How do I get a small sailing boat trailered from A to B in Devon?

[Capt Popeye]

Mobile Marine Engineering in AXMINSTER used to have good Boat Trailers that they will hire out ; I hired one for a 18ft Row Boat a few years ago , did a South Wales delivery trip n back in one day so one days hire about 130.00

Best wishes on your searches

 

[Capt Popeye]

There is a Transport Company in Dawlish (cana recall name) they do a few boat deliveries with a HiAb lorry ; often launching into the EXE at Cockwood rear Starcross

 

[Aquanaught]

If you are keeping your boat on the Exe then you will probably need a trailer for haul out in the winter - keeping a boat on a swinging mooring over winter is not really advisable. There are sites around who will store your boat/trailer if you don't have space at home. We used to have a boat there and used Trouts at Topsham to lift onto / from trailer. Suggest you join one of the local clubs such as Starcross and there will be pleanty of help and advice available, but buying a boat on a trailer is the best option.

 

[dunedin]

The where from depends - I'm basically looking at several different boats and trying to factor in price/effort of moving them here as part of the deal. I doubt I'd go further afield than Plymouth. The where to is the Exe estuary.

It's becoming increasingly clear to me that only sensible options are:

1. Wait until I'm experienced enough to sail it round the coast myself.

2. Get one that's already here (or that the seller is willing to bring here).

Spending 500 quid just on delivering a boat that's worth 1 to 1.5k is silly on it's face.

Have you done a rough budget for
(A) boat renovations
(B) boat running costs - including summer mooring and winter storage /berth and lifts, if needed, insurance etc
(C) boat repair costs

You may be too new to this game to have come across the term BOAT - “bring out another thousand” (£)

 

[Tranona]

The where from depends - I'm basically looking at several different boats and trying to factor in price/effort of moving them here as part of the deal. I doubt I'd go further afield than Plymouth. The where to is the Exe estuary.

It's becoming increasingly clear to me that only sensible options are:

1. Wait until I'm experienced enough to sail it round the coast myself.

2. Get one that's already here (or that the seller is willing to bring here).

Spending 500 quid just on delivering a boat that's worth 1 to 1.5k is silly on it's face.

I think I said in reply to an earlier question of yours that the purchase price of an old boat is just the entry ticket to a lifetime of expenditure. You are right £500 is a lot in relation to a boat costing £1500 - but I have just paid £2500 to get my boat to where I want it. Transport cost is based on today's cost of fuel, drivers time and cost of running the truck. then think of cranage - a 20' boat will not self load onto a trailer and transport companies will not put their trailers into water.

When buying a boat, forget about what individual items might cost. The only thing that matters is the cost of getting the boat you want to the place you want it in the condition you want. Set a budget and if it is less than say £5k for a 20' then the only sensible thing is to buy a fully functioning boat that is either in the water or out for the winter but needing only antifoul to launch. Then go sailing. If a boat needs moving, any significant work needs doing or storage you can watch that sort of sum disappear very quickly before you even get a chance to find out if you like sailing.

Here are some examples of boats near you that can be bought for less than £5k. Some are a bit bigger than you are looking at but are all usable and just as easy to learn to sail on.

boatshed.com/mystere_flyer_26-boat-316601.html
boatshed.com/leisure_23-boat-310565.html
boatshed.com/westerly_centaur-boat-312146.html
boatshed.com/sunwind_26-boat-306274.html

Better to spend your money on a complete boat than on one that needs work or needs moving.

 

[KevinV]

In

I think I said in reply to an earlier question of yours that the purchase price of an old boat is just the entry ticket to a lifetime of expenditure. You are right £500 is a lot in relation to a boat costing £1500 - but I have just paid £2500 to get my boat to where I want it. Transport cost is based on today's cost of fuel, drivers time and cost of running the truck. then think of cranage - a 20' boat will not self load onto a trailer and transport companies will not put their trailers into water.

When buying a boat, forget about what individual items might cost. The only thing that matters is the cost of getting the boat you want to the place you want it in the condition you want. Set a budget and if it is less than say £5k for a 20' then the only sensible thing is to buy a fully functioning boat that is either in the water or out for the winter but needing only antifoul to launch. Then go sailing. If a boat needs moving, any significant work needs doing or storage you can watch that sort of sum disappear very quickly before you even get a chance to find out if you like sailing.

Here are some examples of boats near you that can be bought for less than £5k. Some are a bit bigger than you are looking at but are all usable and just as easy to learn to sail on.

boatshed.com/mystere_flyer_26-boat-316601.html
boatshed.com/leisure_23-boat-310565.html
boatshed.com/westerly_centaur-boat-312146.html
boatshed.com/sunwind_26-boat-306274.html

Better to spend your money on a complete boat than on one that needs work or needs moving.

Excellent advice there - if a £1500 boat costs £500 to get it where you want it then you're better buying a £2000 boat that's already there.

 

[Laysula]

As others have said Sail it round. You don't have to do it all in one leg. You may even find a mooring for the summer close to where you buy it where you could sail it and pick up enough experience to give you the confidence to sail it back. Our first boat was a Snapdragon 21, which we towed with a 2.3 diesel Sierra.

 

[Alfie168]

Buy a boat that comes with a roadworthy trailer. If there's no trailer the asking price needs the cost of moving added on to it.

The economics dictate here that you either buy a boat with a trailer or buy a secondhand trailer that is roadworthy. Suitable trailers secondhand are not quite rocking horse poo but might take a bit of searching for, and you need to know the trailer will accommodate your hull profile or have a means of adjustment of pads and suchlike. Getting the big boy transporters in is overkill in every way. I doubt anybody would lend you a trailer either as once your boat is on it, the risk to the lender is it might never come off again !

I suppose a new trailer is out of the question, but if you keep trawling facebook market place or whatever,low miles bargains (hopefully not stolen) do crop up from time to time.

Good luck either way.

 

[Andrew_Trayfoot]

Why no look in Weymouth/Poole/Solent?
Lots of boats to choose from. (We have one in our club [Lilliput SC Poole] that the club has been taken from the owner to cover unpaid fees).

You may find one with a trailer, or sail it home along the south coast which is a far easier trip than around the Lizard...

 

[Dellquay13]

Is this the same boat you talk about making your permanent home in the live aboard forum?
Better to follow Tranonas advice and buy something bigger, local to where you will be allowed to live aboard all year.

 

[ProDave]

If you need to tow it, then look for a boat for sale with a trailer, but give the trailer a GOOD inspection before just trusting it.

 

[Neil_Y]

I'm looking at boats in the 19-22 foot range wihtin a 50 mile radius of me, and this would probably involve trailering over land. I live on the south coast of Devon where sailing and boats are popular, but I've had no luck figuring this out yet.

I've tried calling companies that do the haulage themselves. Tried about 6 different Google results for the area. 3 of them the mobile number wasn't recognised, and 3 of them all turned out to be the same company with different websites. That company told me 500 quid, and it would have to be craned on and off, even though this is a small trailerable sailboat and there are slips at each end.

The other route was hiring a trailer myself, but none of the trailer places I've found even do boat trailers, and didn't know of anybody that did. Buying a trailer is unfeasible, since it's a one time use thing and I have nowhere to keep it anyway.

I'm a little confused; this is one of the most popular places in the country for sailing, and I'm struggling to find anybody who does this.

I can recommend this company Plymouth Trailer Hire - PTH they have boat trailers but not sure if they have one to suit your boat.

 

[Blueboatman]

Buy a welder
Buy a flatbed trailer
Buy a towbar
And …. Buy a bilgekeel boat

Why pay someone else to -not- add value to your boat/transport/winter haulout package ? That’s just throwing boat money away
But you know this too probably
——
Even better ??
Put a wanted @Exe advert around

 

[Neil_Y]

Wouldn't feel confident doing that with my level of experience at this time of year. In a couple of instances boats I'm looking at are on hard standings well inland. Another is on a lake.

Do a coastal skippers course. I'm pretty sure they run courses through the winter in Plymouth. If you have the time to choose when you sail then coastal hopping around Cornwall in settled weather would be a good way to learn, maybe get someone with more experience to help with the delivery? Could be a fun trip.

 

[steveeasy]

Moved a boat from the River Exe to Totnes in 2016. They used Hiab lorry to load and unload. Cost was £650 then. Id think that may well be nearer £8-900 today. Best part a day buy the time its loaded and offloaded.

Steveeasy

 

[Stemar]

I think I said in reply to an earlier question of yours that the purchase price of an old boat is just the entry ticket to a lifetime of expenditure. You are right £500 is a lot in relation to a boat costing £1500 - but I have just paid £2500 to get my boat to where I want it. Transport cost is based on today's cost of fuel, drivers time and cost of running the truck. then think of cranage - a 20' boat will not self load onto a trailer and transport companies will not put their trailers into water.

When buying a boat, forget about what individual items might cost. The only thing that matters is the cost of getting the boat you want to the place you want it in the condition you want. Set a budget and if it is less than say £5k for a 20' then the only sensible thing is to buy a fully functioning boat that is either in the water or out for the winter but needing only antifoul to launch. Then go sailing. If a boat needs moving, any significant work needs doing or storage you can watch that sort of sum disappear very quickly before you even get a chance to find out if you like sailing.

Here are some examples of boats near you that can be bought for less than £5k. Some are a bit bigger than you are looking at but are all usable and just as easy to learn to sail on.

boatshed.com/mystere_flyer_26-boat-316601.html
boatshed.com/leisure_23-boat-310565.html
boatshed.com/westerly_centaur-boat-312146.html
boatshed.com/sunwind_26-boat-306274.html

Better to spend your money on a complete boat than on one that needs work or needs moving.

Big +1.

Am I right in thinking you will be living aboard? If so, 18-22ft is a short road to cabin fever. I had a friend who lived on a Centaur (26') in a marina with mains electricity, and that was bad enough in winter. Marina fees will hurt, but while a small boat on an affordable mooring may be delightful in summer, it's going to be a miserable existence in winter.

 

[Dellquay13]

Big +1.

Am I right in thinking you will be living aboard? If so, 18-22ft is a short road to cabin fever. I had a friend who lived on a Centaur (26') in a marina with mains electricity, and that was bad enough in winter. Marina fees will hurt, but while a small boat on an affordable mooring may be delightful in summer, it's going to be a miserable existence in winter.

I would compare it to trying to live in a garden shed
If it must be 22’, a motorboat like a Shetland 4+2 with camper hood would be more spacious.
You have narrowboat experience, they may be narrow but there is very little unusable space aboard. Motor boats are similar but yachts are surprisingly cramped for similar lengths. Narrow bows and sterns, and large cockpits make internal space on sub 27’ yachts less than you expect.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I would compare it to trying to live in a garden shed
If it must be 22’, a motorboat like a Shetland 4+2 with camper hood would be more spacious

I think a garden shed would be preferable.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I live aboard, previously on a 35ft sail boat, currently a 45ft mobo. Anyone planning to live on a 19-22ft sailboat has to be mad.

 

[James_Calvert]

On the original question, there are a lot of boats in Salcombe which local companies transport to and from their inland storage over the season.

Might be worth ringing one or two up. They are mostly moving RIBs around so probably couldn't directly help, but they might know someone that could.

Off the top of my head, try Reddish Marine in Salcombe, Wills Marine in Kingsbridge, Frogmore Marine Services (near Kingsbridge).

You'll be paying premium rates for any of these guys of course...but if a boat you're interested in is nearby it might make sense.