Boat transportation
 

Hi Folks, I'm looking at buying my first Seacraft 18' and the boat is presently on a trailer in Lafayette Louisiana. I'm looking for help with transporting the boat to Buffalo NY. or at least part way. If anyone is driving up this way empty, I would be willing to pay for having the boat brought up, or perhaps someone can recommand a reputable & affordable shipper they are experienced with.

Uship use it the bid themselves down

I had a SeaCraft brought from Michigan to San Diego using uship.com
You can enter your rough info and see what kind of bids are out there for similar trips. Independents and pros will bid on your shipment and you can get the rig home for a decent price. Just be sure to check their reviews and insurance, etc. Also make sure they accept credit cards or paypal. Do not work with anyone that asks fror GreenDot or other cash advances.

Most quality shippers will agree to deposit + balance on delivery.

Good luck

Theres a guy in NY that I've heard was good, got his name from one of the members on here, i almost pulled the trigger on 23 sc in MD, i m on the cape so i was going to have him do it but i was too late, but he had a good rate seemed like a good guy if that helps

Grab a buddy and hit the road.... We went from sw mn to mass back to mn to seattle and back to mn. Across the country twice hauling boats last year. Its not so bad........ :(

Who is the guy in NY ? Do you have his contact info ?

I have it listed on uship.com and their bids are very inconsistant, some are twice as high as others.

The guy is Frank Mole Transport, runs the east coast and does run empty one way or the other alot. If you have trouble finding him just go to Scream & Fly.com he does all the go fast boats and they love him. Only guy I would use btw, he got an empty run posted now just don't remember which direction

Either way uship will be the cheapest way to get it moved

My understanding of Uship is its just like a referrel service of vendors, correct me if I'm wrong. Over on THT there was a guy that had to head to Leesburg Fla after his boat was left at a truck stop, then was informed that vendor was no longer affiliated. Not that they are bad or anything but given a comparable price I would go with a guy with hundreds of satisfied customers - now I will certainly agree price is a big big factor if its not close.

A buddy with a 1 ton Deisel :D. One trip for a seacraft, another trip for a slickcraft.

Right. That can be the difference between a professional transport group/broker and an individual semi-retired business owner that spent 30 years behind the wheel of a big rig or in an armed forces convoy, or just a guy trying to make ends meet.

I had a number of bids ranging from $1200 to $3300. First accepted was $1275 - he thought the trailer was suspect and withdrew (previous owner said the transporter pulled up in an f150 looked at the size of the 21 and freaked out). Second acceptance was $1400 he was in the area and said he was on his way back home (near me) I checked the address he gave me and it was a shopping mall (red flag) and then he wanted full payment in advance in a money gram (screw that!!!) so I withdrew. He threatened to put a lien on my boat. Michigan Attorney General told me he couldn't ... 3rd guy was a retired Marine who was taking some Harleys to AZ in his F350 bed said he'd bring me the boat for 1500. And he already had a load going back to MI. Worked out like a charm. Super easy to work with and he took the time to inspect the trailer and fix a trailer light.

Take your time, read their feedback and talk to the guys before completing the deal. Good luck.

That's very good advice I had a guy want to tow the scepter from florida on a car transporter lol goodluck on the road with that but in the end the guy I got was awsome and even beat his expected timeframe

if you're smart - you're gonna check for insurance,and,you're gonna check for an ICC#

transporting a boat a long distance,that involves risk - on a trailer,you're not sure of,it adds to that risk...

personally,i would avoid "uship" at all costs,i would stick with a referred hauler - lots of scammers out there...if one guy wants $1,200 and the next guy wants $2,400 - there's a reason for the difference.hauling insurance isn't cheap - can't get ICC #'s without insurance...look at the truck - look for "commercial" registration,odds are,the guy pulling up in a F150,no buisness lettering,isn't carrying insurance...

I used Uship to get my 23 from CA to MA . . . Worked out great!

I had the 25 shipped from Ontario to Nova scotia. The boat was on a trailer, however the shipper had his own flat bed trailer. The difference in price for him to ship my trailer on his flat was 100.00 more. It was a no brainer as it saved the wear and tear on my trailer and his insurance covered my boat and trailer if it was on top of his trailer. He winched the boat and trailer up on to his. No cranes involved. Really slick. I posted some pics under performance. The thread is called Seafari 25 55mph, or something along those lines.

You might want to see if your shipper has a flat for the above reasons.

Brandon