Resources:
Practical Sailor article
(9/96)
Hans
Christian Owners Association article by Gary Cooper, "Truckin
Tillie", 1993.
The Boat:
1982 Hans Christian 33 Mark
II
Beam: 11 1/2'
Weight: ~2 tons
Height: unknown
42' LOA (including bow sprit
and stern pulpit)
All of the below have air
ride trailors and are designed to carry boats. None have exhaust
led below. All are insured, bonded, and reputable companies.
Most are familiar with the yards in both Alameda and Seattle, and the route
to be taken. I got the names from Latitude
38, personal recommendations and boat yard recommendations. It's
a good idea to ask boat yards which truck companies they are familiar with,
and ask the truck companies which boat yards they prefer to use.
The Companies:
Associated Boat Transport,
Inc.
13930 N.E. 190th
Woodenville, CA 98072
800/247-1198
206/487-6700
206/485-4480 fax
Don Schwartz - did not speak
to on the phone
$2,519 - no extra charge
for stop in transit
On Seaview West's list.
Did not answer boat height question.
Kevin's Quality Marine Boat
Transporting
2122 Northgate Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95833
800/646-0292
916/646-3241 fax
Spoke with Sean, who was
very pleasant to deal with; answered all my questions in a friendly,
helpful manner.
$2,400
Total height = 14'
trailor needs 1' leaves 13' for boat
Equipment is replaced every
two years; air ride trucks and trailors; clean exhaust.
Jack Kane (local Hans Christian
broker) says he's heard the most (good) about this one.
Dallas Mavis Specialized
Carrier Co.
9798 Normandy Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32221
800/332-6287
904/781-2200
904/781-1558 fax
Richie Richardson - did
not speak to on the phone
$2,318
Rate at 12' of boat height
All trailors, but not all
tractors are air ride.
On Svendsen's list; Nelson's
said he doesn't see much of them, but this is the one we saw Chance
go out of Nelson's on.
Dudley Boat & Trailor
Transportation, Inc.
947 Valentine Ave. SE
Pacific, WA 98047
800/426-8120
206/838-1450
206/863-5149 fax
Jim Baxter - answered my
questions, but was a bit impatient/gruff to talk to. Assured me that
they don't want us to have to remove more than we need to from the boat
in order to meet height limit.
$2,150 + $35 for stop in
transit (to pick up mast from another yard)
14' 4" is max limit before
pilot cars are needed
13' 3" maximum boat height
Needs 1' for trailor
On Nelson's and Seaview
West's lists. Highly recommended by Tom Friend (HC 38).
Alviso Boat Tranport
P.O. Box 808
Alviso, CA 95002
800/684-BOAT
408/263-8723
408/263-3192 fax
Ivan Cady - responded to
second fax; prefers to do business by phone.
$2,150
On both Svendsen's and Nelson's
list; Jerry and Dale (Mom's friends) used this one.
No height over 14' including
1' for trailor
30% deposit for booking
date.
PK Boat Transportation
http://members.aol.com/boathaul/pkntrprs.htm
Boathaul@aol.com
$2,025
423/522-8362
Kenny Breeden, load coordinator
for Sea Ray Boats - did not speak to on the phone.
Seaview West recommends we
stay away from Boats Express (Greg Hutchins).
Our Experience:
We decided to use Dudley based on cost and the recommendation's of people we know. We did not have a perfect trip, but we would probably use them again.
We didn't get additional insurance for our truck trip because our agent said that it would only add on natural disaster type things like lightening, flood, etc. She said our present coverage and the trucking company's coverage were plenty. We have a liveaboard policy with Acordia/Petit-Morrey up in Seattle. It includes personal liability, the boat and all of our belongings including our storage unit. This won't work for cruising, but I highly recommend this type of insurance for the interim.
The truck was over 24 hours late in arriving at the yard in Alameda. The boat was loaded and the truck was on its way by 1430 on a Thursday. The driver did not travel at night and the boat ended up spending the weekend in the truck yard. It was delivered to the Seattle boat yard on Monday at Noon. We were bitterly dissappointed by these delays. Friends with a Bristol Channel Cutter used the same company for the same trip and the truck took 25 hours to deliver their boat. This is probably because of its smaller size which allowed the driver to travel at night.
We had used this opportunity to replace the rigging and have the mast refinished a few months before our departure. So these were left off of the boat until we reached Seattle. The carpeting used to protect the mast on the truck's mast stands slipped out from under the mast and left nickel sized spots where the paint rubbed away. The trucking company's insurance covered the repair done by the Seattle yard, but there went Svendsen's perfect paint job. We had wrapped the mast ourselves with a thin foam packing material, Saran wrap and packing tape.
If you plan to do any work on the boat before launching, be sure that the yard receiving the boat understands this! We had a misunderstanding with our Seattle boat yard reservation. They assumed that we were launching from the truck and when they found out we still needed to paint the bottom, they didn't have room for us in their yard. Luckily there was room for usat their sister yard and we were able to contact the trucking company to notify the driver of the change in plans.
Overall, we felt we made the right decision and we would probably do it the same way for a future trip up north. It saved wear and tear on both our home and our psyches!