Let’s look at the problem from the point of view of a buyer in Europe. First, you have to consider the location of a manufacturer or the seller. For example, if a boat is manufactured in California and in Maine in US, it will probably be a better idea to buy one from Maine rather than California.

Second is the time of a purchase; when considering buying a boat, consult with the freight forwarder. Ocean carriers have schedules and it might be helpful to know exactly the day of departure, this way you can buy the boat just for that time and avoid storage fees.

And last, but not list, know the freight forwarder. Get some references and feedback; internet is a perfect tool for that; Google them, and if you see that people have been disappointed with their service use another agent.

These are just general points when it comes to how to ship a boat to Europe. Your agent will consult you in detail once the time comes to ship you boat.

how to ship a boat to europe

For more information on how to ship a boat to Europe, visit Carex International’s website at www.carexshipping.com. It is a full service company that offers pick up, storage, package and delivery of boats worldwide. On its website you will find many useful tips when it comes to boat shipping.

Technorati Tags: international boat shipping, ship boats to europe

The first step we take is contacting the seller and verifying that the boat is ready to go. Lots of times we hear that the payment from the buyer overseas still hasn’t cleared the account or the paperwork hasn’t been completed yet. So naturally, we need to wait until it’s done. Once the boat is ready to go we need to schedule the pick up with the trucking company. Lots of buyers from overseas expect us to pick up the boat the very next day. It’s a tough one to accomplish… Truckers are busy doing the pick ups for other customers – they don’t just sit around waiting to transport the boat to the port of export. It may take 3-10 days to get it picked up.

If you purchased the boat with the trailer – please, make sure that trailer is in road-worthy condition. The cheapest way to move the boat to the required ocean port for boat export shipping – is to tow it. Using a flat bed truck costs much more. On the other hand, if you boat doesn’t have a trailer – a special hydraulic trailer must be used and trucking companies do charge more for this type of service. Plus an extra expense would be a shipping cradle because boat has to rest on something during the international boat shipping trip.

Once the boat is delivered to the port you can’t expect it to be loaded on the vessel and shipped the very next day. There are a few reasons for that. First of all, all carriers have “cut-off” date usually 3-7 days prior to the actual departure date. This time is required for the export port to process the cargo for export, clear it with US Customs and load the boats onto the ship. This needs time – it doesn’t happen overnight. Moreover, with roll-on roll-off overseas boat transport the vessel operator may call the port in USA only once or twice per month. This means that your boat may have to sit at the port for a few days until the next ship comes in.

Another point to remember with international boat shipping is that ocean vessels call multiple ports during their overseas journey. This means that the transit time between the loading export port in USA and the arrival to import port in overseas country (be it Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia and others) could be 30-45 days depending on the stops the ship has to make.

If you have any questions regarding shipping boats overseas or need to get a quote for transporting your power boat or sail yacht from USA to any destination worldwide – please, use one of the contact forms on this site.

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It’s easy to find and purchase a boat these days but shipping it from USA to a new owner in a different country may involve some challenges.

Here are 4 main options for international boat shipping from the USA to countries in Europe, Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

1. Shipping boats overseas in ocean containers. This option works quite well for smaller boats. The inside width of the ocean container is 92 inches. Usually boats up to 21′ in length are suitable for international container shipping (depending on the model and manufacturer). The width of the boat’s trailer is usually not a problem as the wheels and fenders can be removed. It’s a good idea to let a professional export packing warehouse to handle the loading and securing of the boat inside the shipping container.

2. Shipping boats overseas on the flat rack containers. A flat rack container is a type of ocean container with the side walls and roof removed so it provides more space to fit larger boats. However, in the past few years the equipment shortage has been an issue plus not many ocean vessel operators are willing to accept oversized cargo on flat racks due to space availability on their container ships.

3. Shipping boats overseas on Roll-on Roll-off vessels. These RO/RO vessels are multi-level swimming “parking garages” specifically designed to carry all kinds of vehicles and rolling stock. If the boat sits on its own trailer it’s very easy to load and off-load it onto the roll-on roll-off vessel for overseas boat transport. Boats that do not have a trailer would require a cradle to be built so that the boat can safely travel to an international destination.

4. The 4th method of shipping boats internationally is called Lift-on Lift-off. It’s usually used for very large boats and yachts. The cargo is lifted using a crane directly onto the vessel floor and then secured by the ship or port crew. With roll-on roll-off shipping all cargo sits INSIDE the ship. With lift-on lift-off service the cargo will be exposed to the weather. This is the most expensive type of international boat shipping and is only used for very large and expensive boats that cannot be shipped any other way.

If you’re looking to purchase a boat in USA and require international transport to your home country – please, use any of the forms on this site and let us know how we can assist.

Technorati Tags: international boat shipping, overseas boat transport, roll-on roll-off boat transport

Here’s a picture:

The boat was about 27′ long by 9′ wide and 8′ high. As someone who spent the last 10 years shipping boats, cars, trucks & equipment overseas I know that boat with such dimensions can’t fit inside the ocean container. It’s just too wide. But by looking at the picture more carefully I was able to get the trick: The container is actually laying on the ground on its side (you can see the door on the ground). This makes the container big enough to accommodate this boat for international shipping.

So is this a really “creative way” of shipping boats overseas or very risky way that can cause damages and financial losses to a customer?

The first problem is that container will have to be turned back to the original position for international transport. So the boat inside the container will be sitting on its side. I don’t care how tight you secure it inside there’s a very good chance that the side of the boat will get scraped and possibly cracked. Repairing a crack in the hull of the boat is expensive.

The second problem in unloading. Once the boat gets to the final destination overseas it will have to be placed again on the side which will require a crane. Not a lot of ports are equipped to do this plus hiring a crane is quite costly.

Here’s how the boat looked once it was completely inside the container:

There’s a good reason why the international boat shipping company decided to undertake such a risk: cost. International shipping is very competitive and customers are very price-sensitive. A shipping company with the lowest bid would normally get the job. And the truth is shipping a boat of this size overseas will require employing roll-on roll-off vessel or a flat rack container.

I found more information about this international boat shipment later on at one of the online shipping forums. Apparently the customer paid about $7,000 to ship it from USA to somewhere in South Eastern Europe. The cost to ship this boat via roll-on roll-off or flat rack container would have been around $12,000. So savings on the overseas shipping cost for the customer were substantial. However, the customer wasn’t happy… Why? Well, the boat got badly damaged (surprise, surprise!). Plus the container got damaged as well (probably due to the flipping it on the side). Now the customer in Europe has a damaged boat plus the ocean carrier is asking to pay for the damages of the container. So how much money did he really save in the end?

Technorati Tags: international boat shipping, overseas boat transport, roll-on roll-off boat transport, ship boat in ocean container, ship boats to europe