Transporting a boat from Southern Cal to Alaska

yhc · Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Posts: 15

Good morning to you all.

I am planning to purchase a boat from Southern Cal then bringing it up to Alaska. I am wondering what would be the best & economical way of transporting it. I am looking at ground transporters (towing the boat on its trailer) vs. barge services or combination thereof.

I would appreciate it if you have any suggestion/lead.

Regards,

yhc

drjohn71a · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:12 am Post subject:

yhc - This may sound a bit crazy, but -

I sold an old houseboat of mine here in Kansas, to an Alaskan, who drove all the way to Kansas with a Ford Super Duty pickup with his wife and towed it all the way back to Alaska. You may be able to find a similarly enterprising Alaskan to do the same for you. I would expect there is some kind of transportation board up there.

Just a thought,

John

journey on · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:38 am Post subject:

Well, you don't say what type of boat it is. If you're buying it in So Cal, I assume its not a C-Dory.

My suggestion is to call a boat mover and talk to them. Thats what I did for a Catalina 36. One could truck it to Seattle, and then put it on a barge. The latter seems to be the way most things move between the lower 48 and Alaska. If the boat is small enough to be on a trailer it should be a lot simpler. Also, if you're buying it from a broker, talk to them; they should have contacts.

Boris

Sneaks · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:41 am Post subject:

Some Lazy Daze RV owners have had excellent results with Custom Critical Transportation provided by FEDEX. They turned out to be competitively priced and delivery was as promised. If yours is a trailer boat with trailer it might behoove you to check on it. Ignore the "autos only" Fedex will haul damn near anything. Even Dodge trucks. You need to ask for a "Large or modified vehicle quote" and as long as they can move it on wheels they'll give you a quote.

Don

Steve Grover · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:53 pm Post subject:

I'm taking my 16' C-Dory to Alaska from central Calif. I'm driving it to Prince Rupert, putting my truck and boat trailer on the ferry and spending 6 hours to Ketchican. It is expensive! But, I'll get it to Alaska from Calif. What part of Alaska do you want to get the boat to? What size and type of boat?

Mighty Bite · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:19 pm Post subject:

YHC,

A couple questions need to be answered. Namely, what kind of boat, size of the boat, width specific of the boat and trailer? What is the destination in Alaska? Are you wanting some one to transport it point to point or are you considering towing it up yourself?

A lot of us have hauled boats up the highway and it's not a big deal, depending, of course, on the above.

starcrafttom · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:53 pm Post subject:

Many trailible boats will fit in a standard shipping container. Just have some one on the south end secure it and have it shipped north . land or sea it would not matter. just pick it up at your end. Other then that fly to l.a. rent a uhaul van and drive back. shipping by container is probely cheaper

thataway · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:56 pm Post subject:

Does the boat have a trailer? Which C Dory is it. It is very common to see boats of all types on top of containers on barges going to Alaksa up the inland passage, and then outside. If it is not on a trailer, you will have to have a cradle made for it to fit on top of the containers.

No problem driving it up the Alcan--assuming you want to go to Northern Alaska. We didn't tow our boat (took an inflatable in the "basement) behind our 38 foot motorhome up the Alcan, but I would put something to protect the bow and front under belly of the huill from rocks and gravel on parts of the Alcan.

I have had some folks tell me that they thought the driving was easier in the winter--but that is a personal decision!

Islander · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:49 pm Post subject:

I had my boat transported from Seattle to Southern California, some 6 years ago. It cost me $1000.00
With the price of fuel that will most certainly be more today.

However at the time it was a good deal, as the trucker had to come here anyway, and my boat allowed him to get revenue on the way down.

If you need the namke of the hauler let me know, they specialize in boats.

Bob Cat · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:32 pm Post subject:

Hi, yhc

I've towed my TC255 from Seattle to SoCal behind an F450. Might be interested in towing a light C-Dory the other way and beyond.

Bob Cat

Sea Wolf · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:40 am Post subject:

Hi!

I checked the transport service above and they wanted $1064 to transport a vehicle from Barstow to my home in Redding, a distance of 575 miles. This equals $1.85 per mile. It would be quite a bit more for a large trailer, or one with a boat on it. (It's harder to load on a trailer than a vehicle that can be driven on the transporter.)

For purposes of comparison, to do this for someone with a private vehicle, you'd have to divide the 575 miles by , say, 14 miles per gallon, equaling 41 gallons of gas. This fuel would cost you $109 at $2.65 per gallon.

You'd also have to have 10 hours of wages, which at $14.00 (or more) an hour, would equal $140.

And you'd also have to stay at a motel every day on longer trips, equaling $80 or so.

Then there's wear and tear on the tow vehicle and your insurance costs (if you want to figure the ins. into it):

$25,000 vehicle divided by 150,000 miles = $0.18 per mile, and that plus service costs, etc. So 575 miles times 18 cents per mile= $103 + service work and repairs, say = $125.

Cost =$109 +$140 + $80 + $125 = $454, (one way).

The above assumes you're going to get paid both ways (not freewheeling on the return trip. If you have to freewheel it back, figure double the costs, or $908. This equals $1.58 per mile.

That truck transport is startin' to look pretty good!

Joe.

yhc · Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Posts: 15

Good morning to you all and thank you for your replies.

To answer some of your questions...I have looked long and hard for a C-Dory and even came close to purchasing one from a forum member here last fall but ended up getting an aluminum boat this week. Very Happy

The boat is 26' long, 8.5' wide, weighs about 7000# and is on a trailer.

Though I ended up getting a non-C-Dory, I have learned a lot from this forum in the past 2 years and have come to respect and value your insights. I hope you all don't mind but I will continue to monitor this forum and learn from you all.

I wish you a nice weekend.

Regards,

yhc

Doryman · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:07 pm Post subject:

Sounds like you have a Hewescraft or a similar boat. I owned one before buying my Tom Cat -- great boat and builder, but at upgrade time the Admiral wanted more creature comforts and the look of fiberglass. I'm very happy with the new boat, don't get me wrong.

Anyway, Hewescraft owners have their own mailing list and forum on MSN, HewescraftBoats@groups.msn.com. You might want to join there because I would say a good third of the members are Alaskans. I continue to monitor the list for the occasional tidbit of info.

Warren