Help with transport.

[VF46]

Greetings,
I am in the process of purchasing a 1976 Vic Franck 46 Pilothouse. The boat is currently in The Dalles, OR and will be going to Portland for the out of water survey. She's a heavy fiberglass boat that has twin Cat 3208 NA engines with about 3400 hours. If all goes well, as it should because it has been very well maintained, I will be needing help to bring it to Tacoma. At this time I don't have the experience to bring it down the Columbia River, cross the bar and up the coast into Puget Sound.

I am looking for a Captain with the experience to help me transport the boat. Is there anyone in the area, either Portland or Seattle/Tacoma area that would be willing to take on this task? I've talked to a few people that are quoting $600 per day. I understand the whole, you get what you pay for routine but it seems like I read not too long ago the rate was closer to $350 per day. If that's really what it's going to take I guess that's what I'll pay. I just wanted to put it out there and see if anyone had any thoughts about my situation. Thanks!

 

[READY]

Welcome to the forum.. Cannot help you with the delivery but a few considerations...
I would plan to keep the boat in Portland and use it for awhile to really be confident both you and the boat are ready. Rarely is a boat being sold truely ready to head out for a long cruise. The survey and sea trial may uncover some issues but that is no replacement for spending at least a few days operating the boat and stressing the systems to be sure they are ready. Hoses, belts and filters should probably be changed for confidence and to have a good baseline for your knowledge. Unless you find a captain who knows that boat well you need to have the knowledge of things like valves, switches, fuses and other critical points.
Good luck finding a delivery skipper and enjoy your new boat.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Welcome and Ready brings up a good point.

 

[Portage_Bay]

$350 per day is unrealistic. You won't likely get anyone with the experience and skill to ensure a successful delivery at that price.

$600 per day is about right. Portland to Puget Sound can be done in two days if you accept the risk of running at night. Three days to avoid night running.

I've made that trip dozens of times. As an employee and as a delivery capt. Feel free to PM me to discuss.

 

[SR400DB]

I have hired a captain several times to assist with moving my boat up and down the coast. $500 - $600 day plus expenses has been the rate. Just FYI.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I have hired a captain several times to assist with moving my boat up and down the coast. $500 - $600 day plus expenses has been the rate. Just FYI.

Dancing with Waves is also known as Dancing with Angels helping an unexperiance, younger couple from S.F. to the Columbia River Bar.

 

[BandB]

You really want a discount captain? Well, they know what their services are worth I guess.

How much did you spend on a boat to then put your delivery at risk over a couple hundred dollars a day. The going South Florida rate is $500/250 with $500 for the captain and $250 for a mate and none will take jobs without mates unless you agree to be the mate and do all the tasks. PNW coastal delivery is more and $500-600 sounds very reasonable. Don't start your ownership by trying to take short cuts.

If you want 24 hour delivery rather than daytime only, then definitely need captain and mate.

 

[tiltrider1]

You want Jack Defriel. https://yachtdeliveriesnw.com/

He is qualified, he is priced fair, others here have used him and been very satisfied.

He has made the Portland to Tacoma trip more times than you would Imagine. He is a really nice guy who is super easy to get along with but never over looks the safety aspects.

 

[VF46]

Delivery...

You really want a discount captain? Well, they know what their services are worth I guess.

How much did you spend on a boat to then put your delivery at risk over a couple hundred dollars a day. The going South Florida rate is $500/250 with $500 for the captain and $250 for a mate and none will take jobs without mates unless you agree to be the mate and do all the tasks. PNW coastal delivery is more and $500-600 sounds very reasonable. Don't start your ownership by trying to take short cuts.

If you want 24 hour delivery rather than daytime only, then definitely need captain and mate.

I appreciate those that have responded to my question. FYI, at no point did I indicate that I wanted to get a "discount captain" or want to "start my ownership by trying to take short cuts". I was simply asking for a verification of the information I was given. My post stated I know about getting what you pay for. I guess it really is all in the delivery.

 

[SR400DB]

Agree Jack is one of the best. He was already booked solid in 2019 when I needed some assistance. He referred me to Brian Raikes (brianraikes2@gmail.com) who did a great job. Those are two very good options for your new boat.

 

[Rufus]

Surely there is a forum member in the area with experience who would lend a hand/ride along as a favor....perhaps for meals.

 

[tiltrider1]

Surely there is a forum member in the area with experience who would lend a hand/ride along as a favor....perhaps for meals.

His insurance is going to require a Captain. I would volunteer as crew if he hires Jack. That would save him some money.

 

[Rufus]

If the owner is the Captain, why would insurance have an issue?

 

[Portage_Bay]

If the owner lacks the experience to get insurance coverage for coastal then a qualified captain is needed.

 

[SR400DB]

I am slo up for assisting if requested.

 

[Rufus]

If the owner lacks the experience to get insurance coverage for coastal then a qualified captain is needed.

Never heard of insurance quals for coastal. Offshore Lake Michigan is guaranteed a lot nastier in the big scheme than the Pacific Northwest. no such requiremnts. How does one get qualified coastal with out going coastal? Is this a Coast Guard requirement?

 

[Spinner]

I know that Great Lakes can be really tough but the trip described by the OP includes crossing the Columbia River bar, then open Pacific Ocean up to the Straits of Juan de Fuca. That is not trivial....

 

[SR400DB]

What Spinner just said. There is a reason this area is the training ground for the Coast Guard.

 

[Rufus]

I get that, and wouldn't suggest someone cross the bar without someone with experience (not necessarily a licensed captain on board). The transit up the coast appears to be a no brainer with good weather. But again, where does the "coastal" credential come from?

 

[Portage_Bay]

Never heard of insurance quals for coastal. Offshore Lake Michigan is guaranteed a lot nastier in the big scheme than the Pacific Northwest. no such requiremnts. How does one get qualified coastal with out going coastal? Is this a Coast Guard requirement?

I get that, and wouldn't suggest someone cross the bar without someone with experience (not necessarily a licensed captain on board). The transit up the coast appears to be a no brainer with good weather. But again, where does the "coastal" credential come from?

It isn't a credential. It isn't a CG requirement. It is a geographic limitation on the insurance policy. OP states he does not have much experience. It is not at all unusual for an underwriter to limit the geographic area of coverage until the owner / operator has more experience.

 

[BandB]

Insurers often require a level of experience on new boat owners and may require licensed captains on board initially if the owner lacks that experience. They do this on larger boat on the Great Lakes as well.

As to "coastal", in USCG licensing, the majority of captains are initially licensed as "Near Coastal" so you'll typically see licenses like 100 Ton NC or 200 Ton NC. OUPV is also near coastal. Most are not licensed initially as OC which requires more sea time.

 

[AlanT]

I've done a few (3) deliveries now for 3 friends; Baltimore-BVI, San Diego - San Francisco, Charleston - Annapolis. I have criteria that I suggest the OP and any volunteers insist upon;
1. Agreed sail plan
2. Each crew gets a veto vote on go, no go decision with regard to weather and vessel condition
3. In-certification Liferaft on board (rental is fine)
4. EPIRB & Sat phone on board (Rental sat phone OK)

On 1 delivery I was less experienced than the captain. On one I was more experienced. The last we were equal in experience. Either way I had veto power on the go or no go decision. That is a total deal-breaker for me.



~A

 

[SR400DB]

I've done a few (3) deliveries now for 3 friends; Baltimore-BVI, San Diego - San Francisco, Charleston - Annapolis. I have criteria that I suggest the OP and any volunteers insist upon;
1. Agreed sail plan
2. Each crew gets a veto vote on go, no go decision with regard to weather and vessel condition
3. In-certification Liferaft on board (rental is fine)
4. EPIRB & Sat phone on board (Rental sat phone OK)

On 1 delivery I was less experienced than the captain. On one I was more experienced. The last we were equal in experience. Either way I had veto power on the go or no go decision. That is a total deal-breaker for me.



~A

This is great advice. On all of my boat relocations/deliveries we had similar expectations and “rules”. The biggest was the veto power of anyone on board.

 

[Rufus]

Our 44 is/was our first boat...ever. I've been asked where the boat would be operated, but never because of owner experience...they worry about hurricanes. BTW, the OP didn't specifically mention insurance policy restrictions. Are these delivery captains bonded? Who pays if the boat runs aground?

 

[tiltrider1]

Our 44 is/was our first boat...ever. I've been asked where the boat would be operated, but never because of owner experience...they worry about hurricanes. BTW, the OP didn't specifically mention insurance policy restrictions.

He didn’t need to. New boat to owner that needs to go coastal is almost a guarantee of the insurance requirement for a captain.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Our 44 is/was our first boat...ever. I've been asked where the boat would be operated, but never because of owner experience...they worry about hurricanes. BTW, the OP didn't specifically mention insurance policy restrictions. Are these delivery captains bonded? Who pays if the boat runs aground?

No, OP didn't specifically mention insurance policy restrictions. It's informed speculation. Many of us here are aware that insurance companies will often restrict the geographic coverage based on experience of owner/operator.

To answer you questions. No, delivery captains are not normally bonded. The owner's insurer or the owner pay all costs including damages to the boat or any property or person. The delivery captain is simply working for wages. The forum members got into that topic in the thread He crashed my boat

 

[Rufus]

I'm not clear if the OP intends to make the trip himself and just wants someone with experience in the area to assist, or if he wants a delivery person to do it all. But unless my insurance company specifically required a delivery Captain, I'd look for a local boat owner/volunteer as an advisor to help me move the boat. After reading the "He crashed my boat" thread it's pretty clear that a piece of paper provides zero benefit over an experienced local. And if my current insurance company had me under some sort of operating area restriction, I'd try to find one that didn't. A basic liability policy might be in order until the boat was repositioned to Washington.

 

[tiltrider1]

I'm not clear if the OP intends to make the trip himself and just wants someone with experience in the area to assist, or if he wants a delivery person to do it all. But unless my insurance company specifically required a delivery Captain, I'd look for a local boat owner/volunteer as an advisor to help me move the boat. After reading the "He crashed my boat" thread it's pretty clear that a piece of paper provides zero benefit over an experienced local. And if my current insurance company had me under some sort of operating area restriction, I'd try to find one that didn't. A basic liability policy might be in order until the boat was repositioned to Washington.

You are completely out of touch with the realities of the west coast. First, you can buy insurance for just about anything. You will find that it’s cheaper to hire a skipper than to pay the premiums to transport a new to you boat across one of the most notorious bars in the world and then run 14 hours through open ocean with only one possible bailout port. Now if the OP had owned the boat for a year, the captain requirement would probably not be required. This assumes the OP had some bar and open water experience.

 

[Benthic2]

How is coastal vs near-coastal determined ? It looks like there are some parts of that journey where you could be 100 yards offshore but still be 50 miles from shelter.

 

[BandB]

How is coastal vs near-coastal determined ? It looks like there are some parts of that journey where you could be 100 yards offshore but still be 50 miles from shelter.

Near coastal is anything within 200 nm of land.