Trojan Boat Forum

I just moved my boat from san diego to charleston, sc. What a nightmare the transport company was. Anyone who wants to transport a boat don't ever use Able Boat Transport out of Florida.

oohhhhhhhhh. details! details!


<sits back and grabs popcorn>


seriously though...sorry to hear.

Hopefully, your transportation company did not come through a broker!
I have a nightmare story of having my boat shipped from Florida to VA...

If we get to story telling.

Sorry to read about your problems. I had my 36' tricabin moved from Detroit to Savannah, no problems at all. The driver even pulled off and met us at a rest area so we could follow him in to Savannah and take pictures.

On the bright side, you are in great cruising waters, just be careful in Charleston Bay, it gets kinda freaky sometimes![/url]

If you're in Texas & Points east try Lockview Marina & Transport in Cayuga, NY 800-513-2936 Nick is a good boat hauler. http://www.lockviewmarina.com

I also go through http://www.uship.com to find a transporter for a good price with good feedback.

that had to suck, didnt it just outta curiosity what does something like that cost???

Tuck wrote:oohhhhhhhhh. details! details!


<sits back and grabs popcorn>


seriously though...sorry to hear.

First they showed up five days late and refused to answer my calls. I thought they took my deposit and skipped town. When they showed up eight days late they informed me I owed them an additional $1500 but they would split the difference with me for being eight days late. They held my boat on the truck until I paid the extra money. After talking to the truck driver and truck owner, I figured out this guy told one lie after another.

How long did the actual transport take?

guglielmo6160 wrote:that had to suck, didnt it just outta curiosity what does something like that cost???

Ya it sucked pretty bad. The contract was for $7775. The night it got here the broker got really nasty and told me I owed an additional $1500 but that he would split the difference with me for being eight days late. He held my boat until I paid the additional money and threatened to start charging me an additional $75 per hour that the boat was still on the truck.

LSP wrote:How long did the actual transport take?

It was suppose to take five days, but they were eight days late.

Stripermann2 wrote:Hopefully, your transportation company did not come through a broker!
I have a nightmare story of having my boat shipped from Florida to VA...

If we get to story telling.

Ya it was through a broker. The guy is a liar and a crook. My boat was eight days late. He didn't even return my phone calls when noone showed up to pick it up. I thought he took my money and skipped town. The night my boat did show up he got nasty and told him I owed him an additional $1500 but he would split the difference for being late. He basically held my boat on the truck until I paid an additonal $750 and threatened to start charging me $75 per hour that the boat was still sitting on the truck. What is your story?

Had My Boat moved from Va. to Phila . pa. LOCKVIEW MARINA& TRANSPORT Co. Great to deal with Great , price answered every call and every stupid question On time and helpful (HIGHLY RECOMENDED)

I found out to never deal with a middle man. The term broker, implies that you may go broke! Here is my loooong story.

I live in MD and found the boat online at a very nice, established and reputable Sea Ray dealership in Panama City Beach, FL. I flew down, inspected the boat, worked the price over with the salesman, gave a deposit after a sea trial with a sale pending survey. Done deal.

Flew down a few times, fished the gulf, had fun. But I wanted the boat back up here.
I originally contacted a reputable hauler out of NC with a price of around 3,000.00 but they could not perform on the date I needed. So I found a shipper through a broker with a hauler out of the East coast of FL. He wanted 2,700.00 to bring it to VA. Thought it was a great deal. He assured me of insurance, permits and that the truck was a real boat hauler, tractor trailer type, low boy, etc. He put me in touch with the hauler who I sent a check to, for 1,400.00 as down payment. I scheduled a flight for my friend and I to go down so we could remove the flybridge, electronics, railings, etc. All which had to be done over the weekend, so the shipper could pick up first thing Monday morning. We finished everything up on Saturday afternoon, took Sunday off and enjoyed the day.

Monday early I arose and was walking about the parking lot when I spotted a ratty looking older Ford dually pick up with a trailer and two guys sleeping in the truck. I thought nah, they're not for me! A while later, they were up and said they were here to transport my boat!

Their truck had a broken windshield, there were red plastic gas cans loaded with diesel in the bed of their truck , so they didn't have to stop and buy fuel in transit and junk piled high, balding tires with missing fenders on the trailer, lights inoperative and cracked, bunks and rollers worn out and a paper tag that read LOST TAG for a license plate for their trailer! I had the manager of the service department and crew come out and take a look...they shook their heads and said it would never work.

I went over and told the driver that there must have been a mistake and that I would never even let them haul my garden tractor with what they had. I told them to hit the highway. They said they drove 6 hours through the night with an escort, money was put out for expenses.

To bad, so sad...see ya.

I then made a phone call to my bank and stopped payment on the deposit check which was not cashed yet. I then called the hauler who sent the two bozos and told him I was done with him. He of course pleaded and begged and said he would send a real truck. No way, game over. I resigned myself that I would have to arrange for another hauler, fly back down to inspect two weeks later to make the move work- argh!!!

As I was headed to the airport, I got a call on my cell. It was the original shipper, who said that they had an empty hauler coming from Texas and was laying over in Panama City. They could pick my boat up the following morning and bring it to VA. The cost was actually lower than quoted. Better to bring something back then nothing. It was 2,400.00

So in the end, I got the boat and all is well. The hauler raised hell when he found out I stopped payment. He threatened to put a lien on my boat and that I would never enjoy it for one day. He even physically threatened me over the phone. I gave him my home address and told him to call me when he came to town... He called my girlfriend at the time, repeatedly and harassed her at work. I sent him a certified letter that I would file charges against him with the Florida State's Attorney's office if he continued. Never heard from him again.

So there you have it.