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| © Yachtsnet Ltd. 2000/2019 |
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YACHT DELIVERY |
YACHTSNET
ARE NO LONGER OFFERING DELIVERY SERVICES,
ALTHOUGH WHEN WE SELL A YACHT ON BROKERAGE
WE WILL
ASSIST WITH AND ADVISE ON DELIVERY ARRANGEMENTS. |
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If you are buying a yacht and need
it moved to your own sailing area, and cannot undertake the
delivery passage yourself, there are two options for delivery.
The boat can be sailed there by a paid delivery crew, or it
can be loaded onto a trailer or truck and taken by road. |
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Sea delivery:
Most professional sea delivery businesses supply a full crew
- typically three, even if the owner elects to come along
as crew. The reason for this is that experienced delivery crews will
at times remain at sea and continue with the passage in conditions
that might keep many leisure sailors in harbour, and the skipper
has to have complete confidence that his crew will be able to cope
with the conditions. |
The fee is normally
on a per-day basis, plus time and transport costs for the
crew to and from the start point and destination. The owner
must also insure the yacht for the passage, and pay for fuel
used and any harbour dues incurred on passage. In the case
of seriously bad weather, the skipper may have to delay, and
the delay time is also charged by many delivery companies. For this reason, sea delivery
is usually the more expensive option, except for short distances,
or cross-channel or Irish Sea passages. |
A delivery trip is often
the longest open-water passage many yachts make in their lives
- and such voyages often show up problems - particularly if
the yacht has been laid up for a while, or used only very
gently for a few years. |
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Road transport:
Road transport is usually the preferred option, as it is fast,
and the transporter will normally insure the yacht whilst
in transit. Costs are known in advance, and it is not weather-dependent.
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The transporter charges
a fixed fee, normally to include insurance in transit. For
larger yachts special flatbed articulated trucks are used,
or a 4x4 plus trailer for smaller yachts. In addition to the
transport cost, you will incur cranage charges at each end
for loading and unloading, and also, if required, mast lowering/raising.
Nevertheless, this is often the cheapest option, except for
moves that involve expensive cross-channel ferry fares for
the truck and yacht. |
For small bilge-keelers, or smaller yachts with their own cradle, a flatbed truck with a HIAB crane (sometimes called a self-loading truck) can sometimes be a cheap option, as it avoids extra cranage charges. Some marinas and boatyards however will not allow the use of HIABS. |
You can sometimes
get a considerably better price by allowing the transporter extended flexibility
in timing, so that he can book in a loaded 'return trip' to
offset costs, rather than drive the return distance with an
empty truck |
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For some deliveries, the cheapest option may
be a combination of both road and sea transport: for example a yacht
being taken from the Solent to the south of France might well be
sailed across the English Channel to Cherbourg, and then be taken
by road across France. This short sea passage would avoid the very
expensive return ferry fare for a large articulated lorry. |
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