Advice on shipping a boat

[philinasheville]

Any of you guys have advice on how to get a boat shipped across the country? I'm basically looking for who I could use as a shipper, and basic cost info. I'm sure that some of you guys have done this before. Any advice would be hugely APRECIATED!

Thanks,

Phil

[Matt Johnson]

I would suggest using DHL. They tend to have good pricing for large items, whatever you do avoid the US Postal Service, It cost me $25 less to send an oversized package UPS

[Kevin]

Try http://www.sportsexpress.com/
or forward air inc in the USA

If your in Canada Greyhound is cheap and reliable.

[Traddad]

This from a friend that works for DHL:

"Yeah, the major express shipping services can hit you pretty hard if you are
an individual doing a single shipment. (Read: Price Gouge) If you can wait a
week for the shipment, and don't mind a little work there are ways to get
the cost down.

I would look for a freight company, (Not UPS, FedEx or DHL) and do a ground
shipment from depot to depot (or terminal to terminal, depending on the
companys lingo) In this case the shipper would drop it off in Seattle
Washington at a depot and you would pick it up at the depot here in Phoenix.
That gets rid of the cost of an individual driver doing the pickup and the
delivery. There are a couple search engines that now quote frieght like you
price hotel rooms or airline fares.
http://www.freightbrokeronline.com/ezquote.asp
http://www.freightcenter.com/freight%20 ... efault.htm

An individual company I have heard of is:
http://www.dnafreight.com/

I did some quick quotes and saw prices in the $100 to $150 range. Just use
some common sense, track your package closely, and you should be fine. One
final note: GET INSURANCE ON YOUR PACKAGE. The default coverage for most
companies is only $100 for loss or damage. I know kayaks are worth a lot
more than that."

Hope this helps.

[philinasheville]

Thanks for the great advice. I think I may actually work this deal out. DHL wanted $600 for shipping a boat, where these other shippers charge between $100-$200.

Thanks!!

-phil

[billcanoes]

Where is the boat going Alaska-is it a Nitro? Also, you are probabbly better off going to Office Max to deliver, using DHL- It was $20 less for me to ship through them, but a driver complained and Office Max wont take small boats anymore.

Bill

[Sir Adam]

Many folks have used Forward air, with various degrees of success. When I picked up my Wheelboy (sent from Seattle-thanks again Cone Bone!) they mentioned they see about a dozen a week in the summer (NOT what I expected from the Albany, NY terminal...).

[Dale]

I shipped my Esquif Detonator OC1 56lbs. bubble wrap and plastic, took it to the terminal my self just outside Philadelphia, PA
Nov, 2004 shipped it to Springfield Ill. To the guys office. Boat left on MOnday arrived Wed. I paid $18.75 USA They knew what they were shipping at the terminal. as they could see threw the plastic. On the phone they gave us really a different price like $75 up to 100.
So take it to the nearest terminal yourself. Price may be really different.
Hope that helps.

[Drew W.]

I had my flirt shipped to me by forward air, shipping only took 3 days and it cost something like $30 to go from ashville-baltimore

[kaz]

Dale, I recently found out that DHL changed their policy shortly after you shipped that boat. They no longer will ship them. At least that's what I was told.
JKaz

[klund]

Chicagoland canoes sent me a phantom from Chi-town to Denver via Old Dominion Freight. Packed in bubble wrap and cardboard - no damage, cost like $60 terminal to terminal.