I am contemplating purchase of a kayak from accross the US. I have been given mixed reviews about shipping companies. Could anyone please share your experiences and best choices for shippers from west coast to east.
Thanks,
Forward Air
– Last Updated: Sep-13-07 6:50 PM EST –
You'll find a lot of info on this site about shipping. I'll say again that i had good luck with Forward Air. But they only ship from terminal to terminal. So check their website to see if there are terminals nearby on both ends.
Of course, make sure to package, wrap, tape, cardboard, etc. as much as possible.
Oh, and insurance with Forward Air is really cheap. So go ahead and buy $5-15 of insurance to cover yourself. And finally, Forward Air will only accept cashiers checks or money orders. So the shipper will need to do this for you.
Ditto Forward Air
– Last Updated: Sep-13-07 7:48 PM EST –
I shipped something like a dozen ww, surf kayaks and waveskis through them with not one problem. But these are all 9' and under. Can't say what would happen with a long seakayak though.
sing
Forward Air - tips
I’ve used them twice, first for a RM kayak shipped Buffalo to Romulus MI (the old Forward Air pickup site) which cost $75 before insurance, again last December for a fiberglass seakayak from SF to Taylor MI, the current pickup site.
That cost $112 before insurance. Both kayaks delivered flawlessly, on time, w. great communication.
Have the seller put a cardboard stiffener over the cockpit, use strapping tape, then cocoon the whole kayak in bubblewrap (esp if it’s fiberglass) leaving the toggles exposed. If the toggles are exposed they’ll pick it up by hand instead of using a forklift.
Note: if it’s a plastic boat bubblewrap is not required, however, Forward Air requires some sort of wrap (large plastic bags acceptable).
Forward Air also gives you the option to insure
for $1 per $100 value.
I just had two
shipped from Utah to Delaware using Fed Ex Freight. Both arrived with no damage…However, I would commend Liquid Logic for their pacakaging…you coulda set bombs off arround those things without damaging them…
Forward & SOF
I had my recently finished SOF shipped by Cape Falcon from Portland OR to JFK terminal, about $150. It was wrapped in bubble and corrugated and came through OK. There were a couple of small abrasions in the polyurethane finish, it looked like from moving inside the wrapping, but not serious. I second the idea of leaving toggles exposed or adding handles - it was nerve-wracking to see a fork lift driving at high speed to pick up my boat in the delivery bay.
Custom kayak shipper
Steve Skinner
1-585-313-9467
Steve Skinner
is excellent.