Shipping a boat from overseas... (Shipping a wooden boat from Finland to Alaska)

[Spin_Drift]

Sorry if I posted this in a wrong forum. I'm new here.:confused:

Does anyone have ides on what is the best way to ship a 25-26 feet long 7.5 feet wide cabin cruiser from Finland to Alaska?

I have contacted and prodded Victor Ek, a local company here in Finland and waited for answers since March. It seems they can't or are unwilling to help us.

Can you recommend any reliable international shipping companies?

Would be best to build a crate around the boat and block her and try to ship her that way?

Or, -should we buy a boat trailer for it and ship her that way?


Thanks for any help you can give us.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa111/Spin_Drift/PORTSIDEAFTER3COATSOFVARNISHSIXMORE.jpg

Please, tell me where this post belongs and I'll be glad to move it, if it should be moved.

[Manie B]

To my mind

only one way = container (not cheap)

too much work has already gone into this boat

she is beautifull

[Spin_Drift]

To my mind

only one way = container (not cheap)

too much work has already gone into this boat

she is beautifull

Thank you. :)

I've looked at containers, but they are narrower than the boat.

Do you or someone else know where can a wider container be gotten, if they are available?

Does anyone have an idea how much shipping her might cost? Ball park figure!

Victor Ek has not given us any info and we are getting ready to move back to Alaska this summer.

[safewalrus]

Most containers (you'd need a 40 footer) have internal dimensions of 7 feet 7 inches so theoretically with a lot of care you'd be able to ge your boat inside! Save on the packing a bit as well!!

Failing that your best bet is to build a crate around the boat! Send her deck cargo, with that beam and the size of the crate you wouldn't be too far outside that of a container but still outside! So a lot of companies wouldn't be interested - they can only "think inside the box" (no pun intended), if you can't get a local one how about somebody from further afield? Which ever you choose unfortunately it rathe looks like it may be expensive!

Don't forget when you do ship it make sure the boat is properly packed and covered - especially if going deck cargo! Whilst every care is taken once at sea it has to fend for itself, weather conditions may be pretty bad - salt spray and waves can do a hell of a lot of damage on their own!!

[masalai]

One beautiful bit of work, insure her and look after her well.... (The boat - I'm married but I would marry the boat - that is still legal)

[kengrome]

Some container shippers claim inside widths of 7'8" but I find that 7'4" is a safe number to rely on. Your boat is 7'6" wide so it probably won't fit upright ... but how TALL is it? You can probably ship it on its side in a high-cube container if its height is less than 7'4".

You might not have to tip it completely sideways either. Some boats with cabins narrower than the max. beam (such as yours) can fit in a container just by tilting them a little bit., maybe 10-15 degrees.

A container will probably cost you $5000 for shipping, maybe more with the rising cost of fuel these days. Deck cargo will cost you at least twice as much as container shipping (maybe 3x as much) so check the dimensions carefully and see if you can get it inside a container before you consider deck cargo.

[TeddyDiver]

I'm not sure if it would help, but you could get it from here to Vladivostok with train. From there don't know sure but maybe with some russian costal frighter up the coast to Kolyma region? and short :D cruise to Alaska..

[murdomack]

Try a palletwide container, these will fit in a ships container cell (8ft), and are the same footprint as a normal ISO container. Here are some dimensions.

GESeaCo 40' Palletwide Container 9ft6 "SeaCell"
Internal Measurements
Length 12.03 m
Width 2.35 m
Door Width 2.34 m
Height 2.69 m
Height at doors 2.58 m
Container weight: 3800 kg
http://www.geseaco.com/GESeaCo/ContainerFleet/DryFreightBoxes/

You can also get an inland container that is 8'-6" wide but it would not fit a cellular containership and would cost a premium to ship deep sea.

Your other option if your 7.5 ft is accurate is to get an open top container or an ended flatrack. If the shipper could box the flatrack between other containers it would help to shelter your boat from the elements, or it could go in the hold cells.

There is also an open sided container with sheets, that would be like the flatrack with a roof. I'm not certain if these are accepted deep sea or not.

I would get an accurate beam measurement done and my choices would be a palletwide followed by an open-top if you can get the boat into either. If you are beaten by a couple of inches, then the flatrack might keep you within the cell guide measurements and save you a lot of extra money.

I hope that you haven't underestimated the beam as you will be charged for at least an extra cell if your beam is over 8 ft

[Spin_Drift]

I'd like to thank you all for getting back to me. :)

I'm getting someone her to help me get the exact measurements of the boat, this weekend.

Will get back when I know more. Thanks again...:D

[RHP]

I would go with the tilt suggestion in a normal 40' container simply because of the protection afforded by the container structure. You might have to make a tilt trailer/frame first, place the boat and then wheel the frame into the container rather than try and tilt whilst loading.

Good luck and definitely keep us informed!
Richard

[Spin_Drift]

Has anyone ever transported a wooden boat in a tilted position? This one weighs a lot and I'm afraid that beind in a tilted position for a couple of months might do her some structual damage. :?: :eek:

I can see that would be OK with a fiberglass or alumin boat...

[TeddyDiver]

Has anyone ever transported a wooden boat in a tilted position? .

Obviously it fit's in when tilted:) You need maybe a 150m 2''x4'' timber, chainsaw, spike gun, old car tires, cargo jacks and a couple of days to do the trick. You can give me a call if need a hand:D

[safewalrus]

I'd still have my doubts - the keel is the stongest memeber for various reasons - a boat ain't designed to lie on it's side for any length of time! If it was it would be built different!!

[murdomack]

Have you measured the beam accurately yet? Do you really need to tilt her? You can get storm videos on Youtube of the weather that containerships cope with. They may be big but they still get bounced around.

[Spin_Drift]

Have you measured the beam accurately yet? Do you really need to tilt her? You can get storm videos on Youtube of the weather that containerships cope with. They may be big but they still get bounced around.

Should get someone to come here and measure her tomorrow.

I am worried about tilting her for the long journey.

Will keep you posted when I have the exact measurements.

Thank you, SpinDrift


Can you post a link to the above videos?

[safewalrus]

If you see what can happen in a seaway You won't want to ship the boat - best leave it at that!! Same as you never eat in the restaurant AFTER you've checked out the kitchen!!

[Spin_Drift]

OK, got the measurements.

She is 743 centimeters long plus motor which totals to 816 cm

She is 258 cm wide

and 213 cm tall.

I was told she is too wide to go inside a container.

I'm hesitant to ship her tilted as I'm not sure what it would do to the integrity of the boat.

What do you suggest?

BTW, she's been on dry for few years so taking her through Siberia and motoring her through Bering sea is out.

[eponodyne]

I'd look strongly at shipment to the railhead at Vladivostok (if only because that's a place that's fascinated me since I was a child) and thence as cargo. Might be able to work deals as deck cargo on local freighter to Japan and then an oil tanker, as they go out from Alaska laden and return in ballast. Anyway, that route is surely shorter and thus cheaper than across the North Sea, trans-Atlantic, then a Panama Canal transit and up the entire (by definition) Pacific coast of Central and North America. Probably about even with paperwork either way, though.

[Fanie]

He he, tilt the container to keep the boat upright :D

Nice looking piece of driftwood there. I see you polished the camera side of the hull for the picture. I was wondering what the other side of her looks like :rolleyes:

If that was my boat, and I want to take her elsewhere, I'd custom built a trailer and tow her out of there... or wait for the next big flood to take it out.

How many trees did you chop and scharf to get her like that ?

He he... What's with the eagle's and stuff on the wind... this is a boat forum :D

Build the trailer, it may take a day or two but you can always use it over and over... or sell it again.
At least you have control over it

[safewalrus]

Joking aside the trailer is worth a look! then RO-RO port to port, driving in between!! Probably expensive but that's boats!

Alternatively sell her for mucho dinero and build another!! (or is there some other reason involved?)

[Fanie]

She is 743 centimeters long plus motor which totals to 816 cm

She is 258 cm wide

and 213 cm tall.

That should qualify for trailer transport... not too wide or too high. Most places can issue a temporary license to transport an unlicensed trailer so it shouldn't be a problem.

A hired flat bed trailer could aso work... if you make supports for the hull to sit in.

[murdomack]

I was thinking you could do a deal with a shipping company and get her on a flatrack in the hold with one side out about six inches. She could be at the edge next to the hull where they usually leave some space but you would be too high as well, even before you get her onto a frame and this could cause problems and cost as well.

Maybe the trailer on the RORO ship (there are a lot of these around even on ocean routes) is the way to go, but I would talk to shipping companies that go to where you want to get to and see what they can offer. They will all have carried boats before.

Someone will have a suitable service, it's just a case of finding them. It will probably have to be a few separate legs though, with a lot of planning and preparation. You may be best to work the route from Alaska backwards to Finland, do the difficult plan first.

[AuxiliaryComms]

A thought just occured to me. If you are worried about structural integrity why not build some temporary scaffold inside the boat. The way I would do it (I've never done this before:

Figure out what angle you will have to tilt her to to get her into a container.

While she's still upright, install temporary pillars and cross bracing out of 2x4 inside the hull, at an angle that would make the pillars vertical once the boat was tilted.

Build a cradle to hold her at that angle, narrow enough to fit the container.

Any distortion of the hull would be from the weight of the high side pushing down. With the bracing in place the boat is structured as if the high side was meant to be high.

That may solve your problem without a lot of extra fuss.

http://jasonwilsondesign.com/rubbish/scaff.jpg

At least in my mind this would take the weight of the high side and transfer it through to the cradle. You would want to make sure crade sections and scaffold sections were at the same stations down the length of the boat.

[TeddyDiver]

I checked up the boat yesterday and had a pow wow whit Spin Drift.
She has desided to sell the boat. It doesn't fit in a container (not enough flare to fit in tilted) and other means cost fortunes..
Beautiful boat... sad they have to apart..

[masalai]

How sad Spin Drift, - - Such a beautiful boat... May your deity bless you and help you achieve your hearts desire....

[safewalrus]

Probably for the best, think how sad you'd be if after carting her half way around the world you open the box and all you find is matchwood! Surely better to leave a thing of beauty like that as just that!

[murdomack]

Here's how you do it with other peoples money;)

[thudpucker]

You might try a company that flies to AK (anchorage) in C-130's on a regular basis. You can get that boat and all the rest of your stuff in a C-130.
Lyndon air Cargo. Based out of Lyndon Washington state.