Interstate Boat Transporting

[Scott Danforth]

When I moved from Wisconsin to Florida the first time, my 19' Sea Ray was shrink-wrapped for the journey. I towed it myself on a weekend run - 24 hours of straight driving. the extra re-enforcing webbing and coverage took me about 3 hours to remove, however the boat was water-ready

when I moved from Wisconsin to Florida the second time, the cruisers was un-covered. I also had the seats folded flat and my Hellion in the cockpit along with fishing gear etc. I thought of having it shrink-wrapped, however all the gear sticking out would have had to have been re-located. so I decided to forego the wrapping. since I hit a rain storm on the trip, I did have a bit of road-dirt / rain goo / bird pooh to wash out. nothing that the local splash-n-dash car-wash didn't take care of.

both times, I lost a tire on the route. one to a 5" piece of re-bar from a road construction site, one from the Carlisle tire simply loosing its outer belts

if your paying to have it hauled, I still would have it shrink-wrapped and flat-bedded.

 

[LuvBoating]

Our boat is insured thru Allstate. To have it in dry storage or in a spot at a RV/Boat Storage, it has to be. Will have to check and see how much coverage we have on it when being transported.

After we pay for the 2019 boat and trailer registration in January, we will go over to dry storage, have the trailer brought down from the rack it's sitting on, put on the new plate tag and grease the wheel bearings. The tires are the same ones that were on it when we bought it in 2009, but in excellent condition. Used the trailer, but not that much. Then, will have the boat brought down from it's rack and put the 2019 tag on it.

We still have to get a quote from a few different places, people.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The tires are the same ones that were on it when we bought it in 2009, but in excellent condition.

tires dont last that long.... rubber goes on calendar time and doesnt care if you use it or not. plan on having most of the tires let go on you

 

[LuvBoating]

YES THAT! Trailer tires go by time and 10 years is way too old. Google trailer tire life if you don't believe us.

What if there is still plenty of tread on all tires? We also have a spare that is 10 years old, but never used. It's attached to the trailer.

I'm sure the person who we hire to transport the boat will inspect the trailer/tires and let us know if everything is ok.

Who would transport on a flatbed? Would that cost more than hauling it by truck?

 

[Scott Danforth]

What if there is still plenty of tread on all tires? We also have a spare that is 10 years old, but never used. It's attached to the trailer.

I'm sure the person who we hire to transport the boat will inspect the trailer/tires and let us know if everything is ok.

Who would transport on a flatbed? Would that cost more than hauling it by truck?

doesnt matter if they were never mounted. however they were sitting outside, in the sun. UV damage in addition to the age, I would plan on all of them blowing

dont count on the person you hire to inspect anything

it would be about $700 to have your boat flat-bedded to Colorado from Florida. maybe less if you get a back-haul.

 

[JASinIL2006]

These guys are correct: those tires are too old for a trip of any substantial length.

I think you are right to not tow it yourself if you’re not comfortable doing it..

 

[LuvBoating]

I understand what you guys are saying about the tires on the trailer, but, first I'd like to hear from anyone who had to change the tires on their trailer, before having their boat transported out of state. AND, what if, whomever transports it, says the tires are fine on the trailer. Then what????
Guess it would cost more to have the boat/trailer transported on a flatbed than towed with a truck?

 

[ahicks]

This is your gamble. It's similar to whether or not you want to insure the boat on this ride? If you plan on having the thing loaded on a flat bed, tires are a non event. However, if you're going to have it towed on the ground, doing that on 10+ year old tires would be a huge gamble.

Let me ask you this. What are you going to do when/if you get a call from the transport company telling you a tire let go, and they don't have time to deal with it? Even if it's insured, at that point you are going to be immersed in a mess you might not like to deal with - with your boat sitting on the side of the road somewhere.

Bottom line for most of us, it's not worth the risk. If you're going to tow it, it needs new tires. If you don't want to spring for the tires, it needs to go on a flat bed. Maybe check to see which is the less expensive option?

 

[tomhath]

It's your decision, but I'd seriously consider selling the boat in Florida and buying the boat that will work for you after you have moved into your new home.

 

[LuvBoating]

It's your decision, but I'd seriously consider selling the boat in Florida and buying the boat that will work for you after you have moved into your new home.

We know the boat won't sell here in Florida. So, so many people here only want either brand new boats or very close to that. Actually, our cuddy cabin is the only cuddy we've seen since moving here in 2009. We were told, when we visited northern Colorado this past July, that there would be plenty of people that would buy a cuddy cabin there...…….when we decided to sell it.

AND, we have invested way to much money into this boat, to leave it here anyway. In-between the engine, outdrive, stern redone, cuddy cabin deck and new cockpit cover, we have put some money into it. We know this boat "inside and out". Bought it in April 2009.

Our Mercruiser mechanic tells us we have the best GM Chevy 350/5.7L I/O that is made.

 

[LuvBoating]

We were referred to a guy from our dry storage/boat sales/marine service/fiberglass service place to tow our boat. All of those businesses are in the same area as dry storage. Anyway, he told me that it is approx. 1,800 miles from Jacksonville to the Ft. Collins area and gave us a quote of $3,500 to take it there next May 2019. He knows everyone I know at dry storage, our marine mechanic and the office staff and the owner of the fiberglass service.

I will have our mechanic take a look at the four tires on the trailer and if it's recommended that we get new, we will. The guy who tows boats is local, so I could even have him stop by dry storage and take a look at the tires on the trailer and see what he thinks.

I'm really, really sure we plan on going with this dude. He is fully insured. He says "don't shrink wrap it", but it will have some things in the cockpit covered with shrink wrap tape. Wife and I really like it that he knows everyone we know at dry storage and the other marine businesses on the same property.

 

[Sprig]

Just a few comments.
The tires - YOU NEED NEW TIRES!!! It doesn’t matter what your mechanic says, you absolutely need new tires. If he says you don’t need new tires then you need a new mechanic.Trailer tires are special, not like car tires. Doesn’t matter if they still have 99% of the tread left. 10 year old trailer tires are a blow out/accident waiting to happen. If you don’t believe what all of us have said about the tires then why are you asking us any questions?
Towing - if you have towed the boat for years to the launch ramp and back then you can tow it anywhere. I’m 70 and I’d tow my boat anywhere in the US. You are being way too cautious and lacking in self confidence. But that is your prerogative. But if you feel that you just can’t do it then so be it.
The Tow Guy - sounds like you found someone. Verify he has current insurance coverage, do not just accept his word. Be sure his coverage isn’t just personal coverage but business coverage that covers him and the boat while in the scope of his employment. Find out what his insurance covers should your boat be stolen or wrecked.
The Boat - I’ve boated and fished a number of lakes years ago in Colorado. In general they aren’t that big. I don’t know if you use your boat for cruising or fishing or both but you would probably be better off with a little smaller boat. That’s a lot of boat for colo. it’s not like boating in the salt like what i assume you do now. Just something to think about. Sell it now and you could save $3500 transport charge, new tires and other expenses. Then buy a boat in Colorado that fits your needs.
Do you know what lakes or lake in Colorado you’ll be boating or how far from where you live? Things to think about.

I could go on and on but at this point I’ll just wish you good luck and good fortune in what is a big move.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Anyway, he told me that it is approx. 1,800 miles from Jacksonville to the Ft. Collins area and gave us a quote of $3,500 to take it there next May 2019.

and yet for about $700 you could have it flat-bedded or on a car-hauler

 

[LuvBoating]

Just a few comments.
The tires - YOU NEED NEW TIRES!!! It doesn’t matter what your mechanic says, you absolutely need new tires. If he says you don’t need new tires then you need a new mechanic.Trailer tires are special, not like car tires. Doesn’t matter if they still have 99% of the tread left. 10 year old trailer tires are a blow out/accident waiting to happen. If you don’t believe what all of us have said about the tires then why are you asking us any questions?
Towing - if you have towed the boat for years to the launch ramp and back then you can tow it anywhere. I’m 70 and I’d tow my boat anywhere in the US. You are being way too cautious and lacking in self confidence. But that is your prerogative. But if you feel that you just can’t do it then so be it.
The Tow Guy - sounds like you found someone. Verify he has current insurance coverage, do not just accept his word. Be sure his coverage isn’t just personal coverage but business coverage that covers him and the boat while in the scope of his employment. Find out what his insurance covers should your boat be stolen or wrecked.
The Boat - I’ve boated and fished a number of lakes years ago in Colorado. In general they aren’t that big. I don’t know if you use your boat for cruising or fishing or both but you would probably be better off with a little smaller boat. That’s a lot of boat for colo. it’s not like boating in the salt like what i assume you do now. Just something to think about. Sell it now and you could save $3500 transport charge, new tires and other expenses. Then buy a boat in Colorado that fits your needs.
Do you know what lakes or lake in Colorado you’ll be boating or how far from where you live? Things to think about.

I could go on and on but at this point I’ll just wish you good luck and good fortune in what is a big move.

Even though we will have our mechanic take a look at the tires, we have also decided it would be better to invest in new ones.

Don't know where you boated in Colorado, but when we lived south of Denver, in Parker, we took our old 1989 16' Invader Bowrider to Chatfield and Cherry Creek Reservoirs. While fishing in the No Wake Area on Chatfield, we seen two medium size cabin cruisers rafted to each other. These two cabin cruisers were definitely bigger than our 20' cuddy cabin. Also took the bowrider to Horsetooth Lake in Larimer County, next to Fort Collins.

We visited both Boyd Lake and Carter Lake when we were in Loveland this past July. We seen boats in slips at Carter that were bigger than ours and boats launching at Boyd that were bigger than ours.

We spent many summer Saturday mornings on Chatfield fishing and "beaching" the boat to relax on the sand. There were times we went to Chatfield both Saturday and Sunday.

We don't want a huge lake like Mead, Powell, McConaughy or others like them.

As far as selling our boat here...…...we don't even see any cuddy cabin boats here!

 

[LuvBoating]

and yet for about $700 you could have it flat-bedded or on a car-hauler

And, WHO are we going to hire to pull the flat-bed? It would have to be tied down a whole lot. Have only seen new boats hauled on flat-bed.

 

[Maclin]

Regarding "who" to pull the flatbed, the service you would use would have flatbedding as an option, trailer and driver and bonded and all.

Sounds like maybe you should sell the rare Florida cuddy cabin boat there, then get all moved out, then get all moved in, then see if you still want to boat. If so, then get a 16 footer and do what you did before and gaze at the bigger boats.

 

[JASinIL2006]

With new tires and well maintained bearings, a 3500 mile trip is nothing for your boat and trailer. I don't understand why everyone is making such a big deal about it and suggesting you sell your boat, etc. I tow our boat at least that distance every summer and it's really no big deal, especially since you're willing to hire a professional driver to take it out there. We tow our boat uncovered and the worst that has happened is it got wet and/or dusty and needed to be cleaned.

Get new tires, have the bearings serviced, hire a good driver, and boom -- you're in Colorado. No big deal.

 

[LuvBoating]

You do know that it costs absolutely ZERO dollars to throw somes pics on Craigslist and actually see if there's anyone out there who might want to buy it rather than just assuming that because you don't see lots like yours that NOBODY wants one?

There happen to be a couple dozen cuddys for sale on Jacksonville CL right now.

Well, then, to put it perfect honest, we really don't want to sell it here. There, I said it! There might be a lot of boats for sale on CL, but to be fully honest (again), there are no cuddy cabins in our dry storage and where we use to store our boat, on the trailer, at. We've been to Vilano Boat Ramp in St. Augustine, and haven't seen one cuddy cabin boat there or even a boat that would look as old as ours. We have driven thru the entire "full" parking lot.

We spend around $4k for tires and transporting, another boat/trailer would cost us much, much more than that there. And, we know our boat and have every invoice of what's been done to it since we bought it in April 2009.

 

[LuvBoating]

With new tires and well maintained bearings, a 3500 mile trip is nothing for your boat and trailer. I don't understand why everyone is making such a big deal about it and suggesting you sell your boat, etc. I tow our boat at least that distance every summer and it's really no big deal, especially since you're willing to hire a professional driver to take it out there. We tow our boat uncovered and the worst that has happened is it got wet and/or dusty and needed to be cleaned.

Get new tires, have the bearing serviced, hire a good driver, and boom -- you're in Colorado. No big deal.

I don't get it either......about the push to sell our boat.

We just don't have enough experience towing a boat/trailer that far and I'd have to do most-if not-all of the driving. Towing a boat to a local ramp, which was only 5 miles away (here) and 10 miles away (from our house in Colorado, isn't nearly the same as towing it 3500 miles. Years ago, when I was a roper in rodeo, I'd tow a horse trailer, with one horse in it, some 30 miles, maybe, but no further. I had a full-time job and only went to a few rodeos a year and only on weekends.

We have friends, that are Snowbirds, that have towed there Four Winns boat back and forth from Lavonia, Michigan to their home here by Ormond Beach, FL, but they have years and years of experience doing it.

We like the boat we've got and have spent enough money in repairs on it, that about the only thing that isn't new on it is the cockpit deck, seats and cushions.

 

[LuvBoating]

What about changing the prop and anodes on the drive, before we have it hauled out there. I've read that there is a different type of prop and anodes for freshwater, than there is for "brackish" or saltwater.