Shipping a Boat with a Professional Transporter: Quotes, Vetting, Prep and Claims

Transporters quote on length, beam, height and weight. Measure:

• Length overall, including pulpits, swim platform and outboards
• Beam at the widest point
• Height from the bottom of the keel or hull to the highest fixed point (arch, hardtop, flybridge, mast step)
• Dry weight from the builder, plus an honest estimate of gear aboard

Boats over 8'6" wide or over height limits need permits and sometimes escorts, which add cost and time (see our oversize permit guide). Discover Boating's overview puts the usual over-the-road height limit at about 13'6" for boat and trailer together, with arches, towers, masts and similar parts often removed to get under it, and says the pickup and delivery spots need at least about 14 feet of overhead clearance for loading. Look up before you book: trees, wires and carports at your house or marina count.

Height and width drive the price fast. A transport manager quoted by Boating Magazine says states restrict when oversize loads may move (some only midweek, in daylight and good weather), very wide loads may have to park for the weekend, and trimming an inch or two of height can save a lot in route surveys, permits and escorts. Ask the yard that removes your arch or hardtop whether it can also recommend a carrier, so the same people take it off and put it back.

BoatUS recommends a transporter that specializes in boats, not one carrying a boat to fill an empty truck. The driver needs to know how to support, balance and secure a hull, and the company needs experience with state permit agencies, because many larger boats exceed width and height limits. Ask:

• How many boats like yours they've moved
• Whether the driver is an experienced boat hauler, and whether drivers are in-house or contracted (BoatUS prefers experienced in-house drivers)
• What trailer they'll use and how the boat will be supported
• Who handles permits and escorts, and what that adds

Get at least a few quotes, and compare what's included, not just the price.

BoatUS has received many complaints from members who used bid-style clearinghouse websites. Those sites let several carriers bid on your job, but they don't verify the carriers' claims about experience, insurance or licensing, and they won't help if something goes wrong. BoatUS even notes some members found their negative reviews deleted. If you use one, vet the winning carrier exactly as you would one you called directly.

BoatUS explains that transporters are issued operating authority by the U.S. Department of Transportation, must carry vehicle insurance, and their drivers need commercial licenses with drug and alcohol testing.

Look the company up on the FMCSA's free SAFER Company Snapshot by USDOT number, MC number or name. It shows the company's identification, size, the commodities it hauls and its safety record, including any safety rating, a summary of roadside out-of-service inspections and crash information. Red flags:

• The numbers on the quote, the website and the truck don't match the FMCSA record
• Operating status or authority shown as inactive or not authorized
• A much higher out-of-service inspection rate than average. BoatUS points out that the member above could have seen his carrier failed far more truck inspections than average, a sign of sloppy maintenance

If the company you're paying is arranging the move but another company will haul it, ask for the actual carrier's name and numbers and check them too. That arranging company is a broker. The U.S. DOT describes brokers as intermediaries who arrange for motor carriers to move a shipment and says they generally don't handle the freight or take on legal liability for cargo loss and damage. So when a broker quotes you, the insurance that matters is the hauling carrier's, and your contract should say who is responsible if the boat is damaged.

BoatUS's advice: ask to see the DOT or state documents and copies of the cargo insurance, and confirm they're current. Reluctance to provide them is reason enough to look elsewhere.

Why cargo insurance matters: the federal minimum insurance rules for for-hire freight carriers set liability limits to protect the public. The separate federal requirement for cargo coverage in that rule applies to household goods movers, so don't assume a general freight carrier's filing covers your boat. Ask for a certificate showing cargo coverage, its limit and any deductible, and ask directly whether claims go to the insurer or are handled in house.

Then call your own boat insurer. Ask whether your policy covers the boat while it's being shipped, what they need from you, and whether you must notify them before launching in a new cruising area. Boating Magazine suggests going one step further: have your insurer talk directly to the carrier's insurer so there's no gap between the two policies. A carrier's cargo policy typically answers for the carrier's negligence; an accident caused by someone else on the road may land on your own policy. While you're asking questions, ask how the boat is protected from theft and damage when the truck is parked overnight.

BoatUS says every transport agreement should be in writing and cover costs, taxes, tariffs, scheduling, security, pickup and delivery locations, and refunds for cancellations or delays. If you don't understand something, ask; if you're still unclear, BoatUS suggests talking to an attorney.

On payment, BoatUS notes transporters usually want a deposit up front (often needed to buy permits and arrange escorts) and full payment at delivery. Drivers usually won't release the boat until they're paid, so arrange a certified check or an agreed wire transfer at the drop-off point if you won't be there.

BoatUS's best bet is to have a boatyard experienced in transport prep do the work. It costs money but can save a big headache. A senior GEICO | BoatUS claims adjuster adds: get a written contract that says exactly what the yard will do. For larger boats, BoatUS suggests hiring a marine surveyor to supervise the prep and loading, and another at the destination to supervise unloading and recommissioning; they know the load points and can document damage.

Whether you or a yard does it, work through BoatUS's list:

• Canvas and frames: remove Bimini tops, enclosures and their frames.
• Mast (sailboats): remove spreaders, lights and other mast fittings. Take the stays and halyards off or secure them tightly to the mast (pallet wrap works), and wrap the whole mast in padding such as carpet. BoatUS notes stays left on can mark a painted mast. Our mast stepping guide covers taking the mast down.
• Height: it's the owner's job to remove anything that might be too high: arches, antennas, radar, and on large powerboats possibly the flybridge. Bow and stern rails and stanchions may need to come off too.
• Inside: remove loose items from lockers and secure every locker door for sudden stops.
• Hatches: dog them down and tape them from the outside to keep rain out.
• Windshields: may need to be removed.
• Dinghy: take it off the davits and carry it below or ship it separately.
• Electronics: remove expensive electronics and ship them separately, or stow them securely inside with access locked.
• Shrink wrap: BoatUS says many transporters advise against it because it can tear loose at highway speed and cause damage. Ask your carrier.
• Fuel, water, holding tanks, propane and batteries: ask the carrier for its written requirements, follow them, and close fuel valves and the propane tank.

Bag and label every part and fastener you remove, and keep the bags with you or locked aboard.

The claims adjuster BoatUS quotes recommends:

• Attending the prep if you can
• Taking lots of dated photos, bow to stern and top to bottom, including the mast and the hull supports
• Photographing the interior too, for hidden damage such as a cracked bulkhead
• A quick walk-around video to catch what photos miss

If there's existing damage, note it on the transporter's "condition of cargo" form and have the driver or a company representative sign it.

Be there, or have your surveyor or a trusted person there. Make sure the boat sits on its proper supports and is strapped without straps crossing fragile rails or canvas fittings. If you can, take a photo or video as the truck drives away.

Keep in mind BoatUS's reminder that delivery dates are approximate: weather, traffic and construction can push them back.

BoatUS is blunt on this: it's the owner's responsibility to document damage on arrival, and you shouldn't let the driver leave without acknowledging any damage in writing.

1. Before unloading, take photos again from all sides, including how the boat and gear were secured; things may have shifted.
2. Walk the boat inside and out with your before photos in hand. A third-party witness who will sign a statement helps.
3. Write any damage on the delivery forms and report it to the company before accepting the boat. The adjuster warns that some drivers push you to sign a clean delivery and promise the company will "take care of it later." Don't.
4. If there's new damage, get the driver's name and license number, the USDOT number on the truck, and photos of the truck. Contract drivers with their own tractors can be hard to find later.
5. Make sure you get a copy of the driver's condition report and the driver gets a copy of yours.

If you can't be there, send the person receiving the boat your before photos so they can spot changes. If a surveyor supervised loading, have one at the destination; BoatUS warns that if you wait for the yard to notice problems during reassembly, you can't document them before the driver leaves.

Expect the boat to arrive dirty after a long trip, even when nothing is damaged.

• Call your insurance company right away and share your photos and the signed forms.
• BoatUS notes that most transporters require payment even when there's damage, and that smaller claims are often handled without an insurance company. You may need a marine surveyor to prepare a repair estimate and protect your interest.
• If the shipper is reluctant to make it right, BoatUS says to file a complaint with the Department of Transportation (FMCSA), which investigates complaints about carriers.
• Keep every email, text and receipt. Our insurance claim guide walks through the process.

• Reinstall canvas, electronics, rails and rigging, checking fasteners and wiring as you go.
• Reconnect batteries and reopen fuel and propane following your normal startup checks.
• Look for anything that rubbed, cracked or loosened during the trip, especially at the hull supports.
• Tell your insurer before you launch if you've moved to a new cruising area, as BoatUS reminds owners.