Where boats move in Rhode Island
Newport is the name, and the capability is real: full-service yards, riggers, and cranes sized for 80-foot boats, all a few minutes from Route 138. Across the bay, Bristol, Portsmouth and Warren hold a deep concentration of builders and storage yards, and Wickford, East Greenwich and Warwick handle the west side. Little Compton and Sakonnet sit off on their own with tighter roads.
The fall offshore departure season sets the calendar. Between late October and mid-November, Newport empties toward the Caribbean and Florida, and every travel lift, rigger and hauler in the state is committed. Spring reverses it in April and May. Move a boat in the weeks either side and everything is easier.
Block Island is ferry freight out of Point Judith, booked separately from the road legs and tight in summer.
Get a quote for your boat
Powerboats and cruisers
Center consoles, sportfish and cabin cruisers. Under 8’6” of beam it travels on ordinary plates; over that we pull the permits and plan the route around the bridges.
Quote a powerboat
Sailboats
Mast unstepped at the yard, keel cradled, air draft planned before the truck books. Tell us your rigger’s date and we schedule around it.
Quote a sailboat
Small craft and PWC
Jet skis, skiffs, tenders and anything already on its own trailer. The quickest to schedule and the cheapest per mile.
Quote small craftMoving in or out of Rhode Island
Short runs to Massachusetts and Connecticut are the bread and butter — often same-day, often round-trip, and priced better than a one-way leg. Long southbound runs go I-95 through New York, and RIDOT's per-trip oversize permits are quick.
One local advantage: because Bristol and Portsmouth yards store so many boats indoors and out, it's common to truck a boat here for the winter from as far as Long Island and back in the spring.
Where a hull is not worth the cost of the haul, boat donation program is a cleaner exit than trucking it somewhere to sit again.
When trucking is not worth it
Boats coming out of long storage are the ones worth pricing carefully. If a hull has sat for six seasons and the quote to move it is climbing past what it would sell for, donating the boat is a cleaner exit than trucking it somewhere to sit again.
Still working out the details? The marine transport guide covers permits, prep and pricing end to end, and the FAQ handles the short questions.
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.
