Know what boatbuilders talk about when they are just sitting around talking? Well, yes, they talk about boats….but they don’t really start paying attention until they hear the word “shipping.”
Every boatbuilder has horror stories of beautiful boats destroyed, of disappointed customers and endless hours spent trying to sort things out.
Boats are cumbersome, difficult to handle and difficult to ship.
Four methods of getting you together with your boat come to mind:
1. Buy your boat directly from us at a show.
2. Pick up your boat at the shop.
3. We could deliver your boat ourselves.
4. We can let Roadway deliver your boat.
1. Take your boat home from a show:
This has the advantage of offering substantial savings…both in terms of money and wear and tear on the boat. We always carry foam blocks with us and have considerable experience attaching boats to vehicles. This has another advantage …. you have your boat now, no waiting.
When the show is local, we charge nothing for this service. When it is a substantial distance, as in coast-to-coast, we charge you about half what it would cost to ship the boat. This doesn’t cover our fuel and maintenance costs (we’ve had to replace 2 engines and 4 transmissions in the past 4 years….not to mention gasoline) but it helps.
2. You can pick up your boat at the shop:
This also has the advantage of safe and secure transport. You’ll also get to visit Vermont…a lovely place to live or visit. It will also give you a chance to meet us in person, we’ll answer any questions you might have and give you a tour of the shop.
3. We can deliver your boat ourselves:
A dollar a mile (for actual miles driven) seems to cover vehicle and employee costs. The photo at right was taken during a delivery to a customer on the Housatonic River in Connecticut. He wasn’t home at the time and his dock was 104 steps below his driveway. As you can see, the staircase had twists and turns. We had to walk down the 104 steps to see if the boat would actually go all the way down. Then we had to come up and get the boat, mount the yoke and carry it down to the dock and then climb back up to the car. Three or four deliveries like that in a day could tucker a person out.
4. We can use Roadway Express:
As a rule, forklifts and boats should have nothing to do with each other. We’ve tried all sorts of packaging systems, none of which have worked. We’re now building wooden crates in which to ship our boats. Roadway has substantially lowered our rates so that we can now ship a boat and crate weighing 250 lbs at the same price as we used to ship a boat weighing 80 lbs. We estimate that it costs us $300 to build one of these crates. We are offering to pay half of that cost.
Once your boat is completed, allow a week or so for delivery.
International Deliveries
In the past year, we have begun shipping boats overseas. This opens new horizons for us. Thus far, the prices have ranged from $800 to $1500, varying by boat size and destination. For these deliveries, we must build a much more substantial crate and need to charge an additional $450 for it. So far, we have shipped to major ports and the customer would come to the port to collect their boat and take it home. We will include foam blocks and tie down straps for that last journey home. We have successfully sent boats to England, Sweden, Germany, New Zealand, Norway and a container of boats to Korea.