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Boat Transport By Road

Published by Joe Webster.

What's in this article?
  1. What is the Transport Boat By Road?
  2. Here are the necessary preparations to make when transporting your boat by road
  3. Hire a boat transportation specialist
  4. Read the contract word by word
  5. Document the boat’s condition before departure
  6. Prepare the boat for overland shipping
Boat Transport By Road Companies

What is the Transport Boat By Road?

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

One option for boat transportby road is to hire trailers. The cost is often dependent on the size of the boat. For example, if your craft is less than 12’ in width or 13’6” in height, you’ll pay close to $7,000 to transport the boat 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 transport it by water. Just like when transporting by sea, boat transport by road cost goes up as the beam and height of the boat increase. For both sea and road transport, 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 transportation.

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

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Here are the necessary preparations to make when transporting your boat by road

Hire a boat transportation specialist

It's best to find a transporter who specializes in boat transport. Before you proceed to negotiate the transportation costs, ask the transporter for copies of DOT or cargo insurance. If the transporter 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 your boat 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 your boat 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.

Boat Transport By Road

Document the boat’s condition before departure

Before the trucker leaves, make sure you document the boats’ condition, then share the copies with the transporter. This will act as proof of the boat’s 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 the boat for overland shipping

Most insurance claims result from inadequate preparation of the boat. When preparing your boat 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 boat prepper. The process of preparing the boat 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 boat’s 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 about boat transport by road.

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Joe Webster always knew the auto transport industry would be a great career option. And with decades of experience, Joe is now an established consultant for A1 Auto Transport.

Joe was born in Santa Cruz, California. During high school, Joe worked as a mechanic; a job continued to work part-time during his bachelor's degree.

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A-1 Auto Transport is a disclosed agent for the following shipping companies:

CSI Logistics
435 Division Street
Elizabeth, NJ 07201
FMC 22206
Intl Cargo
45 Campus Drive
Edison, NJ 08837
NO. 17858N
Trans Global Auto Logistics, Inc.
3401 E Randol Mill Rd,
Arlington, TX 76011
NO. 018191NF
CFR Rinkens
15501 Texaco Avenue
Paramount, CA 90723
NO. 013055NF
ABC Worldwide LLC
2840 NW 2nd Ave #105
Boca Raton, FL 33431
NO. 025472F
ShipYourCarNow LLC
1160 South Rogers Circle Suite 1
Boca Raton, FL 33487
NO. 025646
Merco Air & Ocean Cargo, Inc.
6 Fir Way
Cooper City, FL 33026
NO. 021869F
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