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Boat transport questions, answered short
For a trailerable boat under 8'6" of beam, most regional runs in the Northeast land in the high hundreds to low thousands. Wide loads with permits and escorts move into the several thousands, and a coast-length run — New England to Florida — is priced by the mile with the beam as the multiplier. Nobody can give you a real number without the dimensions and both addresses.
Usually because they're assuming different things: whether the yard does the lift, whether the last mile needs a shuttle, and which route the permits allow. Ask each carrier what they've assumed about access at both ends and the numbers usually converge.
Meaningfully. A three-day pickup window lets a carrier slot you into a route they're already running; a fixed date makes you the route. On long one-way runs the difference can be a quarter of the price.
No. Quotes are free and there's no obligation, and if we think trucking the boat is the wrong call we'll say so.
Wash and drain the hull, bilge and tanks. Strip the canvas, electronics, cushions and loose gear. Disconnect and tape the batteries. Latch the hatches. Take the mast, tower or arch off if the load would be over 13'6" tall. Then photograph the hull and running gear.
A quarter tank or less on a long run. Fuel is weight — 100 gallons of gasoline is about 650 pounds — and it counts against the rig's legal limit.
The carrier's cargo policy covers the boat in transit, and you should ask for the certificate and check the limit against your hull value. Most owners keep their own policy in force through the move; many marine insurers will add inland transit coverage cheaply if you give them the dates. Ask specifically who carries the risk during loading and unloading.
Nothing exotic. Proof of ownership — title or registration — and the insurance certificate. The carrier handles permits. Keep a signed copy of the condition report from pickup.
Over 8'6" of beam in every state we cover. That triggers a trip-specific state permit for each state on the route, valid for particular days and roads. Over about 12' wide adds escort vehicles, daylight-only travel and no weekend movement in most states.
The carrier. It's their equipment and their route, and permits are issued against both. You should never be asked to pull a transport permit yourself.
For invasive species, in several states — which is why a drained, washed hull matters. Commercial rigs also cross weigh stations as a matter of routine.
Six weeks is comfortable, two is tight, and for April or October in the Northeast eight is better. Book the yard's haul-out and crane slot before the truck, because the yard is almost always the harder constraint.
Most of the time, and where it can't the carrier stages nearby and shuttles the boat the last stretch. Overhead tree limbs, single-lane creek roads, low causeways and steep lake driveways are the usual reasons. Name the marina when you ask for a quote and you'll get a straight answer up front.
Someone should be, at both ends — you, the yard manager or a broker. The point is the condition walkaround and the signed report, which is much harder to sort out after the fact.
It needs a haul-out first, and that slot is the thing to book. Once it's on stands or in the slings the truck is the easy part.
Wide loads don't travel in high wind, and mountain routes don't travel in ice. A carrier will move the day rather than run it, which is the right call — build a fallback day into anything time-sensitive.
Still have a question about your boat?
Send the dimensions and both addresses. You will get a real answer, not a form response.