured at the widest point of the boat including anything attached to the boat. Boats wider than 8 feet 6 inches are regarded as oversize loads and are required to have state permits as well as special routing.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO BE SHIPPED WITH YOUR BOAT
It is important to inform your transporter of any additional items to be transported with your boat that are not stored aboard the boat itself. There are some instances where other items are being transported in addition to your own and if not informed ahead of time there may not be enough room on the trailer. You also need to be careful not to increase any overall dimension (length, width, or height) of your boat by attaching additional items to it as the Department of Transportation considers this a divisible load and is not allowed. If your bridge, hardtop, arch, or any other item has been removed for transport and cannot be placed somewhere suitable on the boat and safely secured remember to provide the dimensions to ensure appropriate transport space on the trailer. If it must be placed on the trailer, a frame should be prepared for it to be secured to and the entire assemble can then be properly supported and secured to the trailer for transport. Electronics should be securely stowed in your cabin, with all cabin doors, windows, and any other access, locked.
SUPER LOADS or VARIANCE LOADS
If your boat exceeds certain dimension, depending on the state but typically 16′ wide or 16′ tall , it may be labeled as a Super load or as California refers to it as a Variance Load. These boats are larger than traditional Oversize Loads and require special consideration and planning. The permitting process is longer and more costly than a standard Oversize Load as it often has to get additional approvals from county, district, and highway engineers as well as some cities and towns that we would have to travel through. Most require some sort of Police escort and or Utility Company in addition to the private escorts that adds a significant cost to the move. Many permit offices as well as Police departments are very vague as to the requirements and charges for these services so it makes providing an accurate estimate nearly impossible. Many companies charge well beyond what they believe the move will cost in order to simplify the process as well as bring in big profits. Others, who have less experience than what is required, charge what they believe to be correct then after realizing their mistakes attempt to cut corners in order to complete the transport without losing any money. As you can imagine, this only leads to disaster. I handle this process as fairly as possible by providing the best quote I can with the information that I receive after contacting every state and department involved. If changes occur that are beyond my control I bill at cost, with no markup on my end, and provide copies of the actual invoices received as I feel that is the only fair way to handle the situation.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you. If you have any questions, please give us a call. Eric