How Should I Prepare My Boat For Shipping From Florida To California
To prepare your boat for shipping, you should drain all fuel and water tanks, stow and secure loose gear, disconnect batteries, remove valuable electronics, remove hull protrusions, and apply a boat cover to keep it protected.
Typically, boat owners are responsible for preparing their vessels for shipment, and boat shipping companies are not liable for any damage caused to the vessel by improper preparation for shipping.
As a final step, you should go through your vessel and take a video and pictures of every part of it this will help you identify any potential damage done to it during transit, and seek appropriate compensation, if applicable.
Q What Kind Of Boats Would Require A Tractor
Large houseboats are one type of boat commonly transported by truck. Houseboats range in width from 8 ft 6 in. to widths of 14, 16 feet, or more. Some of the wider, and longer boats can weigh in excess of 40,000 pounds, making it over-weight too. Larger width boats also tend to be taller, and prior to preparation for shipment, will easily exceed 12 to 13.5 feet maximum height for highway loads.
Large houseboats are either built on pontoons or wide, shallow draft, boat hulls. The height from the road surface to the top of the roof over the house will usually fall under 12 feet. However, most such boats may have antennas, flying bridges, etc., that extend above the 12 ft. limit. If the maximum height exceeds 12 ft., and cannot be reduced, then very careful routing, and additional permitting and safety procedures, including escort vehicles, will be required to avoid overhead hazards. Using a lowboy trailer can solve some potential over-height problems.
Antennas, masts, flying bridges, etc., are usually removable and can be stowed and secured somewhere on the boat or trailer.
Modern yachts have more complex hulls that cannot simply rest on their keel. Most yachts will require a custom-made cradle that fits the shape of the hull.
Are Boat Towing Services Worth It
No one ever expects to have their boat towed back to shore until it happens. There are dozens of things that can happen to even the best-maintained vessels. Its not a question of if a breakdown on the water occurs. Its a question of when. What many boat owners dont realize is that the Coast Guard defers to commercial towers unless passengers are in immediate danger.
That policy has given rise to a variety of subscription towing services where, for as little as $99 per year, companies will tow a qualifying vessel to the nearest port an unlimited number of times. However, additional fees will apply if the owner chooses to have their boat deposited at a port or dock thats further away, or outside a specified distance. Some companies will also cover vessels an individual rents, borrows or charters.
Some boat owners policies include towing and on-water assistance. If its not included in a standard policy, it can often be added for a small additional cost. The coverage options differ among various insurance companies, so its important to read and understand the terms and conditions. Some insurers place limitations on towing depending upon the age and cost of the craft, while other conditions may apply.
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Captains Duties Include Saving Lives
Earlier this summer, one of Leslies captains located a man in the middle of the night more than a mile offshore after the mans 14-foot boat sank when returning from the Jobbie Nooner party at Gull Island. The 22-year-old Lansing man was saved after hed been in the water nearly six hours.
SCMS captain Lance Pannebecker was towing a boat when he heard screaming and shut down his engine. He used flood lights to search for the man in the darkness, eventually locating the man. The boaters friend, a 19-year-old man, died after they became separated swimming to shore.
Showers and thunderstorms were prevalent that day with waves were reported 4 to 5 feet.
I want people to know that on Lake St. Clair the weather and waves can change rapidly. It happens to me in my own boat, Pannebecker said. You really should be familiar with the water youre on.
Leslie said that during the 2020 event, in a single day his captains received 92 requests for service.
We had a lot of intoxication. There were deaths that day, he said. A lot of boats sinking just about anything you could think of that day.
Willis advice to all boaters is to file a float plan, keep the appropriate lifejackets aboard and keep a VHF marine radio handy.
Roadside Assistance Membership Clubs
For example, Allstate offers a Roadside Advantage plan or a Platinum Elite plan. The cheaper plan maxes out its roadside assistance benefits at $150, whereas the more costly plan ends reimbursement at $250. The cost for each service can also depend on your region. When you check prices with your local companies, be sure to ask about renewal fees for the future. Paying a yearly fee for roadside assistance can also benefit you in other waysmembership can include getting discounts on car rentals, flights, hotels stays, and restaurant meals.
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Email Or Call About Boat Towing
We move boats under certain circumstances so call Towing Toronto to see if we can help transport your boat.
Transporting a boat means a specific knowledge of the processes to be used. Towing Toronto has experience with this transport. Just give us a call or use our handy quote form and our customer service representative provides you with an estimate of cost. We are also able to help you prepare the boat for the big move. Boat owners are welcome to contact us at any time.
We ask that you give us the make and model of the boat, its size, dates, and any specifics that may be pertinent to the transport. We make it possible for you to contact our carriers during every leg of the journey.
How Does Boat Towing Insurance Work
Boat towing insurance covers the cost of a towboat going out to bring your vessel back to shore. Depending on the insurance company, you can typically buy basic coverage, or increase your coverage for greater distances.
When you have an incident on the water whether you run out of fuel, you have a mechanical malfunction, or you have a collision of some kind you can place a call to a boat towing service.
It is important to know that the towing service meter starts as soon as the tow operator is dispatched. So if you are a little ways off shore, a basic amount of insurance should cover it.
If you tend to go further out, you may want additional coverage to make sure your insurance will pay for you to be towed all the way back to shore.
With some types of coverage you will be supplied with gas if you run out, or a jumpstart if your battery dies, which can save you some towing costs. Check with an agent to find out what types of coverage are available.
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How Does Boat Shipping Work Understanding The Basics
If youre shipping a boat from Florida to California, your boat will likely be shipped by truck. The process is quite simple to understand. Your boat will be picked up from the marina, loaded onto a truck, driven to your destination marina, and unloaded, completing the job.
Its sometimes possible to haul smaller vehicles using a pickup truck, but for large vessels that are heavy and bulky, a semi-truck can be used, along with a specialized boat trailer that will keep your vessel safe and secure during the transportation process.
In most cases, your vessel will be loaded directly from the marina where its being stored, and sent directly to a destination marina. However, smaller boats can sometimes be picked up from residential areas and delivered to residential areas this typically incurs an additional cost.
It will usually take anywhere from 3-7 days to ship your boat cross country from Florida to California. This partially depends on your budget, and whether or not the shipping company will be hauling and delivering multiple vessels using the same truck.
Why Even Do It
Maybe you think that both the professional and DIY costs are too much and not worth the investment. So let me summarize what shrink wrap is good for so that you can decide if you want to go ahead with the purchase or not.
Shrink-wrap quite simply protects your boat from rain, UV rays and, if you live in a cold area, snow. Plus it does so in a way that after you are done with it, there is no extra maintenance needed.
If you for instance just covered your boat with a large plastic sheet, it might tear as the wind hits it for weeks on end, it might not withstand the sun, temperatures or the weather abuse. Plastic sheets also tend to create pockets under pressure in which snow or rain might pool. A shrink wrap is much tighter than what you would achieve with some plastic sheets and tape.
But then again, if your boat sits in your backyard, you can stick to plastic sheets, provided you can and don’t mind checking it every few days. Which would push your cost to just a few dollars.
And if you are lucky enough to have a garage or a shed for your boat, one that mice can not get in, you can round the shrink wrapping costs to a nice zero.
For a full pros and cons list, check out William’s article discussing whether shrink wrapping your boat is ultimately worth it.
Matej Stepan is a film director & producer who fell in love with sailing a couple of years ago. Nothing else gives you the freedom sailboats do.
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Hiring A Professional Vs Diy
While removing vinyl decals is something any boat owner can do on their own, vinyl wrapping is something you will want to leave to professionals. Its a skill that takes years of practice to excel at. Typically if you wrap your own boat, you will have to have it re-wrapped soon after because DIY boat wraps dont usually last very long.
Professionals use special tools for wrapping boats, and they also are adept at smoothing out wrinkles or bubbles that may form during the wrapping process.
Ultimately, hiring a professional is the better bet when it comes to vinyl boat wrapping.
Helping A Boat In Distress
Some of the best boat handlers I have ever examined at yachtmaster and instructor levels are tug drivers. They have an ingrained ability to sense the effect the huge tension on the towline is having on the tug and the grave danger if the tug ends up beam-on to the line under tension. As a result their boat handling under power is first class.
For yacht skippers, apart from tenders, towing is a rare event and usually involves assisting a fellow yacht not as hazardous as a tug towing a ship, of course, but it can still be difficult, especially in the open sea.
Towing a yacht is done to get them home following a problem caused by engine failure or some other non-urgent inconvenience.
If you come across a yacht in distress your primary obligation is to save the people on board rather than the yacht, although this might be achieved by towing the yacht away from danger. In a rough sea its probably going to be a difficult and possibly dangerous manoeuvre, so standing by until the rescue services arrive might be more appropriate.
In less urgent situations you have to weigh up whether your yacht is capable of taking on a tow. Towing a larger yacht in calm water for a short distance is relatively easy. If there is no wind or tidal stream and the sea is flat you can safely tow a yacht twice your size.
In the open sea with a swell and wind it is best not to attempt towing vessels larger than your own. Again you might have to stand by until help arrives.
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Process For Boat Transport
Good planning means a successful transport. Here are some things to consider:
- Dates for shipping
- Availability on the receiving side
- Does the boat have its own trailer or will the company provide it?
- Precise measurements
- Special needs
Whether the transport is across Canada or even internationally, our haulers issue a quote. Communication is a prime factor in the successful shipping of your boat to a new location. If you encounter any problems or issues, Towing Toronto is happy to intercede.
What Is Boat Towing Insurance
Boat towing insurance is an add-on policy to your boat coverage that will cover you for various scenarios when your boat needs to be transported.
There are two types of boat towing insurance:
- On-road towing: This covers the costs of towing, up to your policy limit, if you have a problem while trailering your boat on the road and need it towed. On-road towing is sometimes covered in a standard auto insurance policy, but it is a good idea to check the fine print of your policy to make sure. If your auto insurance doesnt cover boat towing and youre involved in an accident while your boat is hitched up, you could face some major costs to have another company move your vessel.
- On-water towing: This will cover the costs of towing, up to your policy limit, if you have a problem on the water and need your boat towed in to shore. On-water towing will cover the hauling of your boat to a service area if it is stuck or stalled, runs out of gas or is in an accident. Because on-water towing professionals risk their boats and lives to bring you safely to shore, the price you’ll pay is likely going to be high an uninsured boat towing incident can cost $500 to $1,000 or more. If your boat is disabled due to an accident, the tow can be far pricier. By contrast, boat-towing insurance is typically very reasonable at about $100 to $150 per year, depending on the company you work with.
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Q Who Typically Contracts To Haul Oversize Boats
Sailboats Average Weight 8800 Lbs
18. Sunfish 120 lbs
19. C& C 27 5,180 lbs
20. Ericson 28.5 7,500 lbs
21. Pearson 39 17,000 lbs
22. Swan 48 36,000 lbs
Sailboats are boats that are propelled by sails. They are very commonly found on lakes around the whole world and in just about every port in the ocean. They are commonly seen in various movies and TV shows.
If you are shocked by how high the average weight is for sailboats, dont worry, I was too at first! The weight of sailboats varies drastically, more than any other type of boat on this list. Some sailboats can weight as little as 120 lbs, while others can weigh up to 36,000 lbs! The average on this list was taken from a large list of some of the most commonly used sailboats, big and small.
Can you tow it? Yes and no. Being able to tow a sailboat completely depends on the one that you have. A large number of sailboats on the market weigh under 5,000 lbs and are easily towed by averaged sized trucks and SUVs. Many Sailboats often get to the 8,000-12,000 lb range and can only realistically be towed by big heavy duty trucks.
Some sailboats reach up to 30,000 lbs and cant be towed by any normal vehicle. There are some trucks on the market that do claim to be able to tow 30,000 lbs of cargo, so if that truly is the case if you happen to have one of those towing a sailboat of this size is possilbe.
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How Much Does It Cost To Tow A Boat
The average cost to tow a boat can range from $125 to $250 for a 40-mile tow. However, depending on the towing companys services and the distance traveled, this price can be much higher or lower. Other factors that can influence the price include the size of the boat as well as the time of day. Oftentimes, it is more expensive to tow a larger boat during after-hours than it is to tow a small boat during regular working hours.
In addition to boat transportation, some of uShips transporters offer one-way boat towing services. If you need a boat towed, you only need to create a listing describing your boat and your need for towing, and customer-rated transporters who specialize in towing boats will send you quotes directly.
uShip is committed to helping our customers find the best boat towing companies at their best rates. Carriers compete for your business, guaranteeing you are getting the best quotes they can provide. When you use uShip to find your transporter, you get all of uShips benefits:
