Moving a 32' sailboat 1900 miles myself

sailingbud · #1 (**permalink**) 2 Weeks Ago

I'm looking for advice for an affordable way to move a 32' LOA, 9' beam, 8300lb disp boat 1900 miles. The bid with hydraulic trailer was $7K.
I am an old farmer/sailor and can easily move 10,000 lbs of hay so why not a boat?
My idea is to build a cradle that will lock (strap) to the boat, use frames with rollers under the cradle then winch the entire load on an equipment trailer rated for >15000 load. I strap the whole load down and get on the road. I've called around and permits may be as much as $500 or less if I get them all myself state by state. As far as I can figure my expenses should be less than $2K.
Somebody please point out my mistaken thinking.

sww914 · #2 (**permalink**) 2 Weeks Ago

After you have the cradle built I think it would be better to just hire a crane to lift it. My neighbor got one to his 29' boat, on to the crane company's trailer and hauled a few miles and unloaded for $400.00. You can probably hire a crane at either end for a couple hundred bucks each time and save yourself a world of hassle.

sailingbud · #3 (**permalink**) 2 Weeks Ago

The trick is to get it out of the barn where it is on stands. No crane and if I'm dragging it out I figure why not just raise it to the level of my trailer then move it forward.

L02314564 · #4 (**permalink**) 2 Weeks Ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailingbud

I'm looking for advice for an affordable way to move a 32' LOA, 9' beam, 8300lb disp boat 1900 miles. The bid with hydraulic trailer was $7K.

Where is the boat starting from and going to? When I moved mine from TX to LA I had to post a $10,000 bond because of the 9' beam of my boat.

tommays · #5 (**permalink**) 2 Weeks Ago

This boat is over 11' on less than 11" of blocks you could save a bunch if you start taking off pulpits and hang the mast on the side

The rub rail is 8' to give you some scale

Your gonna have to think about height issues if you put it on a cradle without having a lowboy trailer as standard trailers are about 24"

On are local hyd boat moving truck the keel is only 8" off the highway and a 4'5" draft boat is still close to anything that may not be hanging a legal height

You will need permits for each state and what are you planing on using for a trailer as the DOT will take notice of you as the boat and trailer will be in the 12000# +++ range which will require and F350 truck at the very least

You will also save a bunch of money jsut looking for a used JOWI steel cradle as it will ROCK SOLID and fit the boat correctly

And my 29' is 8000# ++

johnshasteen · #6 (**permalink**) 2 Weeks Ago

[quote=sailingbud;538797]I'm looking for advice for an affordable way to move a 32' LOA, 9' beam, 8300lb disp boat 1900 miles. The bid with hydraulic trailer was $7K.
I am an old farmer/sailor and can easily move 10,000 lbs of hay so why not a boat?/quote]
Just out of curiosity, what make boat is she - 8300lbs seems light for a 32' boat???

klem · #7 (**permalink**) 2 Weeks Ago

I have toyed with the same question for a 30' boat. The issue that I see is the gross combined weight of your setup once everything is together. A lot of flatbed trailers weigh 5000+ lbs and by the time you add the boat and cradle you will be pushing the weight rating of the truck/trailer/or combo. There was another thread on here about how a boat's rated displacement relates to its actual displacement even dry.

All of the other challenges can be dealt with unless your boat has a very tall cabin structure or a very deep keel. Getting a cradle on and off a trailer isn't that bad as long as it is very sturdy.

I assume you are insured for this sort of thing?

JohnRPollard · #8 (**permalink**) 2 Weeks Ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailingbud

I'm looking for advice for an affordable way to move a 32' LOA, 9' beam, 8300lb disp boat 1900 miles. The bid with hydraulic trailer was $7K....As far as I can figure my expenses should be less than $2K.
Somebody please point out my mistaken thinking.

SailingBud,

My suggestion would be to first check around and get some other bids. $7K seems REALLY steep. If you are not in a huge hurry and can wait for a hauler that would be going your direction with an otherwise empty tuck, you can often get the price down a fair bit. You might be able to cut that estimate in half, and remember the hauler will then take care of all the permitting.

cesarid · #9 (**permalink**) 2 Weeks Ago

Even with a cradle the keel usually takes the load and rests on the ground. I guess you could build a cradle with a keel rest but I still don't like the idea of trying to move a boat on a cradle - I think you are asking for trouble. I concur that you should seek other bids and bite the bullet and hire it done. We pull boats all the time with a trailer and I always tell myself to be careful - these boats are top heavy and heavy and it is easy to get seriously injured.

sailingbud · #10 (**permalink**) 2 Weeks Ago

My boat is a Nantucket Clipper moving from Maine to Arkansas. I'm not in a big hurry to move her so I can take my time. In fact she is set there inside her barn till the thaw next spring so I have some time. This boat is a shallow keel boat with a 4.2' draft and I can use a low bed trailer with F-350 rated for the load. I have hauled much heavier loads. 10 cows weigh as much as this boat and they have a habit of moving around in the trailer. I don't know of any states requiring a bond, I think Mo has an insurance form to put on file. I called a permit service who bid out the permits at $600 but when I started calling DMVs I found the fees much less.