Shipping boat from HI to mainland?

[Epic1969]

I’ve been researching shipping a Montgomery 17 from Hawaii back to the US mainland July of 24’ and all I get is endless emails about length, height, weight and it looks like they won’t ship it without a trailer. Right now all I really want is a ballpark figure.

Does anyone have experience doing this and recommendations how to go about it?

Thanks!

 

[dlochner]

Probably the cheapest and easiest way for a small boat is to rent a container and put the boat in the container.

You might contact a household moving company and inquire about a less than container load.

 

[rgranger]

I would also factor in a sell and buy strategy vs. shipping when doing the pros/cons analysis.

 

[jssailem]

Welcome to the SBO forum.
Is the Montgomery 17 your boat being shipped?
With all the supply chain/ shipping issue I would expect it difficult to get a number. Put it on a trailer and they find passage for it as a car. Rent your own 24 ft shipping contand it might be possible.

The mast length standard mast was 21ft 1”. Add 1ft9” for a tall rig. Would make it a tight fit in a small shipping container.

Loading it in Oahu would be critical to a safe transit. I would try and contact a shipping expediter in Oahu.

 

[capta]

If you can crate the boat and rig separately, check into LCL cargo. It is by far the cheapest way to ship things, IF you have less than a container load. I shipped a diesel engine and 600 feet of 1/2" chain from the US to Trinidad for something around $350 each.

 

[Tally Ho]

Shipping container prices have skyrocketed in the last 6 months or so. So it might be more costly to put it in a container (but that is how MacGregor would ship their boats out I hear).

What island is the boat on? Maybe you can sell her, and buy something on the mainland.

Greg

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Can you build a cradle? I found shipping the mast unattached to the boat it was cheaper. It has changed alot since I shipped sailboats outside the US as a dealer Adding a trailer with the boat would add extra length resulting in more cost for space

 

[PaulK]

Worked at Air France cargo for a number of years. We shipped a Hobie 16 from JFK to NBO (Nairobi) airfreight, with final destination Mombassa, Kenya. Someone in NBO ran over the mast with a forklift. Put everything together in one package if you can to avoid this sort of problem. It might be cheaper and safer to sell the boat in HI and buy another one on the mainland.

 

[Rick Webb]

Some smart ass is going to suggest sailing it, So I'm suggesting it.

 

[Epic1969]

Shipping container prices have skyrocketed in the last 6 months or so. So it might be more costly to put it in a container (but that is how MacGregor would ship their boats out I hear).

What island is the boat on? Maybe you can sell her, and buy something on the mainland.

Greg

Its on the HUGE island of N America! I want to sail a heavily modified one to HI! Yes I know the risks. I can get her there but I am not so foolish to sail her back.

This M-17 will be heavily modified and as a solo sailor well found but I’d expect it a hard sell in HI not that I would want to sell it.

 

[Tally Ho]

@Epic1969

So you want to sail it to Hawaii and then ship it back?

Why not sail it back if it is up to the trip?

 

[Epic1969]

@Epic1969

So you want to sail it to Hawaii and then ship it back?

Why not sail it back if it is up to the trip?

The main reason(s) is time off of work and carrying enough food/water. 6 weeks CA-HI is on the edge of possible. 8-10 weeks HI-CA is by my calculations edging impossible.

Another alternative is keep her in HI and the next year head further west. A Namibian Sailor sailed a M17 from HI to New Zealand with confidence in the boats ability. His plan was to sail it to Namibia but abandoned the project for unknown reasons.

 

[dlochner]

@Epic1969

So you want to sail it to Hawaii and then ship it back?

Why not sail it back if it is up to the trip?

Most of the trip to Hawai'i is downwind. Most of the trip back is upwind. Tough on a 17' boat.

 

[rgranger]

Most of the trip to Hawai'i is downwind. Most of the trip back is upwind. Tough on a 17' boat.

Yup... what @dlochner said. This is the present (real time) wind situation in the pacific.

 

[jssailem]

Back in the early 80’s a young man sailed a M15 from Newport Beach to Oahu HI in 36days. His story was up on the MSOG website. http://www.msog.org/yarns/hawaii15.cfm

What a great adventure in a small boat. Certainly the return trip is more demanding. The Pacific High creates the issue. You need to sail a long way north to be able to ride the return breeze. More miles traveled. Then often you end up way north and have to navigate south along the California coast.

 

[rgranger]

The Pacific High creates the issue. You need to sail a long way north to be able to ride the return breeze. More miles traveled. Then often you end up way north and have to navigate south along the California coast.

For sure! My dad lives in HI and we have spent some time fantasizing about sailing to HI and back. Each time we study it we come to the same conclusion, … the sail to HI is relatively straight forward. The return is not. At some times of the year, you actually would have to sail farther west before turning north to avoid the doldrums. This is even more important in a small boat since you can’t carry enough fuel to motor through the calms. Then traveling north, you want to skirt the norther most edge of the doldrums to avoid that angry counter clockwise swirl that typically exists in the norther Pacific. Almost every time I check the Windy app, I see that angry red dot in the north pacific. The other option would be beam reach on a SW heading and try to tack North but you risk hitting another doldrum and/or a slog as your beat your way north. If I ever make that trip, I will want to have some sophisticated weather prediction technology on board. If you could carry enough fuel to motor for a few days… I’d take the blue route home. For those unfamiliar with the windy color coding... Green = 15-20kt, pale blue is 5-10kt. Dark blue is <5kt, orange is 25-30kt, purple/red is 35-40kt and then they go back to a pale blue for 60+kt. To tell the difference between 5kt and 60kt, you have to look at the length of the tail on the wind streak.

 

[Epic1969]

Thanks everyone for input!

Tim Teplow sailed a Potter 19 to HI from San Francisco in the 90s ? If you dig around you can find his story. If I remember right it was unremarkable. He had it shipped back and did another trip to Alaska.

I will follow in Roger Taylor style making the boat capable of floating in any position and having all controls lead to a water tight cabin. New upsized rigging and beefed up chain plates Not sure yet about Pro-Furler or hank-on. Web Chiles (which I am certainly NOT) abandoned Hank On for Roller Furling. Looks like with the condition of the world I’ll just have to find a way for it to get shipped back possibly when I get there.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Most of the trip back is upwind. Tough on a 17' boat.

Certainly some, but I don’t know about most if you get into the westerlies and the North Pacific Current. The way I’ve heard the return (e.g., from TransPac) is hard on the stb tack north until reaching the westerlies at about latitude 35-38 deg N, then blow east until about 200 n.mi. offshore then start laying the California destination port. Of course, easier said than done.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Then often you end up way north and have to navigate south along the California coast.

Yeah. It’s about 14 degrees of latitude from Hono to the 35th parallel. That would be nigh on 900 n.mi.

 

[jssailem]

Your 17 and my 15 were similar sisters designed by Lyle Hess and built by Jerry Montgomery. One of the stories I heard about our little Lapstrake boats was when first launched they tried to roll the boat over. They stood on the gunnel and fell in the water as the boat heeled then righted. They grabbed the shroud, stood on the gunnel and the boat laid out on their side dropping the guy in the water. Finally they went to the bow, grabbed the forestay got the boat to lay over on her side and still the little boat rode on her side. When let go she popped back up. Tough little Pocket Yacht.

Just need to find a way to pack enough water and food on board to keep you going.