Shipping cross country

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BorrowedTime

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I would appreciate advice and experiences from folks for shipping a TomCat from the West Coast to the East Coast. I'm getting some very high prices from shipping companies, at this point coming in around $5K. It would be from Oregon to Maryland. Thanks!
 
Great question. I'm in the midwest (Wisconsin) and want to be able to pull the trigger when the need arises... hopefully soon but it's clearly a seller's market at the moment. Would appreciate any additional advice. Following.

JonO
 
To give a feeling for what costs are, here's a data point. We shipped a sailboat from San Diego to Mobile, Al in 2000. It was 36', 12' beam and had a 50' mast. We paid 4K through an outfit the Catalina factory used.

One would expect some increase in 20 years, considering fuel, truck prices,etc. That makes the 5K look reasonable.

I'd keep looking. Contact the C-Dory factory and see who they use. Also, does that include a trailer?

Boris
 
I have used U ship. But be sure that the company has proof of bonding and insurance. Also have your boat insurance in force, and notify the carrier that it is being shipped by a 3rd party. A good hauler will give you daily phone calls to tell you of his progress.

Currently prices are high because of higher cost of fuel, and the great demand for new boats. Your best bet is to find a hauler who just brought boat or boats to the West Coast, and is going empty back to the East Coast. The vast majority of new boats are built in the Carolinas to Florida. We saw numerous boats being shipped on I 10 recently going West. Only one large power boat being shipped to the east. on our 2000 mile trip from Florida to Calif.
 
Just for the heck of it, I ran a C-Dory 25 with trailer through UShip. Skipping all the problems of insurance, etc., the estimated cost for a C-Dory 25 shipped from San Diego to Annapolis gave the following numbers (~):
Low 1800
High 4200
Median 2800

Those prices look good. UShip has a boat category, where one inputs certain parameters and then it comes up with an estimate. I don't know where their numbers come from or if you can hire someone for any of those estimates. Bob, could you comment?

Boris
 
I got a CD coming from NY to Oregon here in a few weeks. Maybe my transporter would be happy to pick up so he doesn't have to go back empty.

Hit me up and I'll connect the two of you. His prices are fantastic and has shipped for me in the past as well as other C-Brats.

Bryrick
503-781-9967
bshillam@hotmail.com
 
Those prices look good. UShip has a boat category, where one inputs certain parameters and then it comes up with an estimate. I don't know where their numbers come from or if you can hire someone for any of those estimates. Bob, could you comment?
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If one has a trailer, it opens up many more possibilities for shipping. There are a number of haulers who just have a pickup or even 550-650 who will only haul on trailers, and these will be less expensive.

Those numbers are excellent. I suspect that the lowest are with the trailer on the road.

The Tom Cat may be more expensive because it is a catamaran and the support for the twin hulls is different than the usual hauling trailer. Even a low boy could haul a Tom Cap, if there were a travel lift to put aboard.
 
Really useful information.

Of course, the "use its own trailer" is counting on the trailer, tires and bearings being sound. I imagine it could be a nightmare if the trailer breaks down, leaving a third-party to deal with the mess.

Related question: Is there a thread on how to successfully buy a boat without ever seeing it and running it in person? It's not my first choice but it may come to that.

JonO
 
JonO":3ulcuvcc said:
Really useful information.

Of course, the "use its own trailer" is counting on the trailer, tires and bearings being sound. I imagine it could be a nightmare if the trailer breaks down, leaving a third-party to deal with the mess.

Related question: Is there a thread on how to successfully buy a boat without ever seeing it and running it in person? It's not my first choice but it may come to that.

JonO
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My advice to people buying a boat remotely is to buy a plane ticket and spend at least a day looking at the boat in person. If possible arrange the survey then, and a sea trial.

I have seen too many depend of photos--often years old. The "motor runs perfectly"--and to get the boat home and find the motor overheats on the first run--and has to be scrapped. $$$$

If you absolutely cannot go to the boat, see if some knowledgeable person lives near the boat and would take an objective look for your. I have done this a number of times, and provided new photos of potentially problem areas.

The other option is to have a good surveyor look at the boat. When I bought the first 25, it was a boat described in excellent condition. A potential buyer paid about $400 for a survey. There was a hole in the cockpit deck, a bulkhead was loose, because the boat had been abused etc. Of course the potential buyer from Washington State was PO. The boat was in N J. I eventually bought that boat for half of the asking price. I had not seen it, but I had the surveyor's report. It was reasonably accurate. I had factored in what the costs were to repair the boat. Doing it myself--very doable. Having a shop do it--not worth it. So it depends on your skill level and time available.
 
Thanks for the responses! I have included UShip for pricing. It looks like 5 to 6K for cross county shipping of a TomCat is the going market for cost. I will keep shopping around.
 
Not to hi-jack, but...

Is there a thread on how to successfully buy a boat without ever seeing it and running it in person?
Click to expand...

As Dr Bob noted, a plane ticket and a few days with a qualified surveyor can't be understated. However, we were just beginning the possible purchase of a 40' Willard that was in San Carlos, Mexico last month. I paid a local, well known, well respected surveyor $175 for him to do a walk thru with photos and to give me his honest opinion on the boat, the price etc. This was not a survey/sea trial but more a "what do YOU think" before I hopped on a plane and drove thru the Sonoran desert to have a personal look etc. I got the glowing praise form the owner/seller, of course. They surveyor pointed out things that I could not tell from photos. It's not a substitute, but will give you an unbiased opinion based on experience etc. From there you can pull out or move forward.
 
BorrowedTime":17xb35q8 said:
Thanks for the responses! I have included UShip for pricing. It looks like 5 to 6K for cross county shipping of a TomCat is the going market for cost. I will keep shopping around.
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Diesel is quickly jumping UP in price. I filled up last week for $3.09/gallon. It's now $3.40/gallon. IN A WEEK. :evil: :roll: And it's not going down anytime soon...
 
Not a TomCat, but last summer we contracted to have a CD-25 towed on its own trailer from the Chesapeake to Seattle. I recall it was about $4400. Pulled by a professional service with a 1-ton pickup with dual rear wheels. The trip took 3 days with two drivers. We had the trailer serviced and bought new tires for the trip.
 
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