i need a tow from hawaii to west coast ..will pay - The Hull Truth

caboescape · 09-25-2009, 05:32 PM

Hi Everyone. need some help. i have a 51 foot x 30 foot wide trimaran powerboat that i need taken from hawaii to the west coast hopefully san diego. it can make it on its own but trying to save some money and make the trip safer. anyone have any ideas? shipping it costs too much. tight budget but will make it worth your while. anytime before December is fine. justin benham

pglein · 10-04-2009, 02:16 PM

You want someone to TOW your boat from Hawaii to San Diego? How in the world would towing it be any safer or less expensive than going on your own?

Seriously, your most cost-effective option is shipping it. Everything else will cost more. The only people I can think who would even consider towing it would be a commercial tow operation like Crowly Tug or Foss Maritime. They will probably charge six digits for that.

Quote:

tight budget but will make it worth your while

I had a renter who used to say that. It meant she was willing to trade "favors" for a place to live. Is that what you're saying?

kerno · 10-04-2009, 08:28 PM

You are going to need to do some weather research and find a time to move it on its own bottom. I've shipped several boats to and from Hawaii and the price of shipping a boat of the size you are talking about is going to be pushing or into 6 figures. Towing? Not the best idea. Taking the trip with another boat is the best. Your hull speed is going to be higher than most sailboats, so you won't be holding anyone up.

votrechien · 12-21-2009, 05:20 PM

Wow, 6 figures for shipping??

I know a fellow who has 34' trawlers shipped from China for around $20,000 a piece but I'm sure the costs go up exponentially as they get bigger than this.

pglein · 12-28-2009, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by votrechien

Wow, 6 figures for shipping??

I know a fellow who has 34' trawlers shipped from China for around $20,000 a piece but I'm sure the costs go up exponentially as they get bigger than this.

But a 34' trawler can probably be shipped in a cradle designed to go on a container ship and attach to the stack. Plus, it sounds like you're talking about recurring shipments of the same type of vessel, which reduces the cost per unit for overhead items like the cradle, etc... A 51x30 trimaran takes up the equivalent of at least 12 TEU's (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit). But since most ships are set up to carry 40' cans or 20' cans in pairs, you'd be taking up the space of 8 40' cans, or 16TEU's. By comparrison, a 34' trawler couldn't possibly take up more than 8 TEU's, and more likely takes up just four.

I would actually expect that a 51x30 trimaran could not be shipped on a container ship. It would probably have to go on a barge or something like that. I'd imagine there are somewhat regular barge transits between Hawaii and the mainland, that you might be able to get the boat on. But again, a 51x30 trimaran takes up a LOT of deck space. Can you even sling a boat like that?

I should clarify that I have been out of the shipping business for a long time and only worked in a small capacity on a couple jobs involving shipments of that size, so I'm not very familiar with the logistics of something like that. What you'd really want to do is talk to someone who is an expert. But my inclination is definitely that it would probably cost more to have it shipped than the boat is likely worth. The more common method of transporting boats of that size is on their own bottom.

~Mo~ · 12-28-2009, 07:00 PM

It would be better to hire a experienced Captain and have him bring the boat to SD for you. This is how most boats are delivered. Way cheaper then shipping on a barge or by ship.

I cant see any situation where it will be cheaper or safer to have it towed. My guess is you won't find anyone that will even attempt to tow it for you.

My guess is you have zero time at sea.
Look for someone who loves to sail who knows what they are doing and have them sail it for you.

Steve_250 · 12-30-2009, 08:08 AM

There are the companies that have the flooded deck they bring yachts onto from the stern. They float 'em in and put them on a cradle, then pump out the water so the yacht rests on the cradle. I saw it on Modern Marvels or something. They had all kinds of vessels on board heading to the Med for the winter.
These yachts were worth seven figures, nothing "cheap" on board. I would guess this method isn't cheap either. I would go with what the others said and hire an experienced crew to sail it.
But if it costs that much, just sell it and buy another one on the mainland..

pglein · 12-30-2009, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_250

There are the companies that have the flooded deck they bring yachts onto from the stern. They float 'em in and put them on a cradle, then pump out the water so the yacht rests on the cradle. I saw it on Modern Marvels or something. They had all kinds of vessels on board heading to the Med for the winter.
These yachts were worth seven figures, nothing "cheap" on board. I would guess this method isn't cheap either. I would go with what the others said and hire an experienced crew to sail it.
But if it costs that much, just sell it and buy another one on the mainland..

Dockwise Yacht Transport. They have "routes" that pretty much don't include a trip between Hawaii and the US West coast. That, and they're extremely expensive. I looked into it a while back.

Steve_250 · 12-30-2009, 09:11 AM

Just noticed, this thread is three months old and the OP has not posted back.
Dead thread.....