transporting a catamaran

[category4jay]

Hi guys. Can anyone tell me the feasibility of transporting a catamaran from Phoenix to either Puerto Penasco Mexico or San Diego or ?? I've checked out some boat hauler websites but most don't specifically mention Cats. have not called any of them. Because I am landlocked for the foreseeable future I am contemplating constructing a +/- 50' x 28' catamaran. Weight = +/- 29,000LBS. This may not even be possible. Just checking. Thanks.

[hoytedow]

You should check Fanie's website. He has a very ingenious method of making the catamaran more narrow. See post #8 on the thread below.

Boxy Fisher Catamaran

[category4jay]

thanks Hoyt.

[hoytedow]

You are welcome.

[Scrumble]

Originally Posted by category4jay

Hi guys. Can anyone tell me the feasibility of transporting a catamaran from Phoenix to either Puerto Penasco Mexico or San Diego or ?? I've checked out some boat hauler websites but most don't specifically mention Cats. have not called any of them. Because I am landlocked for the foreseeable future I am contemplating constructing a +/- 50' x 28' catamaran. Weight = +/- 29,000LBS. This may not even be possible. Just checking. Thanks.

We could do it here in Australia, so there is a fair chance of doing it in you part of the USA.
A good evaluation from a house moving company with a fully vertical articulated trailer is the best as the boat movers could be a little too focused on monohulls. The best thing about these trailers is that there is no cranes involved, they extend to 23meters and can jackknife the primemover (tractor) for tricky site egress. The boat will also ride somewhat lower, well below thw prime mover cab, which would be good for low over head power lines on a long trip. See my site and also get to moving photos on my flickr photos.
Just do it, all the best, Regards.

[category4jay]

Thank you scrumble. Excellent idea and photos. Looks like your project is going well.

[CatBuilder]

Jay, I'd say forget about it completely for boats over 20ft in width.

I went through the process your are beginning for 3 months straight, full time, while trying to secure a build location.

Mostly, the build location was the main problem, but the logistics were a nightmare, in general.

The wider catamarans will require the entire road shut down and both state and local police escorts for every single town you pass through. Also, you may not even get the permits.

I had one company in the northeast USA quote me $10,000, to move my 25' cat about a mile from a building to a local boat ramp. It was all back roads and only crossed one main road to get to the boat ramp. $10,000! It required all roads to be closed and state and local police escort.

Ahh... I should shop around you say?

There was only one single company from NY to Maine that could move the boat at all. That was their quote.

At a 25' beam, my boat is wider than two highway lanes in the USA. Can you imagine what it would cost to close down a highway?? The people who talked about house movers had a good thought, but how wide are the houses they move? They are tiny. They are long, narrow strips of houses. They aren't nearly as large as a 40-50ft catamaran in width. Think of a house going down the highway you've seen before What do they take, 1 lane? Maybe 1 and a half? My catamaran would take up both highway lanes and part of the breakdown lane!!

If you'd like to see my entire set of research into this mess of an idea, take a look here:

http://cruising.stuffiminto.com/mult...catamaran.html

http://cruising.stuffiminto.com/ever...elp-ideas.html

My advice? Forget about it!!

Just build the boat at the water. You'll have enough work building the boat without spending so much time working on logistics.

[bearflag]

I really have no idea, but it "may" be possible to float the thing south on the Colorado to the Sea of Cortez/Gulf of California. I don't have any idea what the water speed or size of boats that can go on that part of the river. I know there are some pretty massive boats in Laughlin, but I don't imagine they have ocean access...

Worth checking into though, might still be cheaper to ship south, float it, unload it etc.

[CatBuilder]

Originally Posted by bearflag

I really have no idea, but it "may" be possible to float the thing south on the Colorado to the Sea of Cortez/Gulf of California. I don't have any idea what the water speed or size of boats that can go on that part of the river. I know there are some pretty massive boats in Laughlin, but I don't imagine they have ocean access...

Worth checking into though, might still be cheaper to ship south, float it, unload it etc.

Definitely. There are many inland waterways that would make a lot more sense to build at, which is also what I meant when I said "build it at the water."

I had looked all along the Erie canal as well. Almost found a spot, but the building was in such bad shape, it might have been better to build outdoors.

[category4jay]

wow. unfortunately it doesnt good eh?
Catbuilder: Thanks for the heads up. seems my landlocked in arizona tag just got a tighter grip on me

[category4jay]

bearflag. Good idea but the distance from me to the colorado river is about the same as it is to the sea of cortez directly. Thanks for the thought.

[bearflag]

In that case, I'd build all the big pieces and then put it together closer to the water. There are a few designs out there that this could work.

Plus, Arizona is an outlaw state, its not like the northeast or california. The general consensus is as long as what you want to do isn't expressly forbidden, why not?

You might be able to find a route along some 2nd tier highway to the river, with a nice landing.

(:

[hoytedow]

Don't run over any undocumen... I mean illegal aliens.

[category4jay]

hoytedow you got me thinking. Ten long wooden poles spaced 5 feet apart under the 50' hulls. Put 50 guys on each pole. Thats 500 guys or 58LBS each for a 29000LB vessel. Everyone lift at once and head south over the flat desert.

[hoytedow]

Be sure to have a water buffalo.

http://www.armyproperty.com/Equipmen...er-Buffalo.htm