Shipping Boat west

[JohnS211]

Hi - new member here - hoping to get some advice. We’re planning on shipping our Grand Banks 43 Heritage from the east coast to the Seattle area this spring. Curious if anyone has done that before, and if so, any general advice? I’m particularly concerned about the process for receiving the boat on the west coast end (Victoria BC). Any observations or input on your experience would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[BCRyan]

Sounds like you're considering shipping it by sea. If so, it's pretty straight forward. There is good info available on this forum or the web in general about how to prep your boat for the journey.

What specifically are you concerned about at the receiving end? The process is that you'll be able to track the ship's progress and will also get an ETA from your shipping company. You simply show up that day and they ferry you out to your boat. You drive it off from there. We had ours shipped from Ft Lauderdale to Ensenada and aside from a couple days delay, there was no drama.

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard.

 

[Portage_Bay]

As BCryan says the process is straight forward. The potential issue is scheduling. It can be a moving target. Be prepared to be flexible both on load out and unload. They are unforgiving of delays on your part. If you can't be flexible and respond on their demand consider hiring a local deliery captain who can accomdate the shipper's schedule. Load out was a long waiting period of updates, schedule changes even a few port changes. For unload tracking updates from the shipper or tracking the ship on Marine Traffic gives an accurate ETA at the unload point. The problem on unload came when the ship could not get to the dock for reasons unknon to me.

 

[slowgoesit]

It might open up more availability if you are open to it arriving in Victoria, Sidney, Bellingham, US, Seattle, or Tacoma. Also consider a couple of ports in East Canada, or NE United States for departure. Not sure if it's easier to ship Canada to Canada or US to US vs going international, US to Canada, or Canada to US.
Be prepared for your boat to be EXTREMELY dirty when it arrives, and definitely seriously consider getting separate insurance that covers the value of the boat while in transit.
Best of luck in whatever you decide, and Welcome to Trawler Forum!

 

[BCRyan]

Not sure if it's easier to ship Canada to Canada or US to US vs going international, US to Canada, or Canada to US.

I could well be wrong, but I believe that a foreign-flagged carrier (and I think most transport ships like this are) cannot pick up and drop off if both ports are in the US. Victoria seems to be the usual destination that I found in the PNW... which is not a bad place to land...

Be prepared for your boat to be EXTREMELY dirty when it arrives, and definitely seriously consider getting separate insurance that covers the value of the boat while in transit.

Good advice here. ^^

Also, don't assume that your boat will be positioned bow first. Ours was loaded in FLL facing forward but was then turned around (repositioned for trim) in La Paz before arriving in Ensenada. The stern-mounted tender's cover was pretty-much destroyed by winds, but overall, not a big deal.

 

[twistedtree]

What shipper and/or brokers did all of you use? Their is at least one sheister in the business who keeps reappearing under new company names after screwing everyone over at the previous company.

 

[BCRyan]

We went with Cross Chartering. We also received a quote from Sevenstar, which seemed at the time to be the other legit option. From memory, I believe that Cross charters other boats for individual trips (say, Fort Lauderdale to Victoria), while Sevenstar owns most or all of their boats.

I would have no qualms going with either, though this is based solely on my single experience with Cross and my discussions with Sevenstar.

The other thing to add here might be that pricing can be quite dynamic in this business. If you're willing to be patient and flexible, they will sometimes start calling you with very attractive rates when they are getting close to sailing and want to fill up their deck space.

 

[Doug_Snider]

We have some unexpected experience in yacht transport. In October our new Helmsman 38E was shipped from Shanghai after completion of construction in Fuzhou, China. Due to a screw up by the shipping company at the container teminal in Shanghai, it was shipped to Miami instead of Seattle. Within a few days it will arrive in Victoria aboard a cargo ship chartered by Legend Yacht Transport. Prior to getting a booking on the BBC Michigan, Helmsman Trawlers unsuccessfully tried to book with other transport services. Several times, voyages were canceled, probably because they didn’t have enough boats booked.

Legend has a sailing schedule posted on their website. They have maintained their schedule as much as possible and we have been able to keep track of our boat on Legend’s Facebook page. Helmsman Trawlers re-wrapped the boat in Port Everglades prior to its being loaded aboard the Michigan. I should be able to report on the condition at arrival by sometime Saturday.

We’re the blue boat ahead of the Fleming 55.

 

[Portage_Bay]

What shipper and/or brokers did all of you use? Their is at least one sheister in the business who keeps reappearing under new company names after screwing everyone over at the previous company.

Sevenstar. With regard to skill and professionalism in getting the job done I rate them highly. I think their financial stability is sound being part of the Splielthof (sp?) group. Comments about the boat arriving dirty are true. Your boat will likely be deck cargo. It will be very salty as well

 

[mycows]

Good and accurate info so far. We used Cross charters in June of 2022 for our 55 Fleming. Fort Lauderdale to Nanaimo BC. If I may add, prep the boat for high winds and rough seas. We stripped all canvas off and put big items on the floor with padding. The ship dodged a Pacific hurricane off of Mexico. We received the boat in excellent condition and clean. I think it’s normal to expect delays.

 

[LeoKa]

Good and accurate info so far. We used Cross charters in June of 2022 for our 55 Fleming. Fort Lauderdale to Nanaimo BC. If I may add, prep the boat for high winds and rough seas. We stripped all canvas off and put big items on the floor with padding. The ship dodged a Pacific hurricane off of Mexico. We received the boat in excellent condition and clean. I think it’s normal to expect delays.

What did they charge you, if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve heard that rates went down significantly, compared to a year ago, when I received a quote of $109K for my boat from PNW to Asia. It was from a different shipper. My boat is 54’ and 32T.
Did you get additional insurance?

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Unless this is a permanent move, that is, never to return East. And the boat is very special to you. It will be far cheaper and easier to sell the boat and buy another one on the West coast.

pete

 

[mycows]

Cost add up quickly. 69k for shipping and 700 dollars for a captains to deliver the boat to the ship and one deck hand. We also had a insurance premium for the boat being in Florida for 1 week after the start of hurricane season. I might add that communication from Cross charters was excellent. Especially at the arrival end. We were told where to be and what time to be there. Unfortunately the crane broke at our appointed time and we were delayed 24 hrs so we had to lay out for hotel and cab rides. We did not get to see the boat go on or come off the ship. The local Nanaimo towing company was contracted to provide water taxi service to the boat which was side tied to the ship when we arrived at 6 pm. You will not be allowed on port property or on the ship. Off and on loading was done by longshoremen specializing in handling this type of deck cargo

 

[mycows]

About insurance, the shipper pays for cargo insurance while aboard the ship. However the shipping contract is heavily weighted in their favor. Read the contract carefully and exercise your due diligence. This was a once in a lifetime deal for us and it was a huge exhale when we went aboard in Nanaimo

 

[mvweebles]

.....You will not be allowed on port property or on the ship. Off and on loading was done by longshoremen specializing in handling this type of deck cargo

20+ years ago I helped a friend pickup a Brewer 46 PH sailboat arriving Long Beach from Asia (Taiwan I think). A crew of about 5 or 6 longshoremen showed up to offload (including one quite attractive woman who rocked coveralls). We were floating alongside - not allowed aboard the ship just as mycows says.

When the crew showed up, I remember one of older, more grisly longshoremen bellowing out "Yachts?! Yachts!? I hate yachts. They're F#%'ing Easter Eggs!"

Right out of central casting.

Peter

 

[Steve1.0]

Agreed, all good info. I deliver to and receive yachts for seven star in Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale often. If leaving from here, they will probably call me.
Scheduling is indeed flexible for them. I had to/got to babysit a sweet Swan 38,(cheers "Celeste") going to Brisbane, from June thru Nov. (including 2 tropical storms) until they could find her a ride. She finally went aboard DYT "Yacht Servant"

 

[JohnS211]

Thanks all - great example of what makes this forum such an invaluable resource. Really appreciate the rapid and very constructive feedback. We’re looking to use SevenStar for the transport, which seems to have the best reputation amongst the various players. Definitely want to avoid the scammers that seem to lurk in this space. We did consider selling this boat on the east coast and then buying something else out west, but this boat really is a perfect fit for our needs - and we haven’t seen anything on the market out west that would be a good replacement. So, despite the cost and hassle associated with the move, this seems to be our best option. Regarding pickup and drop off locations, with a foreign flagged vessel, you can pickup in the US, but then must drop OUS. Pretty sure this is related to the Jones Act. Appreciate the suggestions regarding using a professional captain to deliver/pickup the boat from the container ship. That may be an absolute necessity given schedule uncertainty. I’ve arranged a recommissioning with S3 in Seattle to do some punch list work and generally bring her up to standards when the boat arrives. Thanks again for your feedback - let me know if there’s anything we’ve missed!

 

[DDW]

A 43' boat you can probably truck west for far less than shipping. It would depend on how high it is. Have you checked into that? I have had 2 boats moved east to west (36' and 45') and in both cases shipping was about 3x what trucking cost.

 

[Taras]

Be sure to hire someone to "shrink wrap" the flybridge as the salt deposited on the boat will be tremendous. I have shipped 2 different boats from Ft Lauderdale to Ensenada. I learned on the 2nd boat to shrink wrap all around the canvas surrounding the flybridge. Saved a lot of work cleaning all that up.

 

[MV Whistler]

How did your experience with Sevenstars go? Any insights into the loading and unloading process? We're contracted to ship our GB 36-160 with Sevenstar from La Paz to Victoria in May and it is a little nerve-wracking.

 

[Portage_Bay]

No sure which of us you are asking about Sevenstar. My post #4 and #10 explain it fairly well. I can't emphasize enough you must be flexible and you must be on time. If you are late for the load out they won't wait. You'll miss your chance and forfeit all funds paid. By flexible I mean the wait at either end can be days, maybe weeks, not hours. Hiring a delivery captain experienced with Sevenstar is highly for recommended both load out and unload

How did your experience with Sevenstars go? Any insights into the loading and unloading process? We're contracted to ship our GB 36-160 with Sevenstar from La Paz to Victoria in May and it is a little nerve-wracking.

 

[MV Whistler]

Thank you! We are planning to load and unload the boat ourselves so I've been curious to learn more about what that experience is like. For example, is there a typical location in Victoria? And, what was the paperwork process involved on each end? I'm sure we'll get more information from Sevenstars, but I'm just trying to have my ducks in a row as this is the first time we are shipping a boat.

 

[JohnS211]

Hi

We never actually transported our GB to the west coast. Unfortunately we had some significant mechanical issues on the run from NJ to FL which delayed us massively (parts back ordered, etc). In the end, we made a decision to sell the boat on the east coast and buy something locally to use in the PNW. Sorry I’m unable to provide any further information. I don’t think the process of transporting a boat these distances is a trivial affair, but from what I can see and experienced with SevenStar, they seem to be one of the better operators in the business. Best of luck!

 

[mycows]

Once we signed the contract Cross charters handled all the paper work. Probably all you will get is an approximate date for delivery to the ship and maybe a day or two notice of your appointed time to be at the ship. You will probably not be allowed aboard the ship. Longshoreman will tie up your boat and you will depart back to a dock by launch. Make sure your ship is dead, as the boat will not be connected to shore power for the duration. This may be a different routine in Ensenada, our boat was loaded in Fort Lauderdale. Our boat was aboard the AAL Genoa for six weeks transiting from FLL. one week before arrival we were notified of a Change of port from Victoria to Nanaimo. We then received an arrival date and to stand by for further instructions. The day of ship arrival we received detailed instructions and where to report and time for launch to take us to the boat. At the appointed time the launch captain advised us that the ships crane was inoperative and to await instructions. 24 hrs later we took delivery and departed the next day for the US. Border crossing was easy and no issues with the new to us boat as we had all ownership and documentation paper work in hand.
I cannot stress to you enough to strip all your canvas off and prep the boat for rough conditions. You are going to windward in the North Pacific. Stressful time I know. Keep us posted on your experience and soon you will be back in boating paradise