I'm trucking my boat from LA to PDX and there's a question of how to transport the mast. On a boat this size what's the normal way to carry the mast? On top of the boat, on the trailer, or on a separate trailer? The boat is already aprox 12' from keel to cabin top.
Trucking a 38' boat
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Because of limited turning radii, I would put the mast on cradles centered on the boat at the same height as the pulpit. I friend had a mast get broken because it was on the side of the trailer and the top caught a stop sign while making a turn.
12' is no problem. I believe the federal height of most interstate bridges is around 14ft.
12' is no problem. I believe the federal height of most interstate bridges is around 14ft.
And some truckers
insist that it be stored below, if they have the truck bed specially rigged that way. Tim's right not to put it on the side of the trailer bed.
insist that it be stored below, if they have the truck bed specially rigged that way. Tim's right not to put it on the side of the trailer bed.
I haul the Ranger 32 with the mast tucked under the bow pulpit and supported there with line. The aft is supported on an adjustable stand and the mid section on a foam support. The foot is forward and extends far forward, thus with little extending aft of the boat. We are 13' 8" over-all height. We ramp launch just like you might do a 25 footer. We have mast-erecting poles at our lakes, so mast setting is really easy and free.
Chances are very likely you're going to need a wide load permit for your boat whereever you're taking it. Most states have a max limit of 8'6" before a permit is required. If the boat is over 10' wide, you will probably also need escort vehicles as well.
The interstate highway system does have 14' of clearance on most bridges, tunnels and overpasses, and the ones that are less are required to be marked as such IIRC.
If you figure that the boat will probably be another foot off the ground on a dropped bed trailer, you're looking at 13'... putting the mast on top of the boat might be pushing it. If you store it on the trailer on the left side of the truck, it would probably be reasonably safe, since the truck generally has to swing fairly wide on left turns to begin with.
The interstate highway system does have 14' of clearance on most bridges, tunnels and overpasses, and the ones that are less are required to be marked as such IIRC.
If you figure that the boat will probably be another foot off the ground on a dropped bed trailer, you're looking at 13'... putting the mast on top of the boat might be pushing it. If you store it on the trailer on the left side of the truck, it would probably be reasonably safe, since the truck generally has to swing fairly wide on left turns to begin with.
Have Seen
I happen to spend some time in the Marina where my dealer was and did see the tractor trailers come and go all kinds of sailboats and the mast was tied down along side the bottom of the trailer and wrap it up as much as possible to keep road dirt off it.
Nick
I happen to spend some time in the Marina where my dealer was and did see the tractor trailers come and go all kinds of sailboats and the mast was tied down along side the bottom of the trailer and wrap it up as much as possible to keep road dirt off it.
Nick
If you are moving the boat with a tractor trailer, then they can probably place the mast on the trailer and will have provisions for doing it.
I would assume that your mast is about 50' long. Most boat movers know how to handle these things.
Are you trying to do this move yourself or having a professional do it?
I would assume that your mast is about 50' long. Most boat movers know how to handle these things.
Are you trying to do this move yourself or having a professional do it?
Assuming your are having a professional boat mover do it and they will make the call based on it is their responsibility. That being said I would guess they will put it on the trailer. Most boat trailers have "cradles " or racks designed just for this. While most interstate bridges have 14' clearance the height regulation is 13'6" with out a permit and may or may not require a escort car leading the way with a height check.(depends on how high load is and what state). State highway and local road are another separate issues usually addressed in the state permit for oversize load and will restrict routing and travel times. Another reason for putting it on the trailer is without proper support the mast can either get damaged or damage the deck if not properly prepared for shipping. The physics of putting it up high greatly increase the "wear and tear" it will go thru during transport. At 12' height off the trailer your boat will be almost 13' high on the trailer. They can shrink wrap the mast to help keep it clean and for that matter shrink wrap the boat. You will be amazed how dirty it will get on a long road trip ! Newer boat trailers will be 48 or 53 feet long so a 50 foot mast will fit fine. Any overhang on a 48 foot trailer can go over the front of the trailer between trailer and back of tractor without a problem.
Did you consider sailing the boat down the coast? Trucking a boat can be very hard on it. If you do not have a trailer that is made for very heavy loads you can expect to have assorted damage to the vessel.
The trip down the coast is not that bad. We just made one from Dana Point to SF. Other than Pt. Conception it really was not bad. You may also consider a delivery Capt. Let me know if you want to reconsider, I know a few guys in Ca. that do this on a regular basis.
The trip down the coast is not that bad. We just made one from Dana Point to SF. Other than Pt. Conception it really was not bad. You may also consider a delivery Capt. Let me know if you want to reconsider, I know a few guys in Ca. that do this on a regular basis.
I doubt they're trying to do it themselves, since they'd need a tractor trailer, a CDL and such... 
A 38' boat is too heavy to tow with your average pickup truck.
A 38' boat is too heavy to tow with your average pickup truck.
SD:
The capacity of the modern day "pickup" truck is quite high. These new diesels are capable of towing 20,000-25,000# and they can be modified for a 5th wheel trailer for additional capacity.
My Hunter 36 was hauled from Stockton MO to Stockton CA behind a Dodge 3500 on a 5th wheel trailer. The boat is rated around 16-17,000 plus the trailer.
Personally I would NOT recommend that anyone does this, but the dealer that I purchased the boat from hauls even larger boats than this with this dodge.
I did not see that Todd mentioned a tractor/trailer setup. That is why I mentioned about sailing the boat down the coast.
The capacity of the modern day "pickup" truck is quite high. These new diesels are capable of towing 20,000-25,000# and they can be modified for a 5th wheel trailer for additional capacity.
My Hunter 36 was hauled from Stockton MO to Stockton CA behind a Dodge 3500 on a 5th wheel trailer. The boat is rated around 16-17,000 plus the trailer.
Personally I would NOT recommend that anyone does this, but the dealer that I purchased the boat from hauls even larger boats than this with this dodge.
I did not see that Todd mentioned a tractor/trailer setup. That is why I mentioned about sailing the boat down the coast.
Quite often after we have a thread like this I find myself behing a large truck owned by the local power company. These trucks are stenciled with a towing capacity. I have never seen one smaller than about 6000 series labeled to tow more than 10,000 pounds if the trailer was equiped with air brakes. I never see contractors towing large construction machines behind a pick up.
In the early 90s, my Beneteau First 30 was trucked from Houston, TX to Melbourne, FL. We had to lay the mast on the trailer. This boat drew just under 6' and had a beam of 10.5'... there was not an escort requirement at least at that time.
If you are hiring somebody to ship her, you may see if there are shared load opportunities: In my case, there was just enough space behind my boat for very large Caterpillar diesel - ended up saving me quite a few $$.
On a rather humorous note, I took the advice (sounded good at the time) of my good friend, the marina manager and applied large amounts of dishwashing detergent (!) all over the topsides and let it dry without rinsing. The theory was that this would form a barrier against road grime and a simple wash upon arrival would be sufficient to remove the soap.
Well, when the driver arrived in Melbourne, FL, he explained that numerous cars in New Orleans, LA got "serious car washes" when following him on I-10 during a rain shower
He caught on when he saw the bubble trail around/behind his truck... Thankfully, he thought it was funny as well....Best of luck to you!
Sailndive
No! just thank the gods that there was no emergency that required an accident avoiding stop or maneuver
The boat was towed through a snow storm and covered 2,000. They tow boats this big and bigger from the gulf coast up to Mo. on a somewhat regular basis.
I don't think it is just a matter of pulling power but safety factors like brakes, suspensions and tires may pre-empt a pick up truck from doing a big rig job. Insurance may be another consideration as insurers may balk at insuring a boat being transported by a pickup truck.
How many years a go
I did drive tractor trailers and lots of big rigs for a living and what you could get away with years ago is not the same any more.
You would not want to get stopped by D.O.T and them find out the truck capacity was way over loaded for the load you were carrying.
The weight of a heavy load moving at say 60 MPH is the big factor in trying to stop in a normal distance.
That's why when you see a big truck accident that piled into cars or other trucks on the interstate it was most times that the truck could not stop do to the heavy load,ask me how I know when driving a tractor trailer and being hit from behind by another heavy over loaded truck,it was not very pretty.
A big boat like 38 is going to be hauled by a pro that does it all the time with a tractor and trailer built for the job.
When thinking about sending my 36 Hunter from NY to SW Florida I called many different haulers for their input and price,I decided to sail her down and very happy I did,either by land or sea the boat will get very dirty from road dirt or salt water.
Nick
I did drive tractor trailers and lots of big rigs for a living and what you could get away with years ago is not the same any more.
You would not want to get stopped by D.O.T and them find out the truck capacity was way over loaded for the load you were carrying.
The weight of a heavy load moving at say 60 MPH is the big factor in trying to stop in a normal distance.
That's why when you see a big truck accident that piled into cars or other trucks on the interstate it was most times that the truck could not stop do to the heavy load,ask me how I know when driving a tractor trailer and being hit from behind by another heavy over loaded truck,it was not very pretty.
A big boat like 38 is going to be hauled by a pro that does it all the time with a tractor and trailer built for the job.
When thinking about sending my 36 Hunter from NY to SW Florida I called many different haulers for their input and price,I decided to sail her down and very happy I did,either by land or sea the boat will get very dirty from road dirt or salt water.
Nick
Steve
What ross was trying to say you were very lucky your boat made it to you undamaged because if some one had made a emergency stop for any reason in front of your boat while being hauled your boat would have most likely pushed the pickup truck side ways into what ever was stopped or stuck in the middle of the road.
I do all the driving from SW Florida to NY to visit Thanksgiving and than XMAS and last trip saw a half dozens cars burnt to a crisp on I-95 because a tractor trailer could not stop in time,the truck looked OK with a bent front bumper and the road and cars looked like a war zone.
What I am saying is even when the truck is rated to do the job things go wrong and I always check my rear view mirror when driving my car or truck.
Nick
What ross was trying to say you were very lucky your boat made it to you undamaged because if some one had made a emergency stop for any reason in front of your boat while being hauled your boat would have most likely pushed the pickup truck side ways into what ever was stopped or stuck in the middle of the road.
I do all the driving from SW Florida to NY to visit Thanksgiving and than XMAS and last trip saw a half dozens cars burnt to a crisp on I-95 because a tractor trailer could not stop in time,the truck looked OK with a bent front bumper and the road and cars looked like a war zone.
What I am saying is even when the truck is rated to do the job things go wrong and I always check my rear view mirror when driving my car or truck.
Nick
Steve, You statement about the 3500 being able to haul 20 to 25 thousand may be a little optimistic. According to the Dodge web site the 3500, spec-ed out to its max capacity, can haul about 17000 with a combined gross vehicle weight of 24000 thousand. Your boat move would seam to have exceeded the manufactures rated capacity for vehicle, at least by the trailer weight if not more. That said,clearly people do that all the time, more often then not commercial operators. The concern (at least mine) is how safety has taken a back seat in today's world. Would you be comfortable with a overloaded vehicle behind you and your family when you needed to make an emergency stop ? If I recall, you are an engineer by profession and I would have to think you of all people would respect these ratings. No one has suggest you return your boat (except you) but clearly the operator you are talking about hauling even larger and heavier boats then yours is putting the general public at risk every time they do something as you described. There is just no way to justify this considering the devastating results when one of these situations goes bad. !
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