Inexpensive & Dependable Boat Shipping with Shiply
Shiply is here to alleviate the anxiety of boat shipping by helping you discover an inexpensive, trustworthy service that suits your needs. Simply create a posting on our site & relax as shipping providers approach you with estimates to transport your boat. Once you find a quote you prefer, contact the driver, verify, and wait for your boat to be collected.
What Is the Purpose of Boat Shipping?
Whether you require a narrowboat, sailboat, small craft, or yacht shipped, Shiply can assist. Did you recently acquire a new boat & need it delivered? Or perhaps you need to get your boat to a location on land? Maybe it's too sizable for you to transport yourself? Regardless of the reason, Shiply can help you find a trustworthy & professional company for transporting your boat at the appropriate price. Selecting a specialist boat hauler will ensure you're in capable hands. Boat haulage companies in the UK & globally will understand the intricacies of working with boats, marinas, and ports & should assist you with all aspects of the shipping process.
Posting your boat shipping on Shiply & our network of shipping providers will provide you with price estimates. You simply need to complete a form with some basic details about your boat to be shipped & you will receive complimentary quotes in pounds sterling or euros, depending on your location. Once you've obtained several estimates, you'll be able to compare companies by their qualifications, customer reviews, & prices.
The Expense of Boat Shipping
The expense of boat shipping will vary based on several factors, but as an average cost, you can anticipate paying between £100 to £260 for shorter distances & between £450 & £750 for longer trips. The average cost per mile for standard boat shipping is around £1.50 per mile in the UK, but as mentioned, this can vary depending on the size of the boat. The size of the boat being transported will significantly impact the cost. For example, small boat shipping is simple as they can often be hauled on the road, whereas something like a larger sailboat or narrowboat will require special attention & will likely cost more to ship. A narrowboat may require specialist narrowboat movers due to their unique size. Whether the boat needs to be shipped within the UK or internationally will also play a role in the pricing, as international boat shipping will cost significantly more & may require different companies than those in the UK who specialize in road transport.
Utilizing Shiply To Locate A Boat Transporter
To create a posting on Shiply, you only need to fill in a brief form with some information about your boat & of the pick-up & drop-off dates & locations. Once your posting is complete, you will start to receive complimentary estimates from various shipping providers - some of which may contact you to understand the required services more clearly so they can know how best to quote for the work.
There are two primary methods of boat shipping, & the method you choose will depend on where your boat needs to go. If your boat is required to be shipped in a particular way, please specify on your Shiply posting.
By road - If your vessel needs to be hauled within the same country, you'll find that road shipping is likely to be the best option. If you're moving parts of a boat only or a non-starting boat, shipping by road is your only option.
By sea or river - If your craft needs to be sailed port-to-port, then you can hire a crew to do this. Crews should inspect your vessel, plot courses, & check shipping forecasts for you.
Once you have received some estimates, make sure you check the qualifications & reviews of any skippers & crew hands, which you can see by viewing the shipping providers' company profiles on Shiply. If you're moving a sailboat, then RYA or MCA accredited crews are the qualifications to look out for.
With any type of shipping, it's important to check the level of experience & professional insurance coverage that they offer (do not accept personal insurance) so you can make the most informed decision for your individual situation.
Do not hesitate to ask the companies any questions about the shipping process as they will often have a high level of expertise.
Finding the right boat shipping service can be overwhelming if you intend to compare all the prices & qualifications. Larger companies might charge less, whereas smaller family-run transporters could offer you a more personalized service.
Readying Your Boat For Shipping
If your vessel is being shipped by land, there are a number of preparatory tasks to do to ensure that the shipping goes as smoothly as possible. You'll want to plan as far ahead as possible to give yourself enough time to prepare for the transport & to enable you to find a suitable shipping service. Boat deliveries can be carried out several different ways, but regardless, make sure your boat is prepared correctly to prevent any damage, leakage, or dangerous loose ends occurring during the journey.
Check the condition - Make sure you thoroughly inspect the interior & exterior of your vessel for any previous damage. This way, you can see if it suffers any during transit. You may want to take photographs of the condition before its journey.
Remove valuables - Make sure you take anything valuable off your boat before it's shipped as these will not be insured.
Empty the bilge, water, refuse stores, & the majority of fuel - Pump out wastewater & other liquids. Any freshwater tanks & rubbish should be emptied, fuel tanks disconnected, & the majority of the gasoline emptied to make the boat lighter to deliver & prevent any potential leakages during transport.
Disconnect battery & tidy cables - A precaution that will help avoid draining the battery & any shortages in electronics. Despite being a waterborne vehicle, your boat might be exposed to different weather conditions when it travels on a trailer. So make sure that all exposed electronics are covered & battery cables are tucked away.
Make things secure - If they aren't travelling separately, make sure all accessories & life jackets are stowed away in lockers. Secure all doors & compartments in the galley & washrooms. Also, make sure that the canopy is extra secure as it might not be built to travel at the same speeds as a trailer.
For sailboats - Removing all winches & rigging etc. from the mast is important (also provide padding for points at which the mast will be tied down). Pulpits, stanchions, & lifelines should only be taken off if they will make the boat too large to transport easily.
You can also check with your boatyard for any other precautions that they might think important for safe transport. If your boat is going to be sailed to its destination, make sure you arrange with the captain what preparations need to be made prior to the handover.
Once your boat is ready, all you need to do is wait for the transporter to arrive. Once you have accepted a quote on Shiply, you will be able to communicate with the shipping provider directly.
If any changes occur that may differ from what your shipping provider is expecting, make sure they are contacted & made aware so they can plan accordingly.
Boat Shipping in Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
Birmingham, situated in the West Midlands region of the UK, is a popular destination for boat shipping. Many people often move their boats to & from Birmingham for various reasons, such as purchasing a new boat, relocating, or participating in boating events. The city's central location & excellent transportation links make it an ideal hub for boat shipping services.
When searching for boat shipping in Birmingham, it's essential to find a reliable & experienced company that specializes in boat transport birmingham or birmingham boat transport. These local shipping providers have the knowledge & expertise to handle the unique challenges of moving boats in and around the city, ensuring that your vessel arrives at its destination safely & on time.
Finalizing Your Boat's Shipping
When your vessel safely reaches its destination on the delivery date, your boat transporter should help you with the unloading or docking & may help you with other parts of maintenance & checks (depending on what you agreed). If there are any other services you need help with, these should be specified at the beginning of the process when listing your required service on Shiply.
Either way, it's important that you check your craft post-transit to ensure that it hasn't been damaged & ask the transporter about any discrepancies so they can be sorted out quickly.
Once your boat is safely docked or secured, you can remove the tape & other securing materials, refill water tanks, reattach batteries & motors or re-rig your sailboat so it's ready to be used again.
When you're satisfied that the shipping job has been a completed, please leave a review for the service you used on Shiply on their company profile. Leaving feedback is extremely helpful to us as it helps other users when choosing a shipping provider for their own job, & it also helps transporters continuously improve their service.