C-Forum

Hi everyone,
I am trying ship a solo canoe from Eastern US (North Carolina) to a shipping outlet in Montana. The UPS website told me the price would be $360, but when I called to confirm they quoted me $1100. The difference is a result of the Freight class which UPS says is 'Class 300".
Anyone have experience shipping canoes across the country or have a suggestion of how I can get my canoe from NC to MT?
Thanks!

I think it depends on finding a shipper with a reasonable attitude.

Kaz of Millbrook ships new canoes all over the country, often protected only by bubblewrap. But it's easier to get good rates when one is a repeat customer. And once you know a particular company knows how to handle boats, you can use a more rational packing plan.

One possible advantage of shipping an only lightly wrapped canoe is that the guys handling it can *see* it's a canoe, and will have some thoughts on how to position it in the truck to protect it. If crated, a canoe is "unknown" to the guys handling it, and they may throw it around or pack it under other stuff.

How big is your canoe? $US1100 seems steep, unless it's a mighty big boat. Are you buying the canoe from an individual or retailer?

To give you an idea of costs, I got a L'Edge shipped from a retailer in eastern USA to Australia. The first leg from E USA to W USA cost US$100 (the retailer's standard price for domestic shipping).

International shipping was from W USA to Australia was about US$900 (ouch, I know!).

Seems like there room to cut costs. Hope this helps.

I have the boat. I have received boats from Con Way. See if they have a terminal near you. Terminal to terminal is the cheapest