want to move boat from wisconsin to portland or. boat has a steel cradle that it is stored on for the winter-would the boat travel well just bolting the cradle to the flatbed or should it be removed from cradle and blocked up for transport--anyone with knowledge of good transport company would help . thanks dan
overland move for 1976 e35ll
- Thread starter glenc0
- Start date
The driver, if a commercial operator, will know the total height restriction and the effecting on routing. Everything depends on how far above the road the top of the boat is when mounted on the flatbed trailer.
Sometimes it is necessary to remove a pulpit or two. Maybe.
The tape will tell the tale, as they say.
Sometimes it is necessary to remove a pulpit or two. Maybe.
The tape will tell the tale, as they say.
p.gazibara
Member III
Does she sail? Could be a fun trip down the Mississippi 
+1 to what Loren has said.
I moved an E32-III from California to Washington last December.
The big items to consider were
-- timing - price was more affected by the availability of a truck than by distance
-- overall height (because over-height loads restrict which routes can be used)
The rest of it is fairly easy. You want to be sure the bid includes insurance, tolls and permits. I (personally) found that the "U-ship" web bids were fairly useless, your mileage may vary. You (in most cases) want to be sure the hauler is familiar with how to load a boat properly (with a cradle, that may be simpler or more complicated, I don't know). And, there are only a few boat-haulers that work coast-to-coast, most focus on a specific region (eg, west-coast, east coast, gulf coast...) so getting from Wisconsin to Oregon may involve a relatively small set of possible companies.
Beyond that... it's important to know that the trucker will generally consider your boat a "thing" that is to be moved from place to place. He/she generally won't be involved in packing or prepping the boat, their responsibility is to get the "thing" delivered. So if there are things inside that you want to protect or secure... plan to do that yourself before the trucker arrives.
More detail on boat-haulers here, if interested: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?354-Boat-haulers-a-long-strange-trip
..and my adventure in packing/prepping a boat for transport starts here: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...a-truck-in-three-days-(part-1-of-5-looooooong
Bruce
I moved an E32-III from California to Washington last December.
The big items to consider were
-- timing - price was more affected by the availability of a truck than by distance
-- overall height (because over-height loads restrict which routes can be used)
The rest of it is fairly easy. You want to be sure the bid includes insurance, tolls and permits. I (personally) found that the "U-ship" web bids were fairly useless, your mileage may vary. You (in most cases) want to be sure the hauler is familiar with how to load a boat properly (with a cradle, that may be simpler or more complicated, I don't know). And, there are only a few boat-haulers that work coast-to-coast, most focus on a specific region (eg, west-coast, east coast, gulf coast...) so getting from Wisconsin to Oregon may involve a relatively small set of possible companies.
Beyond that... it's important to know that the trucker will generally consider your boat a "thing" that is to be moved from place to place. He/she generally won't be involved in packing or prepping the boat, their responsibility is to get the "thing" delivered. So if there are things inside that you want to protect or secure... plan to do that yourself before the trucker arrives.
More detail on boat-haulers here, if interested: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?354-Boat-haulers-a-long-strange-trip
..and my adventure in packing/prepping a boat for transport starts here: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...a-truck-in-three-days-(part-1-of-5-looooooong
Bruce
tenders
Innocent Bystander
I moved my E32 from San Diego to Erie, PA in 1995 and it was less hassle than I expected - but my boat was already out of the water and had the mast down. It was in a yard that had a crane that easily lifted the boat above the level of the truck bed. I stripped the mast of all standing and running rigging, boxed everything, removed all the stanchions and lifelines, and filled all the holes in the deck with epoxy in anticipation of adding backing plates to everything after the move. When you're working with a company/driver who moves a lot of boats, it is surprisingly straightforward.
I would be surprised if the boat hauler let you put the boat on the cradle on the truck for a long haul. I've heard of this happening with powerboats for hauls of about 100 miles, however.
I would be surprised if the boat hauler let you put the boat on the cradle on the truck for a long haul. I've heard of this happening with powerboats for hauls of about 100 miles, however.
markvone
Sustaining Member
Dan,
I shipped my E36RH from Santa Barbara to Annapolis in 2011 with Sonny Norman of G A Norman Marine Service of Aberdeen, MD. He and his wife Rhonda run the business doing boat deliveries. I actually found him on U-Ship. My take on U-ship is use it for contact and bidding BUT screen all the contractors ahead for quality and professionalism. I didn't respond to low ball and low rated drivers. I actually only responded to the top rated drivers. If the bid is too low there is a reason. The last thing you want is your boat impounded in Utah due to missing permits and your driver in the wind. I just saw Sonny again last year across my creek in a big marina with a new Beneteau on his trailer from the factory in SC.
Having flexibility in schedule will get you the lowest price as the drivers want to connect delivery trips with the least deadheading in between. Plan far ahead and keep a window for the trip that the driver can use to match deliveries each way as he builds his schedule. If the winter storage for your new boat is paid, find out until when. It may be as late as Memorial Day in Wisconsin. That gives you 3 1/2 months to arrange a trip. I got a couple of U-ship bids right away from highly rated shippers and then Sonny contacted me saying he had a near term window to return from a west coast delivery back home to MD and he wanted to take my boat to make it work for him (he was coming home for a family event regardless). So I got ~ $1000 (12%) break over my next lowest bid.
Sonny has an adjustable hydraulic trailer that allows the boat to ride low. My 6'3" draft boat (12' 6" overall height with pulpits left on) was well under the interstate highway height limit of 13' 6" on this trailer. I suspect a cradle on a flatbed would be higher and more difficult to secure. I suspect the pro boat movers plan to use their own boat specific trailer for safety and for reliability (time IS money for these guys). I'm pretty sure an E35 size cradle would not fit with the boat on Sonny's trailer.
I would consider (in order of preference): selling the cradle where it is, abandoning the cradle at the current yard, picking it up yourself somehow or getting it delivered separately. I've thought about this a lot and I would much rather have separate stands that I can move myself and store rather than a large cradle if I hauled out each winter. They are a storage/moving headache in areas where boats stay in the water all year. The marina's here in Annapolis would all be charging storage fees. They are popular in the Great Lakes where every one comes out in winter so selling it at the start might work best? Just a thought.
Mark
I shipped my E36RH from Santa Barbara to Annapolis in 2011 with Sonny Norman of G A Norman Marine Service of Aberdeen, MD. He and his wife Rhonda run the business doing boat deliveries. I actually found him on U-Ship. My take on U-ship is use it for contact and bidding BUT screen all the contractors ahead for quality and professionalism. I didn't respond to low ball and low rated drivers. I actually only responded to the top rated drivers. If the bid is too low there is a reason. The last thing you want is your boat impounded in Utah due to missing permits and your driver in the wind. I just saw Sonny again last year across my creek in a big marina with a new Beneteau on his trailer from the factory in SC.
Having flexibility in schedule will get you the lowest price as the drivers want to connect delivery trips with the least deadheading in between. Plan far ahead and keep a window for the trip that the driver can use to match deliveries each way as he builds his schedule. If the winter storage for your new boat is paid, find out until when. It may be as late as Memorial Day in Wisconsin. That gives you 3 1/2 months to arrange a trip. I got a couple of U-ship bids right away from highly rated shippers and then Sonny contacted me saying he had a near term window to return from a west coast delivery back home to MD and he wanted to take my boat to make it work for him (he was coming home for a family event regardless). So I got ~ $1000 (12%) break over my next lowest bid.
Sonny has an adjustable hydraulic trailer that allows the boat to ride low. My 6'3" draft boat (12' 6" overall height with pulpits left on) was well under the interstate highway height limit of 13' 6" on this trailer. I suspect a cradle on a flatbed would be higher and more difficult to secure. I suspect the pro boat movers plan to use their own boat specific trailer for safety and for reliability (time IS money for these guys). I'm pretty sure an E35 size cradle would not fit with the boat on Sonny's trailer.
I would consider (in order of preference): selling the cradle where it is, abandoning the cradle at the current yard, picking it up yourself somehow or getting it delivered separately. I've thought about this a lot and I would much rather have separate stands that I can move myself and store rather than a large cradle if I hauled out each winter. They are a storage/moving headache in areas where boats stay in the water all year. The marina's here in Annapolis would all be charging storage fees. They are popular in the Great Lakes where every one comes out in winter so selling it at the start might work best? Just a thought.
Mark
Don't need no cradle in Portland, OR
Just a note about boating here in Portland, Oregon - you probably would not find much use for a cradle! We keep our boats in the water - and use them - all year long. Boat yards will supply their own stands for those occasions when your boat is out of the water - like for a bottom job, etc.
Just a note about boating here in Portland, Oregon - you probably would not find much use for a cradle! We keep our boats in the water - and use them - all year long. Boat yards will supply their own stands for those occasions when your boat is out of the water - like for a bottom job, etc.
F.y.i.
Just F.Y.I, you might want to consider the cost of moving your boat in relation to its value. You might be ahead to sell the boat there and buy something similar here in the Pacific Northwest.
Also F.Y.I , if you might be looking for a Yacht Club, both Loren and I are members of a yacht club that we can recommend (where quite a few Ericsons are moored): Rose City Yacht Club
http://www.rosecityyachtclub.org/
Just F.Y.I, you might want to consider the cost of moving your boat in relation to its value. You might be ahead to sell the boat there and buy something similar here in the Pacific Northwest.
Also F.Y.I , if you might be looking for a Yacht Club, both Loren and I are members of a yacht club that we can recommend (where quite a few Ericsons are moored): Rose City Yacht Club
http://www.rosecityyachtclub.org/
I disagree. From time to time, one needs to trailer that boat home for some work. Cradle chained down on a flatbed is an economical way to do it.
We would love to be able to bring our 34 footer home for a few months for major projects, but even with a trailer there is no room to park it on our standard 50 X 100 city lot.:0
Way cool idea if we lived out in the country and had some open ground...
Zbingham
Member I
I moved my E35ii from Vermont to New Mexico
Here is how I did it. http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?369-What-have-I-done
Here is how I did it. http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?369-What-have-I-done
CTOlsen
Member III
Moved E/O-34 on a cradle.
I shipped my newly purchased O-34 from Rochester NY to southeast Virginia in 2009 via U-ship. The boat was on a cradle, which was included in the deal. The shipping company hauled the boat, on the cradle, on a low rise trailer. It worked well for the yards, and for the mover.
If you are flexible on delivery dates, you can get a good deal on U-ship. Rochester to VA was about $3K.
CTO
<strike></strike>
I shipped my newly purchased O-34 from Rochester NY to southeast Virginia in 2009 via U-ship. The boat was on a cradle, which was included in the deal. The shipping company hauled the boat, on the cradle, on a low rise trailer. It worked well for the yards, and for the mover.
If you are flexible on delivery dates, you can get a good deal on U-ship. Rochester to VA was about $3K.
CTO
<strike></strike>
Great photo
When our boat was trucked here from Alameda CA, the commercial boat hauler had a trailer with some padded brackets that held the mast under the bottom of the boat.
Just curious: how did you deal with the spar?
Our spar is about 54' long, and IIRC their support scheme had it stored at a slant with the forward end up higher to clear the front of the trailer. They padded it with carpet remnants and wrapped it with plastic. Quite a sight!
Regards,
Loren
ps: gotta say... your boat looks Soooooo speedy even on that cradle! (not like I have an opinion, of course...)
pps: is that you in the picture?
When our boat was trucked here from Alameda CA, the commercial boat hauler had a trailer with some padded brackets that held the mast under the bottom of the boat.
Just curious: how did you deal with the spar?
Our spar is about 54' long, and IIRC their support scheme had it stored at a slant with the forward end up higher to clear the front of the trailer. They padded it with carpet remnants and wrapped it with plastic. Quite a sight!
Regards,
Loren
ps: gotta say... your boat looks Soooooo speedy even on that cradle! (not like I have an opinion, of course...)
pps: is that you in the picture?
Last edited:
CTOlsen
Member III
Me and my mast
Loren
The mast was jammed on the trailer much like yours was. The forward end angled high in the air, back end intertwined among the structure of the cradle and trailer supports. I never used the cradle. While the boat was in the southern Chesapeake, we only hauled for 2 months for maintenance. Now that I'm in the north, I wish I still had it, but nobody in southeastern CT uses cradles- they all use Brownell boat stands.
I'm not the dude in the picture. That's the guy who owns the trailer company. This is me and my bride of 29.8 years, from last summer.
<strike></strike>
And you are right- she looks smokin' fast. Neither of us is bias.
Loren
The mast was jammed on the trailer much like yours was. The forward end angled high in the air, back end intertwined among the structure of the cradle and trailer supports. I never used the cradle. While the boat was in the southern Chesapeake, we only hauled for 2 months for maintenance. Now that I'm in the north, I wish I still had it, but nobody in southeastern CT uses cradles- they all use Brownell boat stands.
I'm not the dude in the picture. That's the guy who owns the trailer company. This is me and my bride of 29.8 years, from last summer.
<strike></strike>And you are right- she looks smokin' fast. Neither of us is bias.
Last edited: