Shipping Height

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flyingboat

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Sep 5, 2011
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I'm trying to find the shipping(trailer height) height for a Mainship 34T, 2005 and newer. Does the bridge need to come off. Anyone have the cost and/or tips for removal of the bridge. Obviously the boat would transport on a low boy which has several height adjustments. I think the max height for shipping is 13'6". Anyone have experience with this. Thank you.
 
I think the max height for shipping is 13'6". .

f...boat
that's my understanding also - mine is a HT but just made it... see attached dim'ns - check your manuals - or on-line - mine had the dim'ns included.

Prop needs to come off - and removing aft portion of the sand shoe will buy you a little but not enough.

I've never gotten involved w/ FB removal but have heard horror stories... my advice is get good recommendation from experienced yard and be there in person when it's done. A friend tried to do it remote and they just cut all the wires - no marking - no photos - dwgs - ahead of time... big headache putting it back together :facepalm:

Are you going to wrap it for transport? If so be sure to get someone experienced w/ wrapping for transport. Mine shipped in winter and glad I wrapped it as the road dirt was terrible - would have sand blasted the fwd hull paint if not.
 

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  • MS34HT Trwlr Dimns .pdf
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I can't help with the dimensions, but I can give you some tips on fly bridge removal. When I bought my boat the fly bridge had to come off before it could be shipped. The absolute smartest thing I did was contact the yard where the boat would be reassembled (Portland, OR) and make arrangements with them to fly their technician to Detroit to supervise the tear down.

He marked every wire on both sides of a cut and was careful about the process because he was going to have to put it back together. I paid for his airfare, a week in a hotel and rental car and meals. It definitely was worth it.

The selling broker was going to use a pry bar to lift up the fiberglass bridge so they could get the forks from a forklift under it. BAD IDEA.

The technician made them use long lifting straps to lift it and he was there to make sure they did it right and that he hadn't missed any wires between the boat and the fly bridge.

Here are a few shots of the process. Good luck and if you have any specific questions please feel free to ask.

It took several adjustments to the straps to get the bridge to lift level, not canted front to rear or side to side.
img_334486_0_369db1912fdb9020330b63da07979bb6.jpg


Checking before the lift to see if any wires still needed to be cut.
img_334486_1_d2b3cbd94b536e9356b7737d4babbc62.jpg


img_334486_2_528a174e73cc5ca8e9041ed2c3b34fd9.jpg


At this point my heart was beating about a bazillion beats per second.
img_334486_3_8c50ac4a0054ae64f07ec572574475c7.jpg


The fly bridge is 12'wide x 24' long. They built a cradle for it and it had to come on a separate truck/trailer with separate oversize load permits. This cradle had to be enlarged because they had underestimated ( or measured wrong) the size of the bridge.
img_334486_4_13fa89d876abfbcb830573176daec169.jpg


Here's Beachcomber topless.
img_334486_5_9bc967a30121bc77b21e4ccb5d5657aa.jpg


They started the removal process around 0800. They finally set the bridge on the cradle about 1330, so it was a very long and nerve wracking process. In the end it definitely was worth the time they took because there were no problems during the reassembly.
 
Shipping

Thanks so much for the info. If I buy the boat I will supervise. Removing a bridge is not my preference. The boat would only be trucked about 350 miles. My option, and the most fun is to cruise from the SE coast, through Lake Okeecobee and run up the river to Chattanooga. Looking at the 34T HT, it's definitely going to have to come off if shipping is the only option.
Thanks so much.
 
I just bought a 2005 34T. Bridge clearance w/o mast or canvas is 13' plus 40" water draft. Broker was figuring shipping charges from Chicago to Seattle when I signed. He had expected >$20K for bridge removal and truck. I don't know if that included re-assembly.

I plan to start down the Illinois River on June 6. Expect arrival in Knoxville Tn by Boomsday.
 
Google Mainship Trawler 34 Rigging Manual, it shows how to put the top on the boat and every step required. It is a thirty page instruction manual. we own a 2004 Mainship trawler and this manual has been a big help in showing how everything is put together.
 

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