I have posted my Zoar Sport for sale in the Classifieds and a respondent asked me if I would ship it. I have sent inquiries to people that do such things. Does anyone here have experience with this?
Pat
cheap way and the right way
forward air has worked for some folks, I might consider shipping a plastic boat through them.
Affordable boat carriers when it needs to be done right. very safe and not cheap
Search…
“Forward Air” for the past year…
Well…
I havent shiped a boat but Ive boated a ship.
;-0
2x
I shipped an old Olympic (17’Hunter) Kayak from Wichita to Columbia, S.C. I used a cardboard crate and square (boat suspened) foam forms that were used to ship a similar kayak to me. Marked it top load & used tons of strapping tape. I also shipped a 17’ Redwood strip kayak plug to Buffalo in a wooden crate. As a prank, I drove over a panel before packing the boat. My friend in Buffalo thought someone ran over it with a fork lift!
I just shipped
a hull I took a chance on back to the vendor.
I used www.freightquote.com (btw way, canoes and kayaks are freight class 300)
I made a simple crate frame, wrapped it in 6 mil plastic and stretch wrap. I saved a few bucks by taking it to the terminal myself.
An ok experience but it cost me almost $200. Make sure you get the weight correct because they will double check you and charge more if you understate it.
SALLY’S TRACERS WAS SHIPPED SC TO FL
just fine by Old Dominion -cost $65, I believe, perhaps $75. Double bubble wrapped, triple at the ends, the T came was probably handled 4 times & moved 4 times en route.
It came by big truck from GetOutdoors in South Carolina. I imagine it went from GetOutdoors store to a local P/U warehouse and stored awaiting bundling for the long haul SC to Miami, to Old Dominion’s Hialeah (Miami) warehouse and regional distibution depot. There, it was pulled off and stored and waited a day for a local consolidated distribution circuit at which point it was bundled with other LTL goodies for our end of town and went from warehouse to my house by local distribition truck.
I might’ve saved $15-20 by picking up locally, but wanted it to be surprise for Sally, didn’t want to take time off, didn’t want to spend extra storage charges if I couldn’t P/U in reasonable time, so had them do all the work.
Came through beautifully.
Boat is made of Trylon, the new, glass-like plastic variously-labeled by other makers as Duralite, Airalight, etc., so that might make a difference, as it’s really rather tuff stuff. Also, the boat had no rudder assembly to mar smooth exterior, stick up/out, and potentially become a snagging and/or dragging point.
So I’d say you can probably ship OK -I’d get replacement insurance if really worried.
But as to doing it on such a sale?
Sell for whatever you put the price at “plus shipping”, make arrangements for damage control, and provide good faith estimate for shipping costs when negotiating.
And the latter will change for at least two reasons -the vending and receivibf sites’ distances apart, and whether or not a particular company can do it alone, you have to go through some sort of intermodal and/or intercarrier logistics-mediated routing, and what he different costs are by carrier. You may get stuck having to use a more costly carrier than you’d like simply because they’re the only connection available.
It can be sticky, but it can be done, getting your boat to another one, so THEY can, upon arrival and acceptance
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami