Getting a Nova Craft to California

I live in California and Nova Craft HQ is just about as far away as it could be. I really would like to buy the Prospector 16 but the few places that have gotten back have charged shipping more than the price of the boat, or just flat refused.

Does anyone have experience buying a canoe and shipping it cross country, or any recommendations of the best way to pick up a Nova Craft, and get it to California?

Looks like the nearest retailer listed is in Squamish BC.

Have you talked to them as a shipping point?

I hadn’t thank you, I thought shipping from Canada to the US might b very difficult/ expensive

That I don’t know but should be worth a call.

I know in normal times everything used to go a lot smoother. We paid quite a bit to get a rec-canoe shipped from OT this spring. At least I thought it was a little steep, but there just wasn’t anything around or shipping dates in like the fall. We got it in less than 7 days.

The resistance you may be running into is when shipping an individual kayak they often get damaged. Think of that beat up box from an online purchase you find on your porch.
Last fall when I bought an Epic from a dealer in Houston Texas ( I’m in North Idaho) they actually loaded it up and drove it to me due to shippers damaging boats! Over 2,000 miles each way.

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I have reservations about having a kayak shipped to me for this reason. Another member here shared this kayak transporter with me, and said they have a good reputation.

https://shipyourkayak.com

That’s amazing, what was the name of that dealer?

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Texas surfski and kayak.
texassurfskisandkayaks.com
I cannot say enough about how great they were. I got a great price on my new kayak, they delivered and when they showed up they had an epic wing paddle. I didn’t have the extra cash on me for the paddle ( I hadn’t ordered it ) but I wanted it so I said I would have to run to the cash machine. They said take it and send us a check. Brought me an epic hat and water bottle also.
I gave them a little extra for a tip since they went so out of their way and made my day.
They apparently make these deliveries fairly commonly.

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I have a little bit of experience with shipping from Canada. My son was in graduate school at the University of Montreal for four years and when he and his girlfriend moved back to California they shipped large items. He also used various shippers while he was living in Canada. Most of the items were damaged. The Canadian/US customs transfer was a nightmare. I also had some material from a company in Edmonton shipped to my business. For something that was supposed to take about 3 days it took over two months. This was prior to Covid based restrictions on cross boarder traffic. With current restrictions I would not bother trying to get anything shipped.