Boat transport North Wales to Inverness

[ProDave]

Anyone got ideas of who to try for transport and rough costs we might expect to move a bilge keel 1.5 ton 24 ft yacht from North Wales to Inverness by road?

 

[dankilb]

At that size you might be best off with a non-specialist boat mover - e.g. flat bed/hi-ab. There’s quite a bit industry transporting static caravans in this area. Some have reported good prices/service through brokers such as ‘Shiply’ - although a post recently suggested they were now asking for worryingly large deposits in advance.

If you do need a specialist, Sealand boat transport moved our 41’ from N Wales to Merseyside. Can highly recommend the service although the price was hefty (£1200 - so expect to add maybe another grand at least given the distance). They move a lot of boats for the local yards here.

If you need a crane (Steve) Buckleys are excellent (Conwy/Rhyl area).

 

[ProDave]

I was hoping at 24ft 1.5 ton and bilge keels it just needs a flat bed long enough with a hiab of suitable capacity and suitable lifting strops.

 

[WoodyP]

Can you find someone local to you. It's a two way journey and unlikely to get a back load..

 

[jamie N]

PM sent.

 

[Tranona]

I was hoping at 24ft 1.5 ton and bilge keels it just needs a flat bed long enough with a hiab of suitable capacity and suitable lifting strops.

Yes. A couple of our local boat transport companies have one of those on their fleet. Not a huge saving in actual transport cost - time and mileage are the drivers of that. I would guess based on my Neyland to Poole (180 miles) between £1500-2000. big advantage of hiab is potential saving on lift costs - however many yards insist their own crane is used. Don't forget mast removal, packing and restepping. My total cost was £2200 of which truck was £1500.

 

[ProDave]

The boat is 1.5 ton and unlikely any trailer would be less than 0.5 ton so would be right at the 2 ton limit for towing with my car.

Static caravan movers would be no use, they don't have a hiab, just ramps and a winch to pull a caravan up and the load bed is not even flat, it is on a slope. the caravan movers near us won't even want to move caravans that they have not sold.

But considering all options.

That would be one ambitious delivery trip by sea.

Mast is small enough to lower by hand with a few people and transport on top of the boat. We do this regularly for crane out. No problem with destination harbour allowing a hiab alongside to lift into the water. It would be sitting exactly where a much larger crane sits every year for crane out. Not even constrained by tides, if it happens to be low tide they can lift out onto a concrete drying pad and the boat will re float on next tide.

 

[srm]

That would be one ambitious delivery trip by sea.

Its not that far if you break it down into individual legs and have the time to wait for suitable weather:
N Wales, Isle of Man, Bangor, N Channel to Islay, then various anchorages up to the Caledonian Canal.
Just part of the route I used to take a 29ft sloop home from Dartmouth to Shetland. Have done it a number of times since then including single handed but admittedly on slightly larger boats.
However, if sailing time is limited road is obviously the prefered option.

 

[PeterBoater]

Try The best transport for boat based in Scotland.

 

[ProDave]

Try The best transport for boat based in Scotland.

Thanks, but what a lousy website. If you can find any details how to actually contact them on that website please do tell, as they seem to have done a very good job of hiding that vital information from would be customers.

They seem to only deal with the actual transport and would need craning facilities at both ends to that would probably cost as much as the haulage. It would need something able to self load and unload.

 

[ProDave]

Its not that far if you break it down into individual legs and have the time to wait for suitable weather:
N Wales, Isle of Man, Bangor, N Channel to Islay, then various anchorages up to the Caledonian Canal.
Just part of the route I used to take a 29ft sloop home from Dartmouth to Shetland. Have done it a number of times since then including single handed but admittedly on slightly larger boats.
However, if sailing time is limited road is obviously the prefered option.

That would be the summer cruise taken care of and we would know the boat well by the time we got home.

 

[PeterBoater]

Thanks, but what a lousy website. If you can find any details how to actually contact them on that website please do tell, as they seem to have done a very good job of hiding that vital information from would be customers.

They seem to only deal with the actual transport and would need craning facilities at both ends to that would probably cost as much as the haulage. It would need something able to self load and unload.

A sentence at the end of my earlier post seems to have got lost but I added that Companies House shows the company is dissolved but the website is still up. As you say, there is no contact information but ten seconds on the internet gives:

CONTACT INFORMATION​

MJS Boat Transport
68 Clairinsh, Balloch, Alexandria G83 8SE, UK
Get Directions
Phone: 01389 755047
Web: mjsboattransport.com

He might have ceased trading and neglected to remove the website or perhaps just stopped being a limited company. No connection.

 

[steveeasy]

So expensive by road. Have you considered getting crew or using a firm for such. If money is not an option though and you prefer to move it by road I’m sure you will find someone .
Best wishes
Steveeasy

 

[Mister E]

Rent a suitable vehicle and flat bed trailer to move it yourself.
Pending Tool Hire do very good rates for a 3 axle flat bed trailer.

 

[steveeasy]

If it is only that weight then as above put it on a flatbed with some good straps.

 

[ProDave]

There's a thought, can you rent a 7.5t flatbed with a hiab?

If transporting by trailer would have to hire a suitable trailer and tow vehicle, I don't think the 2t rating of my own car would cut it.

 

[wallacebob]

I trailed a Westerly Pageant, mostly motorway, Fleetwood-Edinburgh, worst day of my life. Bought 3 axle trailer (resold easy) hired 24hr Hi-lux. Wouldn’t ever do it again. 40mph. Near death. Recently towed a Hunter 23 on purpose built trailer with my Subaru: brilliant journey, 60mph.

 

[ridgy]

I just had a bigger fin keel (32 foot) boat transported from Ipswich to Fleetwood 290 miles and it was 1400+VAT not including lifts either side. I used the company recommended by the brokers and didn't phone around. A guy at Fleetwood just had a smaller bilge keeled boat (about 27 foot) moved from there to Cardiff and he said he called every company going (about 15) and they all quoted around 1500+VAT. He eventually got a return load at 800+VAT. Hope that helps with current pricing information.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Hows this going for you, OP? shiply.com are worth a try. I have a mate who might be able to do it but would need more details. Crane at site etc. craning isn’t a prob as such, just a cost.

 

[WoodyP]

There's a thought, can you rent a 7.5t flatbed with a hiab?

If transporting by trailer would have to hire a suitable trailer and tow vehicle, I don't think the 2t rating of my own car would cut it.

You won't find a hiab to lift that weight on 7.5 tonne, and I suspect that you will be right on the limit weight wise..
Towing could also be a problem width and length wise.
Towing with a car