Shipping a Monk 36 from San Francisco to Vancouver, BC

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Archipelago

Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Canada
Hi,

Anyone have any experience with shipping a Monk 36 from San Francisco to Vancouver, BC?
Companies that do this?
Approximate cost?

I searched General Discussion and couldn't find a thread. Sorry if I missed it.

Rob
 
I can't comment on any shipping companies but I can tell you it will be very expensive, I was interested in a 35 foot trawler that was located at an inland Lake about 800 miles away, I contacted a few transit companies and estimates that were given to me were between six and eight thousand dollars. You also need to budget for a crane to load and unload your boat and for someone to remove the flybridge and then reassemble.
 
Associated Boat Transport of Marysvale, WA. I have used them and they really know what they are doing. No financial connection, just a satisfied customer.
Oldersalt
 
If you do it, I would recommend that you have the technician that will reassemble the bridge go to remove it. It will say you countless problems if the same person takes it apart and then has to put it back together. Also takes away the excuse that it was the other persons fault when it doesn’t work after reassembly.
 
My Cruise-A-Home is the same general size, but a few tons less weight than the Monk. With a lowboy trailer it's quite possible your towing height would be under the max allowable with the flybridge in place.

Quotes to haul my boat from Tacoma to Southern Oregon were around 4K, four years ago. I would venture a guess of 10k for the haul from SF to Vancouver. There a several companies in the Seattle area that can give you a quote online.

In my case it made sense to have a trailer built.
 
Associated Boat Transport, They have hydraulic low boys, run hundreds of boats a year up and down the West Coast.

Dudley Boat Transport is another fine operation. Smaller than ABT but just as good.
 
I know it's a long way, but what an adventure to bring it up on it's own bottom:thumb:
 
You do not say why you need the boat shipped.

If you have owned it for a while and have moved or want to explore new horizons I can't think of a better way than to bring her up on her own bottom. Isn't that what boats are for? There are lots of horror stories about overland shipping, I would avoid it if at all posssible.

If it a purchase your are contemplating or are new to boating. Follow the advice given by me and others here on T.F....Buy a boat close to home! Save the shipping, save the numerous trips at your expense checking the boat out and provisioning it, then the horrid cost of shipping.

200 miles should be the limit unless you can bring her home on her own bottom.

pete
 
There may be some benefits to trucking it to Olympia, Washington then run it on it's own hull from there to Canada. It would reduce the distance on the truck by about 320 km. It may be easier to bring into Canada via water vs. a border crossing on a truck.
 
I always like how quick people not boating West Coast waters say run it up on its own bottom. SF to Neah Bay, WA is no pleasure cruise in the summer. Almost every port requires a bar crossing and the ports are along ways from each other. If it’s at all possible I truck. If it’s not feasible then we run them on their own bottom, usually around the clock with a crew of 3.
 
One more point on trucking is some can get your boat back in the water via a semi-truck and trailer friendily boat ramp. I think it was Services that I talk to once about moving a 34' CHB. They commented that could put a boat in the water at the Everett, WA public ramp and I thought they also noted a marina in Olympia, WA that would also work. If you don't need to sit in a boat yard that saves the travel lift cost of getting your boat back in the water.
 
I always like how quick people not boating West Coast waters say run it up on its own bottom. SF to Neah Bay, WA is no pleasure cruise in the summer. Almost every port requires a bar crossing and the ports are along ways from each other. If it’s at all possible I truck. If it’s not feasible then we run them on their own bottom, usually around the clock with a crew of 3.
Before I purchased my Willard 36 25-years ago, I owned a Willard 30. Bit of a character boat of you ask me. The guy who know owns that W30 moved her from Ventura (near Santa Barbara) to Olympia WA this past spring. He's not a masterful boater, but up for the challenge. And he had an open schedule. Harbor hopping, and a couple week break to attend a family function, it took him about 6-weeks to find decent wx windows. He got slammed a bit off the central California coast.

The Monk 36 would be quite a bit faster and generally a better boat for the trip, but most people would need quite a bit of time. I used to deliver boats along this coast, almost always northbound, and usually did so without too much delay for wx - my preference was to run 24/7 where possible, but I knew local weather pretty well back then (it's been almost 20 years).

As to trucking, chances are the flybridge will need to come off. A good friend of mine just trucked his Rough water 37 from Seattle to San Diego. He is very skilled and did all the wiring and such himself so he could reassemble as others have suggested. He spent a couple days getting the boat ready to haul. Actual trucking went well.

I'd guess the trucking fees would be between 50% to 70% of the overall cost due to yard fees on each end including FB surgery. All-in, tough to see this coming in under $10k unless you are comfortable doing the work

Finally, with my W36, I needed to get her to Florida where I now live. I do have an irrational emotional attachment to her which translates into an irrational financial decision, much like spending a lot on a sick family pet. Trucking was expensive due to FB removal (FB on W36 is fairly integrally molded). So I ended up spending the money I would have spent on trucking for some much needed mechanical repairs and waited for the seasonal wx window to open last year. Departed San Francisco on October 20th 2018 and arrived in Ensenada MX 500nms/75-hours later. She's been undergoing a refit ever since, which will finish in a couple months (the family pet syndrome).

From Ensenada, I thought about putting her on a ship to Florida - around $15k. Instead, my wife and I decided to figure out how to retire and just cruise her home, perhaps with a jaunt north to PNW if timing works. Will probably take a couple years.
 
One more point on trucking is some can get your boat back in the water via a semi-truck and trailer friendily boat ramp. I think it was Services that I talk to once about moving a 34' CHB. They commented that could put a boat in the water at the Everett, WA public ramp and I thought they also noted a marina in Olympia, WA that would also work. If you don't need to sit in a boat yard that saves the travel lift cost of getting your boat back in the water.


I pulled my boat out at a public ramp on the Columbia after motoring down the coast from Tacoma (berthed near Portland for a few years).

The commercial rigs using a fifth wheel would need a steep ramp.This can be an issue with a semi because of traction. I opted to build my trailer with a standard 5/16" tongue. I pulled out with my standard diesel pickup, and we switched to the semi on flat ground. The semi pulled it south like it wasn't even back there. :) Since we weren't certain of the angle of the ramp we would be using, we built a removable extension at the tongue in case it was needed to keep the truck out of the water. I didn't need it there, but I have it for shallower approaches.

After a refit, I am towing back up to Washington and putting in the same way. Good to know about the possibility of getting in at Everett; I'll be checking that out. It would be nice, as that's where she was built.
 
I always like how quick people not boating West Coast waters say run it up on its own bottom. SF to Neah Bay, WA is no pleasure cruise in the summer. Almost every port requires a bar crossing and the ports are along ways from each other. If it’s at all possible I truck. If it’s not feasible then we run them on their own bottom, usually around the clock with a crew of 3.

I have run one of my boats from Seattle to LA. Having done that, I would not want to run it the other way. There is a reason it is called running uphill. It can be done but would not be a lot of fun. As it was running my boat downhill we ended up leaving it in Humbolt Bay for a month due to weather. Forecasted 60 knot winds and 25’ seas. If you are going uphill you better have a lot of time to sit out the weather.
 
Associated Boat Transport, They have hydraulic low boys, run hundreds of boats a year up and down the West Coast.

Dudley Boat Transport is another fine operation. Smaller than ABT but just as good.


I agree.
 
Just had a 41' Mainship trucked from Seattle to San Diego. The boat was too high to get under some bridges in CA so they had to go through Nevada. We went through Associated Boat Transport in Marysville. They did a great job at a reasonable price.
 
Just had a 41' Mainship trucked from Seattle to San Diego. The boat was too high to get under some bridges in CA so they had to go through Nevada. We went through Associated Boat Transport in Marysville. They did a great job at a reasonable price.
What was your loaded height?
 

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