Chapter 01
What a hauler needs from you
Every accurate quote starts with the same six facts, and none of them require a survey. Length overall, beam at the widest point, height from the keel to the highest fixed point, weight, and the pickup and delivery addresses. If you don't know the weight, the manufacturer's dry weight plus fuel, water and gear is close enough to price from.
The addresses matter as much as the dimensions. A carrier quoting an unfamiliar marina is guessing at the last mile, and that guess is where surprise charges come from. Name the yard, not the town.
- Length, beam, height. Beam over 8'6" makes the load oversize. Height over 13'6" on the trailer starts ruling out routes.
- Weight, honestly. Dry weight plus fluids and gear. A full 100-gallon tank is 650 pounds.
- Both addresses by name. Marina, boatyard or street address on each end, not just the city.
- Who lifts it. Whether the yard is doing the haul-out and load, or the carrier needs to bring equipment.
- Your window. A three-day range prices better than a single date, every time.
Chapter 02
Prep, and who does it
The yard preps the boat; the carrier moves it. The split matters because both bill for it. Before a truck arrives the boat should be pressure-washed, drained, and stripped of anything that isn't bolted down — canvas, electronics, cushions, loose gear in the cabin. Batteries disconnected. Fuel down to a quarter tank or less if the run is long.
Masts, radar arches, towers and outriggers come off if they put the load over height. Yards do this work routinely, but their crane calendars in April and October fill before the trucks do, so book the rigging first and the transport around it.
- Wash and drain. Bilge, livewells, water tanks. Several states inspect for invasive species at the line.
- Strip and stow. Canvas off, electronics out, hatches latched, nothing loose in the cockpit.
- Disconnect batteries. And tape the terminals.
- Drop the height. Mast, tower, arch or antenna off if the load is over 13'6".
- Photograph it. Hull, gelcoat, running gear, before the boat leaves. It takes five minutes and settles any question later.
Chapter 03
Permits and oversize rules
Permits are the carrier's job, not yours, but knowing the thresholds tells you why a quote is priced the way it is. Under 8'6" of beam a boat is a normal load and moves on ordinary trailer plates. Over that, every state on the route issues its own trip-specific oversize permit, valid for particular days and roads.
Above roughly 12' of beam you're into escort vehicles, daylight-only travel and no weekend movement in most states. That's why a Friday afternoon start on a wide load usually means the truck sits until Monday, and why the same boat costs different amounts to move on different routes.
Chapter 04
Insurance, and what it actually covers
A licensed carrier holds cargo insurance covering the boat in transit, and you should ask to see the certificate rather than take it on faith. Read the limit: if it's below your hull value, the difference is yours. Most owners keep their own policy in force through the move, and many marine insurers will extend inland transit coverage for a nominal amount if you tell them the dates.
Loading and unloading is the gap worth asking about. Some policies cover the boat only while it's on the road, not while it's in the slings. Confirm who carries that risk before the lift starts.
Chapter 05
Booking windows that work
Spring launch and fall haul-out are the two weeks a year when every yard, lift and local carrier on the coast is committed at once. Mid-April to late October is the season in the Northeast; the shoulders on either side are cheaper, easier to schedule and less likely to slip.
For a long run — Florida to New England, or a post-purchase delivery across several states — six weeks of lead time is comfortable and two is tight. One-way runs price best when they backfill a truck already heading that direction, which only works if you can give the carrier a flexible pickup date.
Chapter 06
When trucking isn't the answer
Sometimes the arithmetic says no. If a boat has sat behind a garage for six seasons, needs a bottom job and a repower, and the transport quote is approaching what the hull would sell for, moving it just relocates the problem. Selling locally, hiring a captain to run it on its own bottom, or donating a boat to charity are all legitimate outcomes and worth pricing against the haul.
We'll tell you when we think that's the case. A quote you don't accept is a better outcome than a move you regret.
What drives the price
Roughly in order of how much each one moves the number.
01
Distance and direction
Mileage sets the floor. Whether the truck has a return load sets how far above the floor you land.
02
Beam
The single biggest step change. Crossing 8’6” adds permits; crossing 12’ adds escorts and daylight-only travel.
03
Height and weight
Over 13’6” narrows the routes. Over 14’ rewrites them. Weight decides which rig can take the job.
04
Access at both ends
A yard a truck can pull into costs less than a creek-side marina that needs a shuttle for the last mile.
05
Season
April and October carry a premium everywhere in the Northeast. February does not.
06
Date flexibility
A three-day window lets a carrier fit you into a route. A fixed date makes you the route.
A realistic timeline
6 weeks out
Get quotes. Confirm dimensions and both addresses, and ask each carrier what their permit and access assumptions are.
4 weeks out
Book the yard first — haul-out slot, and the crane if a mast or tower has to come off. Then book the truck around it.
1 week out
Confirm the driver’s arrival window with the yard. Check insurance certificates and your own transit coverage.
2 days out
Wash, drain, strip and stow. Disconnect the batteries. Photograph the hull and running gear.
Move day
Someone should be present at both ends. Walk the boat with the driver, sign the condition report, keep a copy.
Ready when you are
Tell us the boat, the two addresses and the week you have in mind. The quote comes back with the permit and access notes already accounted for.
