anyone ever used a company to transport a RIB?

miktek · 13 September 2015, 16:37

Hi, as many of the RIBs for sale in the UK are on the South Coast, has anyone ever used a company to transport their trailered RIB to them?
There are negatives to this (price being a major one) such as not being able to see the boat in person, but if it was bought from a reputable dealer and you have seen one in the flesh yourself to know what it should be like these fears can be reduced.

In short, how much would you say it might cost to transport a 4m RIB from say Devon to Glasgow, some 500 miles.

thanks

dazzo · 13 September 2015, 16:58

I have....i used shiply and it give me quotes from reputable couriers, got a zodiac futura boat,engine and trailer collected from norfolk to the north east england, very cheap £130 it would have cost me a full day plus fuel... would definitely use again!

miktek · 13 September 2015, 17:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by dazzo

I have....i used shiply and it give me quotes from reputable couriers, got a zodiac futura boat,engine and trailer collected from norfolk to the north east england, very cheap £130 it would have cost me a full day plus fuel... would definitely use again!

wow, that sounds excellent

that must have been a good 200 miles.
How was it delivered? Do they put it on a flatbed or vehicle transporter for the long part of the journey then switch to a small van for the final mile? Or just tow it the whole way?
I get 24MPG in my 4x4, so picking up in Devon would cost me 3 tanks of fuel for the round trip = £240 at least. Then the time off work and a night in a hotel.

dazzo · 13 September 2015, 18:34

The lad who delivered mine had a long flatbed trailer, so in effect it was piggy backed! He also had one of them sit on tractor grass cutter so he's obviously picking up on route making a living.

As long as you and the seller are fairly flexible then it should be great. I had even cheaper quotes to get one picked up from south london...just under £100, all couriers have feedback just like e bay and they all submit their price to you!

Poly · 13 September 2015, 18:42

miktek - there's at least one person on this forum that offers this as a service (I have forgotten his username for now - but searching for boat delivery will probably reveal him). I see the attraction, but unless I think it would be worth the hassle of a trip to where you are buying from just for the reassurance that all is well. If you can't spare a long weekend to meet the new love of your life, is it going to be a long lasting happy relationship!

The bonus of a trip somewhere far away is you get to spend the weekend playing with your new toy in different waters.

miktek · 13 September 2015, 18:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poly

miktek - there's at least one person on this forum that offers this as a service (I have forgotten his username for now - but searching for boat delivery will probably reveal him). I see the attraction, but unless I think it would be worth the hassle of a trip to where you are buying from just for the reassurance that all is well. If you can't spare a long weekend to meet the new love of your life, is it going to be a long lasting happy relationship!

The bonus of a trip somewhere far away is you get to spend the weekend playing with your new toy in different waters.

Hi, yeah I totally understand what you are saying.
If I was to go down this route (it's only an idea for now) I'd have to see many, many photos of the boat in the condition I should receive it in. Another possible idea would be to instruct a survey on the craft by a reputable firm.
In any case, I've created a dummy quote from 'Shiply' to see how much they would charge for about a 500 mile trip, with the boat being between 4.5-5m.

Thanks for your help

miktek · 13 September 2015, 18:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by dazzo

The lad who delivered mine had a long flatbed trailer, so in effect it was piggy backed! He also had one of them sit on tractor grass cutter so he's obviously picking up on route making a living.

As long as you and the seller are fairly flexible then it should be great. I had even cheaper quotes to get one picked up from south london...just under £100, all couriers have feedback just like e bay and they all submit their price to you!

thanks for that!

Portholme · 13 September 2015, 20:21

There are loads of people doing this type of work. I recently had a boat hauled 160 miles for £500 because you pay for the round trip. This was on a standard twin axle trailer.

The guy who did it, Ray at Central Boat Haulage, was awesome and very knowledgeable. He actually squeezed me in despite being incredibly busy because one of his competitors dropped me right in it. First guy wouldn't wait an hour for the crane and left without completing the job. He was £400 down on the day and must have spent £100 in diesel trailing an empty trailer round the country.