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DIY Boat Shipping Vs. Hiring A Professional Boat Transporter

Published by Joe Webster.

What's in this article?
  1. You’ll incur more when you do it yourself
  2. You may end up dealing with transport brokers when you DIY-ship your boat
  3. Professional boat transporters will help you ward off cons
  4. Professional boat transporters understand the process better
Hiring A Professional Boat Transporter

While DIY projects help build individuality, ingenuity, and innovation, some things are just not DIY-appropriate. One of them being shipping your boat. Whether you’re shipping 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 transport goods, sea transport 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 boat. Professional transporters know the best ships to use when shipping automobiles.

Besides, professional transporters have cargo insurance that can cover your boat in case of damage. When you ship the boat 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 a professional transporter for your new boat.

Apart from helping you cut costs, hiring a professional boat transporter 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 boat to arrive its destination safely.

You Will Incur More When You Do It Yourself

You may end up dealing with transport brokers when you DIY-ship your boat

Boat transport 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 shipping companies. The problem of using a transport broker is that you may not know what carrier they will broker your order to.

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Yet, the condition of your boat by the time it gets to you largely depends on the carrier used. If your boat 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 or a transport broker, you won’t have a way of knowing how your boat is being transported.

To ensure that you’re dealing with a legit boat transporter, research the transporters reputation online by reading reviews online. You could also ask for recommendations from local dealerships, family, and friends.

The Actual Registration And Title Of The Boat

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 from 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 boat 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 transporter. 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 boat. Only then should you proceed.

Professional boat transporters 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 its 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 transporting boats won’t go into these details. Remember, the main agenda of a professional transporter 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 watch word should be ‘quality over quantity.' The cheaper choice, when it comes to boat shipping is not the safest choice. Usually, the shipping process reflects on the quality of carriers and the professionalism applied in the transportation logistics. When transporting 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 shipping your boat, reach out to us, we will be thrilled to help you.

Professional Boat Transporters
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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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A1 Auto Transport... From the get go, they were very different from my past options. Their website was very professional and up to date, full of useful information. I requested a quote using their online form, and I got an email response within an hour. Surprisingly fast!

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There are a lot of options for auto transport these days, which surprisingly makes it harder to find a good company. I received more than 10 offers to ship my car, but I couldn’t decide on any of them... Fortunately, I made the right choice with A1 Auto Transport.

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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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