Delivery Suggestions? FL to Great Lakes

I just made an offer on a Silverton 410 Sedan Bridge in FL, and I need to get it up to the Great Lakes. I've been in communication with Joule for a couple weeks now regarding estimates to have it trucked back, but they haven't given me anything firm and now that we need to get to brass tacks, there's all sorts of scheduling challenges.

So given the astronomical price of trucking, I'm considering the option of having it driven back on it's own bottom. Unfortunately, I have to work for a living so I don't have the time to do it on my own. I realize that delivery is also expensive, but I thought I'd reach out for recommendations. I'd at a minimum need someone to bring it from Stuart to NYC for me, but preferably all the way to Lake Ontario. I could possibly crew (or provide experienced crew) for the east coast run.

Alternatively if you have a recommendation on a different trucking firm, I'd be interested in that too.

Thanks
BD

I can recommend Lock View Transport very highly.
https://www.lockviewmarina.com/
No connection except satisfied customer and my brother used them and felt the same way. They do a lot around Finger Lskes & Great Lakes. If they can arrange a delivery south it will reduce costs. Worth a try.

Thanks much! I'll reach out to them.
BD

I strongly recommend three people on board for the locks. Two people on lines and one at the helm makes it a lot easier than only one on lines.

With all due respect to you Mischief Managed, but making a strong recommendation for three crew for the locks suggests that having just two crew is somehow not well-advised. Yes, three aboard does make it easier but, litteraly, well over a hundred boaters do the Great Loop with as many as 135 locks with just two crew aboard. My wife and I completed the Loop last May on a DeFever 44 weighing 56,000 pounds without incident. There were times that it took much effort to steady our boat in some larger locks but that would not have been mitigated with having an additional person aboard. To the original poster, do not be frightened off by this offering. I'm sure it was well-intentioned but the wording got my attention. Sorry MM, I hope you are not offended by my expressed opinion.

Mischief Managed said:

I strongly recommend three people on board for the locks. Two people on lines and one at the helm makes it a lot easier than only one on lines.

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catalinajack said:

With all due respect to you Mischief Managed, but making a strong recommendation for three crew for the locks suggests that having just two crew is somehow not well-advised. Yes, three aboard does make it easier but, litteraly, well over a hundred boaters do the Great Loop with as many as 135 locks with just two crew aboard. My wife and I completed the Loop last May on a DeFever 44 weighing 56,000 pounds without incident. There were times that it took much effort to steady our boat in some larger locks but that would not have been mitigated with having an additional person aboard. To the original poster, do not be frightened off by this offering. I'm sure it was well-intentioned but the wording got my attention. Sorry MM, I hope you are not offended by my expressed opinion.

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Not offended at all.

Three crew would certainly make it easier for locking but we did 75 locks when we ran our boat home from Virginia we only had 2 aboard, unless you count Radar the lab, and we didn’t have any issues.

I am interested in crewing on the trip to Lake Ontario, if that's your plan. Have a Mainship Pilot 34, currently on Georgian Bay, previously on Lake Ontario. have been thru the Rideau, Oswego, Erie and Welland canals.

Norlund

I have a friend who runs deliveries like this nearly every year. He does it with himself and a mate. That's it. No problems. Two experienced people have no issue with the locks. The cost typically for captain and mate is $450 or so per day.

Stuart to NY, depending on the speed of the boat, is typically 7 to 14 days. From NYC to Oswego, typically 5 to 6 days. Add in fuel and docks and transportation for two and a delivery will cost you $10,000-15,000.

Trucking is tough and expensive due to height and beam restrictions. Having a capt run it up is just as expensive with weather and reliability concerns. It's been done both ways but you might want to find something closer to you even if it means waiting.

Madhatter53 said:

you might want to find something closer to you even if it means waiting.

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This.

Agree, if you can’t afford the time to bring her home yourself (even in stages) probably best to look closer to home.
Btw, lots of people loop solo each year, most people lock through safely and easily with only 2 aboard. You are required to have a third to transit the Welland canal up bound but these are easy to hire locally.

Thanks for the advice on waiting, but I've been waiting 3 years now and have spent quite a bit of money kissing frogs. We've found very well maintained boat with a great dingy as well, that for the bulk of its life was on the Great Lakes. The boat has done the loop 1.5 times, with trips to the Bahamas too. I haven't seen anything north even close to this nice for $50k more. Assuming survey goes well today, we're done waiting.

We'll get her home one way or another.

BD

BandB said:

I have a friend who runs deliveries like this nearly every year. He does it with himself and a mate. That's it. No problems. Two experienced people have no issue with the locks. The cost typically for captain and mate is $450 or so per day.

Stuart to NY, depending on the speed of the boat, is typically 7 to 14 days. From NYC to Oswego, typically 5 to 6 days. Add in fuel and docks and transportation for two and a delivery will cost you $10,000-15,000.

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Thanks BandB. I'd gladly pay that. If you have any recommendations, please PM me.
BD

Lowest cost might be to talk to your employer and get a 2 or 3 week vacation , and do the trip yourself.

I have that planned already. I would take over from Lake Ontario, and those two weeks would be spent on the Trent Severn, Georgian Bay, and Lake Superior to get her home.

You do realize the Erie Canal doesn't open until mid May and even then it can be shutdown for days/weeks due to rains and debris?

Since I planned to truck her, I haven't researched the details of a water trip. I definitely appreciate the input.

We're not in a huge hurry. We can't even get into the water at home until that point. But I'd like to get a plan in place so I can make arrangements for storage and such in the meantime.

As a side note, your comment about the delays for debris and such are another reason why it's not as simple as getting extra vacation. If that happened I'd be on a fixed, tight schedule. If there's anything that I've learned on this forum, that's the most dangerous thing to have on a boat.

Except maybe gassed. Or propane. Or a space heater. Or the wrong anchor.
BD

BDofMSP said:

Thanks BandB. I'd gladly pay that. If you have any recommendations, please PM me.
BD

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Done.

BDofMSP said:

Since I planned to truck her, I haven't researched the details of a water trip. I definitely appreciate the input.

We're not in a huge hurry. We can't even get into the water at home until that point. But I'd like to get a plan in place so I can make arrangements for storage and such in the meantime.

As a side note, your comment about the delays for debris and such are another reason why it's not as simple as getting extra vacation. If that happened I'd be on a fixed, tight schedule. If there's anything that I've learned on this forum, that's the most dangerous thing to have on a boat.

Except maybe gassed. Or propane. Or a space heater. Or the wrong anchor.
BD

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What is the cruising speed and range of the boat you're buying?

Your timing is in May at the earliest as the Erie is opening May 15 now.

Those who run the east coast regularly can balance ICW runs with any outside runs based on sea conditions and the boat. They know the different perils along the way and the marinas and adjust schedules based on the boat.

Brad, have you considered taking her upriver to Chicago (a reverse loop, if you will).

Don’t even know if it’d be feasible, but it may be a thought worth considering...

Pau Hana said:

Brad, have you considered taking her upriver to Chicago (a reverse loop, if you will).

Don’t even know if it’d be feasible, but it may be a thought worth considering...

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A feasible trip but not recommended from where his boat is now. Distance to Chicago isn't the issue as much as the challenge of going upriver all the way. If his boat was currently in Mobile or even Panama City, definitely would recommend it.

Nasty time of year to be going upriver..... Lots of "stuff" coming at you.

BandB said:

A feasible trip but not recommended from where his boat is now. Distance to Chicago isn't the issue as much as the challenge of going upriver all the way. If his boat was currently in Mobile or even Panama City, definitely would recommend it.

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oscar said:

Nasty time of year to be going upriver..... Lots of "stuff" coming at you.

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OK- not feasible.

BDofMSP said:

Since I planned to truck her, I haven't researched the details of a water trip. I definitely appreciate the input.

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Have you researched feasability of trucking?
Fly bridge removal? Min Height? Prep for trucking is a whole topic worth exploring if you haven't done it before.

Since the boat has made the trip before i wonder if the owner would agree to an expense paid trip one more time

BDofMSP said:

I just made an offer on a Silverton 410 Sedan Bridge in FL, and I need to get it up to the Great Lakes.

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There's an owners club, modest annual fee (mostly for anti-spam and search engine stuff).. easy to find recommendations for Captains... and later, how to maintain various stuff.

-Chris

Bacchus said:

Have you researched feasability of trucking?
Fly bridge removal? Min Height? Prep for trucking is a whole topic worth exploring if you haven't done it before.

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I've been talking extensively with Joule, and to be perfectly honest, it has not been a good experience. Every conversation has focused on how basically they can't predict how much this will cost, and how I should expect it to cost a LOT, and then the next time we talk they raise that estimate even more. Now that's fine if that's actually what it is, but when I say that I'm considering a delivery captain, then all of the concerns go away, and this becomes an easy trip that they do all the time, and how their team has done tons of these boats and knows them inside and out, and how the whole thing will go off without a hitch. Oh and tons of fear mongering about letting someone drive your boat, and all of the damage / break downs I should expect, and that it will take months, and cost (their number) at least 50k. Yet then when I try to actually get a date and a firm estimate, we're back to square one. They can't even give me a date. They can't do it now because they're booked, they can't do it in April because of frost restrictions, and they can't do it in May or June because they're booked with manufacturer deliveries. Again, FINE! I'll just have driven up by water. Nope suddenly they can definitely find a window, they just aren't sure when. Extremely frustrating.

So yes I have been schooled on all of the elements of road restrictions, height restrictions, width restrictions, disassembly and reassembly challenges, arranging cranes, pilot cars, route surveys, etc. I have even personally researched the DOT rules for every state between FL and MN so I could understand the issues. I'm feeling pretty good about my understanding at this point.

Two forum members have provided me with captain recommendations and both the broker and the surveyor have also recommended people. I'll be reaching out to them to see what kind of estimates I get back. To be clear, I'm not trying to lowball this or find the rock bottom option at all. I want reliability and safety for my boat the most. I've gotten very different assessments of risk from the various people I've spoken to (from "you'll never get the boat back together if you take the bridge off and truck it" to "your're going to go through at least an engine or transmission if you try to make that as a delivery run by water").

I'm losing my fear of wear and tear on the boat on the water very quickly. The current owners have done 1.5 Great Loops on her and have done circumnavigation on 4 of the Great Lakes too. The boat is built to run. Another run up the east coast isn't going to hurt her at all. If I can find a captain that I can trust, and their estimate is even close to what I've seen here and other places, then I'm all over that.

Along those lines, the current owners are Canadian and out of time allowed in the US for them to do the delivery themselves (only allowed 182 days per year). Plus his wife isn't well (part of why they are selling). Otherwise they would have loved a last fully funded trip home on her!

Thanks for all of the input. I'm still interested in Captain references if you have someone that you think is a good fit here.

Thanks,
BD

ranger42c said:

There's an owners club, modest annual fee (mostly for anti-spam and search engine stuff).. easy to find recommendations for Captains... and later, how to maintain various stuff.

-Chris

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I'd join that. I'll do a google search, but if you have a URL that would be nice too.

Thanks
BD

BDofMSP said:

I'd join that. I'll do a google search, but if you have a URL that would be nice too.

Thanks
BD

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See PM.

-Chris