Boat and Yacht Transport Part 3: Overseas Shipping

When you want to move your boat, but don't want to sail it, what are your options? In part one of this series, we looked at trucking a boat overland. In part two, we looked into hiring a professional delivery captain to transport a boat. In this final section, we'll look at shipping by ocean transport.

Think about cruising in your own boat, then hitching a ride on the ship for the long passages, and then cruising on somewhere new. In many respects, and for many people, this is the ideal way to travel – allowing both you and the boat to avoid the bad passages, hurricane/typhoon/snow seasons, pirate waters, doldrums and long beats to weather, but still allowing you to cruise your own boat in your favorite locations around the world.

There are two major ways to transport a boat by ship. Either as cargo aboard a freighter (including roll-on/roll-off ships), or via a float-on/float-off specialty ship sailed by Dockwise. One has the advantage of flexibility in your scheduling and logistics, while the other offers near-perfect convenience if you can meet their set schedule.

Shipping as freight

Cost and time being no object, you can ship even a fairly large yacht from and to nearly every port in the world as sea freight. Like any other freight, however, the boat must be packaged for shipping, and the less it's packaged, the more damage it is likely to sustain. Since the 8 foot beam of a cargo container is a bit less than most have (or want) on their boats, the vessel must be specially prepared for transit. The preparation necessary will largely depend on the particular ship(s) you'll be using, and their loading requirements.

Sometimes, it's possible to load a sailboat on a ship without lowering the rig. Generally, however, the boat is prepared much as for trucking (spars removed, everything braced and padded, etc.), except a cradle is built for the boat, the vessel is almost always shrink-wrapped (more to help dissuade petty theft than anything else), and then it is lifted and placed on the ship via crane.

There are also a few roll-on/roll-off transporters that allow boats to be loaded via trailer. Where these ships travel, this can be a much easier option than crane-loading, and may be chosen over a typical freighter in most situations, as it's felt these vessels are generally better-designed for handling vehicle cargo, and it is often much more protected than on standard freighters. Opinions vary.

At the other side, of course, the boat must be put back together, re-masted, and launched. Though we've heard of people launching from a ship's own crane and remasting from a shoreside tree or convenient bridge, a boatyard might come in handy. The more out-of-the-way the destination, the more likely that you'll be forced to do the work yourself.

If you are moving your boat between out-of-the-way ports, sea freight may be your only viable option. The best place to start is to contact trucking companies and perhaps some boat brokers, and ask them who they work with, and “who does a good job”. Call around, and find which names keep popping up, then ask for references.

Dockwise

Imagine a floating dry-dock that thinks it's a cruise ship. Or better yet, imagine someone lifting your boat right out of the water, as is, and then dropping it off thousands of miles later, just as it was, ready to sail. Well, some smart people not only imagined that, but they built the ships and provide the service.

If you're heading between the right ports, and you can meet their schedule, Dockwise is hard to beat. The giant ships literally sink until their decks are below water, the yachts in transit are sailed on, and the ships lift with the boats on board. At the other end of the trip, the ship lowers, and the boats are sailed off, ready to go. It's something like a car ferry, but for yachts.

You can even make arrangements to stay aboard the ship for the journey, so you don't miss a mile. While it's not a luxury cruise ship, there are nice amenities on these vessels (like a movie theater), and a whole lot more space than you're likely to have when you're back on your own boat. Alternately, you can fly your passages, and find your boat ready and waiting when you arrive. We can't help but think you'd be missing a hell of a party, though.

Now comes the down side. Dockwise is understandably popular, and its sailings usually fill up quickly (often with luxury motoryachts). So, being a capitalist enterprise, and what with that whole supply and demand thing, it's not cheap. It is, however, priced competitively enough to be a real option for many - especially when taking into account boatyard expenses on both ends of nearly any other transport method. One friend, who avoided a long uphill slog via dockwise recently, told us the service was “priceless.”

Dockwise also has a limited schedule, and serves a limited number of ports. So, scheduling and logistics are pretty much set in stone. Having built a better mousetrap, the company is trying to meet demand, and has just added the 687.5-foot (209 meter) M/V Yacht Express to their fleet, making a total of four specialized yacht carriers in operation. Even with the added capacity, however, the ships are nearly always sailing full. This means you need to make plans far in advance. Check with Dockwise, though, as they do sometimes have last-minute deals.

Conclusion: You can literally ship your boat to most any port in the world. If you're shipping your boat as freight, whether on a freighter or as roll-on/roll-off cargo (which is preferred), preparing the boat will likely be a key to having it in usable condition when it arrives. If you're lucky enough to be transporting between ports served by Dockwise, you may be able to avoid heavy preparation, and have your boat picked up and dropped off as-is, but you'll need to plan ahead.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE ARTICLES ABOUT BOAT AND YACHT TRANSPORT.