Restoring/repairing a 1970 Pacemaker in the MidWest

[lewisboats]

I got an email from a gentleman who lives in Yankton SD and he is looking for...well here's the email so you can read it for yourself:

Sir:
I have an old 1970 Pacemaker cabin cruiser (about 38 FT.) currently stored near Yankton, SD. I need to haul it to Sioux City and have the hull repaired and caulked, and also the engines checked out. Can you recommend someone in the Sioux City area to haul it and repair? Its sitting on a cradle on top of a hay wagon right now and can be brought to Sioux City as is.

I know for a fact there is no one in SC that can do the job...so if anyone knows of a shop or facility somewhere ( I suspect it will be east of the Miss.) please let me know so I can pass it along.

THX
Steve

[charmc]

Steve,

Here are some sources for this.

http://www.marinesource.com/advertis..._transport.cfm

http://www.1staboard.com/

http://www.marine-movers.com/

http://bigboattransport.com/

I'd recommend he be very sure to get a reference list, at least 8 or 10. You decide which ones to call, and ask very specific questions. Look for membership in a national carriers association, etc. etc.

Very important It is critical to be sure the transport company furnishes a rig driver who is experienced in boat transport, rather than taking the job under their name and subcontracting it to some guy who is a safe semi rig driver but has no experience hauling boats. My son purchased a vintage Porsche with a transmission problem, located in a rural area several hundred miles from his home. He contracted with a well known classic car transport service, recommended by several people, to have it picked up and delivered to a repair shop near his town. Because of the car's location, they in turn subbed the job to another company, whose driver did not read the instructions on the dispatch order, and attempted to drive the car up the ramp. The driver fried the clutch and broke a gear, causing another $6,000 in damages. Fortunately there were witnesses, so my son was able to collect, although not without a lot of effort. The lesson here is to check all the details personally. Even the best transport services use subcontractors, so he needs to check every aspect of the move Even though it's on a cradle, it will need to be tied down, and the right balance between tightening straps enough to be secure but not enough to cause damage takes experience and training.