Shipping a Boat - One guy's experience.....

[mvweebles]

This thread grew out of a travelogue thread HERE that describes a cruise itinerary of a Willard 36 "Weebles" from California to Florida. The original plan was to do the entire 5000 mile trip on her own bottom but life intervened and there was a pause of 1-year and my wife and I decided to 'catch-up' by shipping Weebles from Golfito on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica to Florida in January 2025. I broke the Shipping topic out because it comes up from time to time and it just seems like it would benefit from it's own treatment and discussion.

I can only write about my experience. I encourage others with shipping experience to augment this thread, especially for different markets.

Shippers. First, my experience is US West Coast focused. Turns out shippers advertise all sorts of routes but they seem to focus on certain regions. For example (DYT (ex Dockwise float on/off) refers their west coast business to Sevenstar. For me, I was only able to find two shipping companies at time of writing. Sevenstar, and Cross Charters. Cross is more of a broker that seems to charter ships and fills them, slightly different model than a freight-forwarder brokerage.

I had quotes from both Cross ($21.6k) and Sevenstar ($22.5k), both were refreshed around Dec 10th. However......Sevenstar ghosted me shortly thereafter. Paul at Cross tells me they cancelled their ship - he's had a couple last-minute yachts that had been booked on Sevenstar. From Sevenstar's website - note the "To Be Named" on a ship that should be underway (see pic below). Not good. Cross was kind enough to only increase their quote to me by $2k which we negotiated down. Honestly, I thought it was cheesy on their part as their Dec 11th quote was 10-days old and they would not honor it. But we worked it through. Just know it's a shady business in the best of times.

WORD ON COSTS: Best I can tell, shipping costs can be categorized as BC and AC. Before COVID and After COVID. Back when I was noodling over refit of Weebles, I considered shipping her to Florida. Around 2017, I had quotes from Ensenada to Florida for $16k (full disclosure: That was with United Yacht who is no longer in business). Golfito is less than half the distance and is now $22k. Shipping costs skyrocketed during COVID, not just for yacht shipping. Another interesting datapoint is distance between shipping ports is only vaguely reflected in the price. I forget exactly but last I checked was going from Ensenada to Florida isn't much more than Golfito to Florida. I cannot eplain the pretzel logic on this but just know that if you are trying to guesstimate a cost and have a buddy who paid $XXX from Port A to Port B, you're not likely to be close.

Routes. Shippers advertise all sorts of ports-of-call. For example, rather than ship from Golfito, we would have preferred to ship out of Cartegena Colombia or at least Cristobal (Colon) Panama, both of which appear as ports-of-call on either Sevenstar or Cross (or both). But these are not scheduled routes. Best I can tell is there are hefty port fees for a ship to pick-up/drop-off. These are spread across many yachts for scheduled locations. If you want a non-scheduled location, you're in for an eye-watering charge.

Best I can tell, the primary scheduled ports for US West Coast are:

• Victoria BC
• Ensenada MX
• Golfito CR
• Port Everglades Florida (Ft Lauderdale area).
• Limted regular service to La Paz MX.
• Occassional Service to Houston TX, USVI, Baltimore (Sevenstar)

Insurance. Paul (Cross Charters) informs I'm covered for any exterior damage from the time they lift Weebles onto the ship to the time she's dropped back in the water. Reading the contract is a yawner and I'd guess it's not in my favor. Most important thing to remember are (1) both Sevenstar and Cross are based in the Netherlands (though Cross's legal venue is London). My recourse will not involve a credible legal threat. Also sobering is the realization that my business is interesting but not important. I have a $5k deductible on damage.

Business Model. When you think through the business model, top of heap are builders (Horizon, PAE, etc) who ship a bunch of boats from Asia to US/EUR markets; then frequent-fliers such as sport-fishing boats and racing boats moving between competitition grounds; then rich folks who move their boats seasonally. Then you have me: once in a lifetime. What that means is CHOOSE WISELY. If you choose on price, you're exposed to risk. Cross seems to have the least-bad reputation in the business.

How the boat is loaded. Pretty straightforward. You come alongside the ship and your hoisted onto the ship (see screen-grab below from Cross). A tender takes you back to the wharf and you're on your own. Offloading is the reverse. Jackstands are welded onto the deck of the ship to fit your boat and it's lashed to the deck.

Not Included. Costs. I asked what other costs should I anticipate. "None - insurance is covered sling-to-sling." Not 2-hours after signing the contract I get an information packet telling me I need a customs agent on both ends. That's reasonable but I wish I had known. Not sure the cost - probably $500 each. Would appreciate input from others. I'll update when I have real information.

The other major cost is plain logistics of getting your boat to the side of the ship and picking it up on the other end. Both days can vary depending on schedule and where your boat will be loaded on deck. You might be first on/off or last. Ship might show-up on the 8th or the 12th. So you will have some costs for either a delivery skipper or accomodations or both.

Boat Prep. Cross provided a decent outline of what to expect. I've attached their PDF (see below). More or less prep as you would for a hurricane. One item of note - lithium batteries need to be declared. I'll update later with how that goes. I'm budgeting a full day to get the boat ready to load.

Shipping vs Delivery on boat's bottom. I'm a bit biased I suppose because I used to deliver boats. Not included in the plus/minus are cost and overall time becuase that varies by boat and circumstance. As mentioned in my "Weebles - Mexico" thread, I made the decision based on time which was largely driven by the prospect of a difficult slog up the Caribbean in a 36-foot boat. Waiting for a weather window could take well over a month. Also not mentioned is cost. For the most part, when it's all said and done, the costs between shipping and delivery are likely close enough that it's not a decisive factor.

The most common reason I heard for people wanting to ship their boat is to preserve engine hours. Most common reason I heard for people wanting their boat delivered is so they can use the boat along the way (go through the Panama Canal, for example). If you have access to a quality, experienced delivery skipper, I'd probably lean towards that. If the skipper is an unknown, I'd take my chances with shipping (boats get dinged in shipping too).

I'll update this thread as I get more information. In the meantime, I hope others who have shipped in the last 5-years (After COVID) will chime in with their experience.

Peter

 

[Don L]

I am just going to accept that this was your personal choice.

 

[twistedtree]

Thanks for starting this thread. I have contemplated on and off about shipping my boat around to the US east coast, so interested to hear about other's experiences.

"Least Bad" is probably a good way to describe the best in the business. Charter generally gets good marks, but not always. I think there was a TF member who got left at the alter by them. There are also some really crooks in the business. There was one outfit that took a lot of money from people, then folded and disappeared. Some of their victims had their boats on ships that had not actually been paid for, and they had to pay again to get their boats released. The people behind the scams had also reincarnated themselves a few times under different names to do it all over again. So be very, very careful who you use.

Damage in shipping is a real concern - I can tell you all about it, especially the importance of securing everything onboard. Damage from external causes is possible too. Not too long ago I read about someone who shipped their boat and it arrived covered in brown speckles, most of which wouldn't scrub off. It turns out there had been grinding on deck and the shower of sparks blew across their boat. I don't recall exactly what it took to fix it, but it was not simple. I think insurance paid for it, but nobody wants to go through that.

Another thing I have heard/seen is that the port of call is like traffic lights in Boston - merely a suggestion. It's a grown-up version of UPS and Fed-Ex "delivering" packages by abandoning them somewhere in the general vicinity of your address. "Victoria" could mean Victoria, or Port Angeles, or Vancouver, or Nanaimo, or Everett, or Seattle, or Tacoma. Maybe even Portland too. So you need to be ready for a changing itinerary, and possible last minute scramble. The bigger ports and bigger routes will likely be more stable, but still.

 

[Mambo42]

Interesting information. We are sometimes pondering on taking our boat to Florida and then to the Bahama's or even continue into the Caribbean. Saw a transport once of AWOL filmed by Tristan Mortlock and they actually stayed onboard, were able to do maintenance during the passage, ate with the crew of Dockwise and only had to sleep onboard their own yacht.
But it is an costly undertaking and after that come the cost of new insurance, after all our European insurance won't be valid in the US and the Bahama's. Then of course additional cost for complying with US Coast Guard regulations and lastly it would be double cost for us: once to get there and then again for returning to the Med.
So I fear that it will always remain a distant dream, but it is a nice dream.

 

[mvweebles]

Thanks for starting this thread. I have contemplated on and off about shipping my boat around to the US east coast, so interested to hear about other's experiences.

"Least Bad" is probably a good way to describe the best in the business. Charter generally gets good marks, but not always. I think there was a TF member who got left at the alter by them. There are also some really crooks in the business. There was one outfit that took a lot of money from people, then folded and disappeared. Some of their victims had their boats on ships that had not actually been paid for, and they had to pay again to get their boats released. The people behind the scams had also reincarnated themselves a few times under different names to do it all over again. So be very, very careful who you use.

Damage in shipping is a real concern - I can tell you all about it, especially the importance of securing everything onboard. Damage from external causes is possible too. Not too long ago I read about someone who shipped their boat and it arrived covered in brown speckles, most of which wouldn't scrub off. It turns out there had been grinding on deck and the shower of sparks blew across their boat. I don't recall exactly what it took to fix it, but it was not simple. I think insurance paid for it, but nobody wants to go through that.

Another thing I have heard/seen is that the port of call is like traffic lights in Boston - merely a suggestion. It's a grown-up version of UPS and Fed-Ex "delivering" packages by abandoning them somewhere in the general vicinity of your address. "Victoria" could mean Victoria, or Port Angeles, or Vancouver, or Nanaimo, or Everett, or Seattle, or Tacoma. Maybe even Portland too. So you need to be ready for a changing itinerary, and possible last minute scramble. The bigger ports and bigger routes will likely be more stable, but still.

If I recall, you have a N68. Relatively easy boat to deliver because it has plenty of range and can handle bumpy conditions (F6+). Being able to do 1500-2000 mile legs nonstop really helps in speed and cost. 600 engine hours isn't really much in the big scheme of things though perception is otherwise I suppose. But you do need a crew you can trust.

On the other hand, being part of the PAE/Nordhavn family hopefully affords you some clout - you guys are pretty right and PAE has to be an attractive client.

Would be a tough decision.....assuming the desire is there to cruise elsewhere.

Peter

 

[slowgoesit]

Thanks for starting this thread. I have contemplated on and off about shipping my boat around to the US east coast, so interested to hear about other's experiences.

Peter (twistedtree), if you decide to do it on its own bottom, and need crew, we're in!
Peter (Weebles), hope it works out well for you, but you still might want to consider addition insurance NOT tied to the shipping company in any way . . .

 

[lwarden]

Great thread Peter, will be interested in how things go. A friend had his Carolina Classic shipped from Ft. Lauderdale to Ensenada a few years ago by Cross and it had the rust spots. Cross took care of the removal of them, which was good. When you think about it, it's not a surprise. Since all the supports are welded to the deck, they have to be removed. Deck workers use angle grinders to remove the support, and the grinding sprays Fe bits all over the place.

I was negotiating during Covid to have Sevenstar ship my boat from Victoria to Ensenada in the winter of 2020 and they ghosted me as well. The price quoted was $11,670, which I thought was reasonable. But, the boat never materialized and we were left hanging. Another thing I will mention; the contract is one of the most one-sided towards the shipper as I have ever seen. It was actually pretty unnerving to see the lack of responsibility they take. As I understand it, the liability is taken by the insurance which is included in the price, but It's all very sketchy IMO.
After getting ghosted we looked into having it delivered, but I got cold feet on that because the boat was new to us and I didn't have enough hours on it to feel it could make it down without a breakdown of some type. So, in the end, Associated Boat Transport shipped it down for about $14K and that was a great experience. The boat showed up in San Diego in two days with not a scratch on it. We are planning to use them to ship our boat back in April to Jacksonville to start the loop, price will be about $20K.

 

[guy with a boat]

We shipped our boat in 2019 from Ft Lauderdale to Victoria BC. The pricing isn’t relevant because of the time lapse (and pre covid) but the overall experience might be.

100% agree that it is a shady business in the best of times. I have been reading contracts my entire business life and these shipping contracts have to be the most one-sided I have ever seen from any industry. The shipper takes NO responsibility for anything going wrong, including intentional actions that damage your boat or result in its loss. The ship’s crew can literally cut the tie downs mid ocean and push your boat over the side and they have no liability per the contract. Any damages recovery is entirely based upon insurance.

We had rust stains from grinding steel spread over significant areas of the boat. Multiple treatments and polishing eventually removed it, and we were able to get the broker/shipper to the cost, but not without time and effort on our part.

Customs was included for us, meaning we didn’t have to hire an independent agent at either end.

All things considered, shipping Weebles is still your best option. You have done your homework and are aware of the challenges and complications. The uncertainties of timing and location and frustrating but part of the game.

I can’t say I would never ship again, but I will try to avoid it if possible. If I ever do ship a boat again, I would expect to need to hold my nose throughout the process.

FWIW, I had another boat trucked down the west coast (US) and would also recommend Associated Boat Transport. That was an entirely different experience in that they are responsible, timely and professional. Entirely different experience.

 

[SteveK]

As a bystander I am interested in hearing if going through the canal and shipping from the east coast was considered. If I were nearby there like you I would think that is a once in a lifetime passage to see it in action.

 

[ScottC]

We shipped our 33' boat from Venice, Italy to Genova, Italy over a weekend in September 2024. We used Pastrello Oversized Boat and Yacht Transport: https: // pastrellotrasporti.com/en/oversized-boat-transport/

The cost, in USD, was about $9,000. At first blush, it seemed like a lot for a 400 km transport. But when we considered that circumnavigating Italy could add another year to our grand plan, it all of a sudden did not seem expensive at all.

The ability to do this allowed us to cruise north for the entire length of the Adriatic, taking in Albania, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia without having to circumnavigate all of Italy to get to the Rhône. We wanted to take the inland route through Europe to our home port in Sweden in 2025 rather than trucking the boat all the way.

We checked with our boat insurance company, Pantaenius, and they said yep - no problem -- you're covered for the truck transport. No extra premium required. (I was quite amazed at this, actually.)

The trucking company had to go through mind-numbing administration for each of the several regions that had to be crossed. They also had to contend with mountains, height restrictions and road works allowing transit for over-sized loads only during certain hours on certain days. To top it all off, the move happened during some of the worst thunderstorms on record for that area.

We rented a car and took our own route to Genova, spending a couple of nights at a mountain spa along the way.

Considering all the things that could have gone wrong, the experience couldn't have worked out more perfectly. We count ourselves very lucky.

 

[Ken E.]

In 2005, I shipped a 45' boat from Ensenada to Nanaimo BC for $14k on Yachtpath, now out of business. The price I paid isn't meaningful today, other than the 'ghost quote' mentioned above for less doesn't sound realistic.

As others have mentioned, the boat was a mess when delivered, covered with a combo of salt scale mixed with diesel soot, although no iron inclusions. If you transport by truck, you could shrink-wrap.

 

[mvweebles]

As a bystander I am interested in hearing if going through the canal and shipping from the east coast was considered. If I were nearby there like you I would think that is a once in a lifetime passage to see it in action.

Our original plan was to go through the Canal and work our way north, either western Caribbean or up the central Caribbean from Colombia. I've been through the canal when I was delivering. It was fun, great bragging rights. We've both spent time in the Canal zone and it's not really a bucket list item for either of us.

I did check into shipping from Colon (Cristobal - Atlantic side of the canal) and from Colombia. Either would have been perfect as we could cruise the Bocas del Toro islands and the San Blas Islands. But as mentioned in the OP, although those ports are listed as shipping ports on their websites (Cristobal is), there are no regularly scheduled routes so would be a fortune to divert a ship for one yacht.

As far as cost compared, I haven't run the numbers. Canal fees would probably be $2500-$3000. Waiting for a weather window would be around $100-$150 per day for dockage and general pin money. Call it another $3000. I rough calculate fuel and consumables at $1/mile for Weebles so $2000.

If all went well and nothing broke, could do the run for about half the cost of shipping. But that's partially because Weebles is a small boat with low dockage fees and a slippery hull. More than likely would end up waiting 6+ weeks in Shelter Bay Marina (Atlantic side). Nice place but I'm the middle of nowhere which would drive me nuts (it did the last time I was there). I'll take boisterous seas over boredom any day.

Peter

 

[SteveK]

OK Peter, I can understand been there/done that. It makes sense in your case. I wonder if we will get any posters that have a story of shipping from east coast.
Following the travels you and others already have done through the gulf did not sound that exciting. Best wishes that you are on the way within 30 days.

 

[guy with a boat]

We shipped from east coast to west. I was of course interested in making the run ourselves, but reality got in the way. The biggest reason against was it the choice between spending the upcoming summer season in PNW/Canada or spending it making a very long delivery through low latitudes during the hottest months. The overall miles are so great that you almost have to make it a delivery and just grind out miles.

The related reason, enough by itself, is that a huge part of that trip is the slog from Panama up the west coast to Victoria. The northbound run is tough and can be brutal, and it seems endless when conditions are not great.

We did look into cruising down through the Caribbean side and putting on a ship near the canal. I don’t remember the specifics, but the cost was something like 95% of the cost of shipping the entire trip. For that and other reasons, shipping it all the way made the most sense for us.

 

[mvweebles]

OK Peter, I can understand been there/done that. It makes sense in your case. I wonder if we will get any posters that have a story of shipping from east coast.
Following the travels you and others already have done through the gulf did not sound that exciting. Best wishes that you are on the way within 30 days.

I've published this chartlet a few times. I made it a few years ago as an overview. I added the MAGENTA lines for the Plan B route. YELLOW star is the Bocas del Toros, an archipeligo of Costa Rica. Supposedly fantastic cruising. Would be a nice place to hang for a while (vs Shelter Bay Marina).

LEG 1 - Providencias/San Andres (Colombia). These are two islands in the Caribbean about 70-miles apart. A bit over 1-day run on Weebles. Finding a 1-day weather window would be doable. These are supposedly gorgeous islands and a riteous stop, not a consolation prize.

LEG 2 - Seranilla Bank. Also Colombia. This is a consolation prize stop. This is a tiny atoll that has a small garrison of Colombian soldiers (8) who's only job in life is to let Nicaragua and Jamaica know Colombia is watching. My guess is a lousy place to wait out weather. But it's a 1-day run from Providencias

LEG 3 - Cayman Islands. Another 1-day run. I like the Caymans. It's expensive but very nice.

LEG 4 - I don't know. Cuba is in the way so gotta go one way or the other. Should block the difficult weather.

Bottom line - there is some cool cruising. But it's not the easy stuff anymore. That said, I'd certainly encourage anyone with a pang of desire to spread their wings and do it. Much of my decision is (1) 36-foot boat; and (2) I like Cheryll and it's a joint effort.

Peter

 

[Insequent]

My shipping experience was back in 2013. I used a shipping agent here in Brisbane, and they handled both ends including customs/duties on arrival. It was mostly ok, some damage on loading in Vancouver repaired by insurers.

At that time Swire was running a scheduled service Vancouver-Brisbane (plus New Zealand) but with a couple stops on west coast US stops on the way. Mostly lumber one way and steel the other as I recall, but also general cargo including deck cargo like my boat, mining haul trucks etc. My boat was in a cradle (cost to fabricate, then cost to cut up on arrival....) and a friend sent me a pic of it being put into the water in LA , in the cradle, so they could access deck hatches!

These days Swire have different routes from back, then but have a bunch of ships and stop at 400 ports in the Asia/Pacific region. I imagine there could well be a similar company doing the same in the west Atlantic, including the Caribbean? Calling a few shipping brokers could uncover them.

One of the Swire routes that could interest folks here is US west coast to French Polynesia. That leg is likely beyond the range of most recreational trawlers on here. On arrival there its pretty straightforward hops to various destination in the SW Pacific

 

[GPM]

Weebles,

Thanks for posting, this is really interesting. A couple of questions for you (and others with experience).

1) It sounds like you'd expect a delivery from Ensenado to Florida to end up running about the same cost - maybe $25k? Is that correct?

2) Given your experience, including the delivery skipper, do you think it would ever make sense to buy a boat on the West Coast and ship/deliver to Florida for cruising on the East Coast, down to Caribbean? Assuming the model/price/condition of the boat was a very good deal - are there other issues like risk, wear and tear, etc., that would drive this decision?

Thanks.

 

[mvweebles]

Weebles,

Thanks for posting, this is really interesting. A couple of questions for you (and others with experience).

1) It sounds like you'd expect a delivery from Ensenado to Florida to end up running about the same cost - maybe $25k? Is that correct?

2) Given your experience, including the delivery skipper, do you think it would ever make sense to buy a boat on the West Coast and ship/deliver to Florida for cruising on the East Coast, down to Caribbean? Assuming the model/price/condition of the boat was a very good deal - are there other issues like risk, wear and tear, etc., that would drive this decision?

Thanks.

Q#1 would I expect Ensenada to Florida to be only slightly more than Golfito to Florida. That's what I was told. But I honestly don't know if that's the truth or if its a slick salesperson's patter. @guy with a boat recounted a corroborating experience so maybe it's a true statement.

#2 Can I imagine a scenario where a boat is such a good deal on one coast that it makes sense to buy it and move it to the other coast? Sure, it's possible. Unlikely but possible. Usually it's the other direction - someone finds boats in Florida inexpensive compared to West Coast that they think about shipping it (until they figure out Florida is hard on boats - year round usage and harsh climate).

I'll make a wild generalization. If you're looking at million dollar used boats, it could easily make sense. If you're looking at $250k boats, it's really hard to make it pencil out. Chances of someone from Seattle being first to a smoking deal in Miami (or vice versa) is almost zero.

But here's a scenario where it might work. Let's say someone buys a relatively new Helmsman PH of similar on the East Coast. They're retired and cruise it half-time or more for a couple seasons, maybe do the Loop. They decide they want to cruise the PNW. I'll guess it's $65k to ship. It's possible the boat is worth more in the PNW than in Florida so shipping might actually be offset. Plus they've had a great time with a boat they like.

Just my opinion, but I'd say it's really hard to make it work on a used boat unless it's at least $500k.

Peter

 

[guy with a boat]

Q#1 would I expect Ensenada to Florida to be only slightly more than Golfito to Florida. That's what I was told. But I honestly don't know if that's the truth or if its a slick salesperson's patter. @guy with a boat recounted a corroborating experience so maybe it's a true statement.

Peter

I think pricing to the secondary ports varies pretty dramatically. The odds of booking the other half of the trip with equivalent cargo are probably low, so the shippers don’t have much incentive to discount it v the cost of the entire trip. It is definitely worth asking since they pricing may be much better on another trip depending how the other cargo is scheduled.

 

[Frosty]

Reading a few mentions of flying iron bits, etc, makes me wonder if it's possible to shrink wrap a boat for transport by ship. Maybe they need access to the deck to load? And if so, then there is not access for someone to shrink wrap it? If it could be done, sounds like it might be desirable.

 

[guy with a boat]

Yes, definitely possible to shrink wrap. The boat has to still be operable so you have to leave an access door and some window visibility so it can be run to and from loading the ship. You end up with partial coverage with some complications. Shrink wrap doesn’t offer much protection against hot metal grinding chips, but some is probably better than none.

The whole prep process is complicated by the fact that loading schedules are just estimates and can change, then change again. It is hard to know how much prep (wrap, etc) to do when, and you have to have someone on standby at both ends to deliver to ship and pick up at offload.

 

[Frosty]

Yes, definitely possible to shrink wrap. ...You end up with partial coverage with some complications. Shrink wrap doesn’t offer much protection against hot metal grinding chips, but some is probably better than none.

The whole prep process is complicated by the fact that loading schedules are just estimates and can change...

Thanks. The scheduling part seems like a difficult problem to work around.

 

[SplashFl]

Back in 2022 when shopping for one of only about a dozen 46 Bertram's ever built, one showed up in France. Turned out shipping to Port Everglades would have added 50,000. plus to the cost and would have to wait around 4 months for the ship.

 

[ranger58sb]

2) Given your experience, including the delivery skipper, do you think it would ever make sense to buy a boat on the West Coast and ship/deliver to Florida for cruising on the East Coast, down to Caribbean? Assuming the model/price/condition of the boat was a very good deal - are there other issues like risk, wear and tear, etc., that would drive this decision?

Adding to Peter's answer...

Back in 2020 we were shopping for a replacement boat, having just sold our previous boat in something like 12 minutes flat. I'd already done the pencil work, and narrowed the options down to two different models. One of those would have been the same brand we just sold, so slightly more familiarity was leading to slightly more mental comfort level, but...

That was also when a) there weren't many available, and b) sellers were arbitrarily adding $100-150K to their asking price... and largely getting it... due to Covid-related issues. (Unfortunately I hadn't known we could maybe have done that ourselves too, with our own sale...) I got quotes for shipping one from Puerto Rico to the East Coast, and shipping one from the west coast (LA area, IIRC)... and the extra cost (including that Covid tax) just exceeded our budget by too much in both cases. More so, for the west coast boat. I don't remember exact numbers, but I think it was in the neighborhood of $25-29K from the west, and might have been $18-20K (or some such) from PR.

Both boats were likely in decent/good condition, but they weren't instances of "a very good deal" to start with... and it just got worse adding in those kinds of shipping costs.

FWIW, I also compared two other options for the PR boat, one being Captain-delivered on her own hull, the other being my own delivery. Both of those would have been less expensive than shipping IF/IF the delivery went well. The additional wear and tear on the boat might have been a factor, though. In the latter case, I decided I'd not only have to hire crew for watch standing, but also an engineer -- and his tools -- since I wasn't at all familiar with the engines in that particular boat (Volvo D12s) and wouldn't have wanted to take a chance betting on my own experience or lack thereof. In both cases, the overall cost-versus-boat equation wasn't penciling out, though, and we ended up with the other model on our short list.

Even that meant our "delivery" (and boat ride) from Ft. Myers to Annapolis, with some extra expenses added because of hurricane season (mostly Admiral in a hurry to get home, or at least out of Florida)... so a purchase more local to us -- had we been able to find a viable instance available -- could have come with significantly lower beginning costs.

-Chris

 

[Fletcher500]

Our boat travelled on a container ship from Asia. It was shrink wrapped and arrived in good condition. A buddy was the Pilot in Los Angeles and got a nice shot from the wheelhouse in the turning basin.

Peter, If you follow the ships AIS there are a few live web cams along the Panama Canal and you may able to see Weebles.

 

[DBaker]

I can understand Weebles wanting to ship his boat due to size, he's delivered boats, time constraints, etc. I helped a friend move his Krogen Express from San Diego to Ft Peirce FL in February/March of 2025. My friend was considering shipping his boat but I convinced him the experience will be awesome. What a trip, He/I will be telling stories for the rest of our lives.

I am shipping a boat from Brisbane to the US East coast this summer. My research has stressed one thing above all others, insurance, insurance, insurance.

 

[klee wyck]

I have shipped twice. Once was from Europe to West Coast (Vancouver) in a cargo hold and once from Sea of Cortez to Victoria/Nanaimo as deck cargo. Having realistic expectations about shipping logistics helps make this a good experience. It is not reasonable, given the vagaries of the sea and seaports to expect a firm schedule for either loading date or unloading date. Things happen and isn't it better for the shipping company to work around unfavorable conditions and port schedules than to plow ahead on a schedule that risks the condition of your property. These ships set a berth appointment but if schedules change due to weather or loading logistics, so may the berthing place as appointments are missed. Be prepared for that, it is just the way it is. Read the contract, it is in there.
I shipped with Raven Offshore in 2016 from Europe, and with Cross Charter in 2025 from Sea of Cortez. First trip was $70k and second was $55k. When I tried to think realistically about delivery on her own bottom by me or others, considering fuel, service intervals, wear and tear, port calls, and crew, I think delivery on her own bottom would have cost 2/3 the price of shipping. Any sort of risk analysis with value attached to risk, makes shipping a very good deal in my opinion.
Both of these companies were very professional and did what they said they would do within reason. I became a pretty big fan of Cross Charter last Spring. Loading was within a two-week window of first estimate, as was unloading despite a change in port of call. Boats were in reasonably good shape upon arrival in both cases.
Consider their point of view and what they are up against, and I think you may appreciate how good they are at this. Prepare your vessel as if it were going to sea. It is. Expect it to arrive in a condition as if it had. You are not hitching a ride to dinner in a limo....
That was my experience in shipping boats two times.
I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[mvweebles]

JAN 14 UPDATE - We've been in Golfito for 6 days or so ($65/day including water and electricity). Ship has departed Ensenada and on its way to Golfito. Will arrive late Jan 20th and we'll load the morning of Jan 21, a week from today. Weebles will be ready to load on Jan 20th and we'll get a hotel room for that night. After Weebles loads on the ship, we'll pickup a rental car and drive 5-hours to San Jose Airport and take a flight to Tampa Airport the next morning (Jan 22). The ship is scheduled for Port Everglades on Jan 29th/30th so we'll do a 1-way car rental and pick up the boat.

Additional Costs:
1. Agent in Golfito - $355 USD plus Costa Rica export and exit fees of $475. So around $830 USD

2. Agent in Florida. No idea what they do but apparently its necessary. $350.

So the agent fees are around $1200. Plus hotel room and travel - close to another $2k. Call it $3k on top of the $22k to ship the boat. And meter is still running......

Peter

 

[mvweebles]

Boat Prep -

I met the agent yesterday. Really nice guy - an American who's been here for over 25-years. He sorta invented the agency gig in this area. Here's an amalgamation of his advice and what we were going to do anyway.

• Assume hurricane force winds. Ship probably does 20-25 knots. It's going to weather and will likely see 20-30 knots on the nose. So 50-knots of winds isn't out of the realm of possibility.
• Remove all canvas. I purposefully don't have much canvas anyway but if I had a flybridge enclosure, I'd remove it. I do have chaps on my dinghy which will be a bit of a PITA to remove.
• Secure tchotchke stuff. We don't have much (some bowls for fruit), but I've been on a lot of boats that have lamps, statuary, pictures, and general stuff held-down with adhesive. No guarantees on this stuff - Bruce (Agent) said he's often seen something put a ding in the teak & holly sole.
• Disconnect Solar Cells. Not sure why but that's what the shipping company requests so I'll flip the breakers.
• Disconnect LFP House Batteries. We have 700AH 12V of LFP. The shipping company wants to know this information. I'll disconnect them right before loading.
• Reduce tankage. We tried to get the boat as light as possible. Honestly, given our small size, I don't think it makes much of a difference. But for the big sport fishers that hold 2000 gals, it's requested.
• Tape anything exterior that could fly away. This includes hatches and instrument covers. We purchased a roll of 2" blue 3M painters tape.
• Secure dinghy. I'll add extra lashing.
• Secure cabinets. We have twist-locks on all cabinets so standard for us anyway.
• Put heavy items low on boat. We purchased a couple cases of booze duty free so I've stowed them low. Again, we're sorta setup like this anyway.

I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but you get the idea. Hope this helps someone down the road.....

Peter

 

[Jklotz]

Interesting. I remember when I shipped my motorcycle from Panama to the US, they wanted the gas tank drained. Did they say anything about no gas with dingy motor?