Delivery Suggestions? FL to Great Lakes

[IRENE]

Hello BD,

I have been reading this thread and I looked at your boat. I respect where you are on the situation.

If I was retired, I would offer to do the delivery for you at a price you couldn’t refuse. Since that is a pipe dream, I offer the following.

These guys are highly recommended out here. I met them when they moved my former neighbor’s Offshore 46 up the coast. They are reportedly fair and conscientious. I don’t know their interest or desire to do a canal trip, but it would sure be more interesting than a slog down either coast. I’m sure they would be happy to chat with you.

https://www.sandiegocaptains.com/

Good Luck Sir -

 

[garmstro55]

If you want to explore overland again, I would contact Rick Sweeten at Line Six Services - Home. Rick is an honest guy who used to breakdown and re-assemble Silvertons for boat shows on behalf of the factory. Now he specializes in relocations, especially Silvertons. He handles all the logistics from dis-assembly, trucking and re-assembly. I have used his mechanical services and he is a good resource.

 

[bobbyp]

My wife and I are pretty inexperienced and we did the 5 Okeechobee locks with no problems. One on flybridge and one in cockpit. I'd recommend 2 decent boat hooks.

Since you are in Stuart, did you consider leaving the boat in Florida for a few months? There are some semi reasonably priced marinas in the Fort Lauderdale area. Benefits are tons of cheap flights into Fort Lauderdale from pretty much anywhere at anytime and you have access to the beauty of the keys and the Bahamas.
Look at this as an opportunity to bring the boat back up north in the summertime - prime cruising season on the Hudson and the Erie Canal.

 

[jgtrucking]

to me it comes down to what does it cost for me to be off work, vs the cost of the Captain and Crew? Fuel you burn either way. So do you make more in a week than what you pay the Capt and Crew for 7 days? If so... maybe that's your best option. If not, then you are better taking off and doing it yourself... even if you have to split it in 2 trips.

 

[rcpete54]

My wife and I would be interested. We usually spend the winter in Florida or the Bahamas every winter on our boat. We’ve owned small and large trawlers and a 46’ Regal. We did the loop 3 years ago and have been up and down the East coast from Key West up several times. We would want to start early enough to be at the Erie Canal by late May when it gets safe there. We live within an hour drive from the Trent and Georgeon Bay. My home town is Sault MI and we’ve boated there and Lake Superior many times. We would do it for $300/day plus expenses. If interested reply or call me at (906) 440-2215. Good luck

 

[bobbyp]

If you do have someone else move the boat north by water make sure that your insurance company is informed of and approves of whoever you select.

 

[AdkChris]

I'll go

Responsible semi retired engineer.
Will crew for Diet Coke and the experience.
I want to do the loop but my current boating experience is in boats under 20' so I will crew as a way to get experience.

 

[GB36_OuttaHere]

Paul Russell. Russell Marine Transport. 972 837 3592

He moved my Grand Banks 36 from Tampa to Dallas. Great honest guy. He is the owner, driver, loader, etc. He's def worth calling. You can check him out on FB, Instagram and the web.

I've made the Maryland to NC run twice. I'd recommend driving her yourself and taking 1-2 friends, or getting to know folks on this, or the Great Loop website. IE: There are plenty of guys (like me) that would take a week off and do a leg with you, paying their own way. References shouldn't be hard to get, phone interview, etc. it's not like you're crossing the ocean. if you don't click, boot them off at the next town.. LOL

Good luck

 

[jimfrens]

Offering my services for a second hand. I'm a 50 Ton Master, but without a lot of ICW experience. I'd love to do this trip with a more experienced hand, I will cover my own costs.
Jim in Edenton, NC (a common ICW layover)

 

[tn6437]

options

I have been reading the posts on this thread. last year I bought my boat in Florida and needed to get it to Cincinnati. I researched all the options, trucking delivery captains etc. in the end I drove the boat home myself. I did it alone for the trip from ft. Myers to Pensacola . a friend joined me for a week til we got to Demopolis where the tenn-tom was closed due to a lock closure. left the boat at a marina in Demopolis for about 6 weeks. my son accompanied me from Demopolis to Cincinnati, up river most of the trip but not too bad. took us almost 3 weeks but it was the best 3 weeks of our lives.
if there is anyway you can do it yourself in stages I highly recommend it. I have seen firsthand how delivery captains run a boat, hard and full speed.

 

[SBR]

I totally agree with Bacchus, Lock view has moved many boats for us cant say enough good about them. Very honest and professional.

 

[Bill The kid]

HI When are you planing on starting the trip up for FL . I do have a captain license and i can check with my mate on this . Will you be starting the trip or just waiting for the boat to get to a certain Destination. and then you take it from there .let me know here is my email. brscustombars@gmail.com we can go from there thanks Captain Bill.

 

[pattormey]

Happy to deliver for $3000

I just made an offer on a Silverton 410 Sedan Bridge in FL, and I need to get it up to the Great Lakes. I've been in communication with Joule for a couple weeks now regarding estimates to have it trucked back, but they haven't given me anything firm and now that we need to get to brass tacks, there's all sorts of scheduling challenges.

So given the astronomical price of trucking, I'm considering the option of having it driven back on it's own bottom. Unfortunately, I have to work for a living so I don't have the time to do it on my own. I realize that delivery is also expensive, but I thought I'd reach out for recommendations. I'd at a minimum need someone to bring it from Stuart to NYC for me, but preferably all the way to Lake Ontario. I could possibly crew (or provide experienced crew) for the east coast run.

Alternatively if you have a recommendation on a different trucking firm, I'd be interested in that too.

Thanks
BD

Feel free to reach out to me (100 GRT Master). I have two other 100 ton captains ready to go with me. We are retired with lots of experience up/down the east coast and happy to help keep a low budget for our customers. pattormey11@gmail.com

 

[ruby 390]

I have moved boats for years between Great Lakes and east coast ports. All is possible. Time depends on cruise speed and locks where applicable. If you wish to discuss further your welcome to call me ,captain ruby 612-432-3223 .enjoy your new boat

 

[jeffimac]

Delivery to Great Lakes

I have a 100 ton license with Great Lakes experience I’ll be in Stuart the middle of March if you would like to discuss further.
jeffimac@yahoo.com

 

[sailr1]

I can help deliver it. I am 100 ton USCG licensed and have been up and down the coast, inside outside bahamas keys ny etc. On my own Defever 49. What time of the year u want to do this. Call me if u want to chat. Thank you

 

[BDofMSP]

Wow what a great outpouring of responses! Thanks for all of the input and offers.

Here is where I'm at in the process. We finalized the agreement and I accepted the boat yesterday. The owner has a week to finish a short list of corrections that came from the survey, and they I gave them another two weeks to get ready for their move back to Canada (they have a ton of stuff in storage they need to deal with, etc.). I'll take possession on the 16th.

I would love to make the entire trip home by myself, but I simply don't have enough vacation. Also, my wife and I are anxious to do some projects to "make her ours" and I can't do that if the boat is 1,000 miles away, so I'm less interested in "segments". However we DO have a couple of weeks of vacation that we can dedicate to this, so our goal now is to get it delivered to Oswego where we would take over. We'd spend our time in the Trent Severn, Georgian Bay, and Lake Superior home. That would be a much more enjoyable, memorable use of our vacation than pounding 12 hours a day up the east coast.

I have a very good friend who's an experienced captain (50 Ton Master), instructor, and delivery captain, but his experience is Great Lakes to the NE, and many years in the Caribbean. He's not experienced on the ICW. Given that this is a delivery there will be running inside when needed and outside as conditions allow. I really want someone who's experienced with that part of the trip.

Fortunately I've gotten numerous tips from members here, and several of those are very experienced in that exact route. My current plan is to employ one of those experienced captains for the run from FL to NY, and then hand the delivery over to my friend for the run up the Hudson / Erie Canal. We'll take over from there. I will also join for the first few days as it's killing me already to not be getting to know the boat. Based on discussions with the captain I will add one or more crew.

In terms of dates, I can't really benefit from leaving earlier than mid May. The canal isn't open and neither is my marina, plus I'd rather have it nice for our cruise through Canada. That's no concern however because I'd like to do some upfits to get her ready for the trip (electronics mostly), and it wouldn't kill me if I had to cruise around the Gulf Coast for awhile. So I'll work with my employer to work remotely for a couple weeks in March and April, get her ready, and leave FL around the 10th-12th of May. That should give enough time for the Canal to clear out before her arrival and likely put her in Oswego around Memorial Day. I think that even Canada should be thawed out by June

Once all of that is behind us I'm very much looking forward to getting more "big" boat experience and becoming an even more active member of this wonderful forum!

Thanks,
BD

 

[C5F]

I recommend Captain Chuck Ruddy 256 744 5858 yachtstar@yahoo.com

 

[WallyM]

Boat Transfer

Hello;

I bought my 34' Marine Trader in Jacksonville, FL in early spring of 2017. I also looked at having the boat trucked to Ontario but the cost was totally prohibitive. I sailed it myself with the help of family and friends. Only 2 people on board at any given time.

Other commitments kept me from moving the boat from Jacksonville for 90 days. If you are not a Florida resident and the boat stays in Florida for longer than 90 days after the day you take ownership you will be subject to paying substantial sales tax in Florida.

I moved my boat out of Florida on the 90th day. The cost of keeping the boat at the marina was not excessive. I had never traveled the ICW before but with some advance planning it was a pretty easy trip & it has been a highlight of my many years of boating experience.

I encourage you to relocate the boat yourself if you can - even if you have to do it in segments and leave the boat for a few weeks at a time at marinas along the way.

As others have suggested, if you are able to take the time off work - even without pay it could be worth it, especially if you compare your lost wages to paying someone $5k or more (+ fuel & expense) to do it for you.

I hope you are able to work out a good solution.

If you are interested in getting an idea about the trip up the ICW you can read the daily blog entries about my experience here: https://knotsnplots.com/?m=20170701

I planned on travelling an average of 50 nm/day. A relatively easy pace, depending upon the weather and water conditions.

Wally MacKinnon
Trawler "Santosha"
London, ON

 

[Paulahite]

Would be interested in taking your boat as far as NYC or perhaps further. What is your time frame? Am retired physician actively looking for trawler to do Loop. Wife and I crewed a 46 foot GB from Myrtle Beach to NYC a few years ago. Great trip. Have other trawler experience and will provide documentation. Would be interested in taking your boat up to NYC or beyond if schedules and your comfort level permit. If interested respond to my email chitemd@gmail.com.

 

[jimfrens]

"I have seen firsthand how delivery captains run a boat, hard and full speed. "

An honest, reputable delivery captain would not be doing that.

 

[BDofMSP]

Wally M, thanks for the reminder about the 90 days. The broker has mentioned this too, and I'll only own the boat for about 60 days before I'm out of Florida. That, along with insurance, would contribute to why I wouldn't leave it there.

Regarding my vacation, first it's not just my time but my wife's too. Lost salary pales in comparison to hiring a captain. Plus neither of us have jobs where we can just be gone for that amount of time (and still keep our job). And as I've said, I have no interest in leaving my new-to-me boat a thousand+ miles away just so I can drive it there. Driving it here will be satisfying and interesting for at least a decade, and I'm excited to get started.

I've had further conversation with a very experienced captain tonight and we seem to be of a similar mind on approach and priorities. I hope to get this plan locked down in the next week here.

Thanks to all for the offers to help! It's very reassuring to know that there are so many experienced, capable people that I can turn to if needed.

BD

 

[Comodave]

Congrats on your new boat. It would be nice if you could do the whole trip but such is life. Accept what works and be happy with your new baby. Have fun and we expect photos of it!

 

[Waterview]

Delivery

Good morning
If you decide to mover your vessel on the water I work with several delivery captains on the Wellanx canal if interested please PM me

 

[BDofMSP]

Congrats on your new boat. It would be nice if you could do the whole trip but such is life. Accept what works and be happy with your new baby. Have fun and we expect photos of it!

Thank you! I can't wait to get on board and properly introduce her to you all.
BD

 

[SBR]

Yes Congratulations on both! I you come through the canal stop at Midlakes in Macedon and say hi!
Looks like its time to update your boats profile!!

 

[tjequipment]

I know the boat and the owner very well. If You would like the name of a captain that will take care of the boat and deliver for you PM me tjequipment@yahoo.com

 

[MistyMorning]

I have discussed your issue with and proudly recommend:


CPT Gary Olivi
Compass Marine LLC

Retired US Navy veteran
Licensed CPT

Certified ABYC Marine Technician
Marine Electronics
Certified Maintenance Reliability Professional


Contact:
(321) 514-1769
compassmarinellc@gmail.com

 

[Detroito91]

Boat delivery

My friend, who is a captain, would like to take you up on delivering your new boat. We can take it from stuart,fla to nyc or farther if you would like. We just completed a sail boat delivery from city island,ny to venice florida. Would like to discuss the details with you. My phone number is 336.282.9552...jim

 

[Aron Zions]

I’m a teacher and would be interested in maybe working with you on delivering your boat home available second week of June?