What forms of payment are acceptable?
We can only accept payment for the balance in the form of cash, cashier’s check, or money orders.

If permits are required, should I purchase them myself, or will Marine-Movers purchase them for me? Marine-Movers will purchase any required permits. We have to determine the routes in coordination with the various states.

Please note that the states will not issue an over-height permit (13 ft. 6 in. total for both boat and trailer) unless the highest removable part of the vessel, such as the fly-bridge and/or radar arch have been removed.

If rear “escort” vehicles and/or forward “high-pole” vehicles are required, should I make these arrangements ? Just as in the case of permits, Marine-Movers will make the arrangements for escorts, high-pole vehicles, or route surveys. These costs will be included and designated in the transport price quoted to you.

You calculate mileage using Truck-Miles, practical miles. Why are these miles different than “regular” miles?
Truck-Miles takes into consideration the miles that trucks must use as their route. We are most often routed around cities rather than straight through them as cars are. That is why you see the signs that say “Truck Route”.
Also, State Departments of Transportation specify in the permits we buy for over-size (over 8 feet, 6 inches wide), over-height, and over-weight loads, precisely which route we must take.
That is why an oversize load may require that we, and the escort vehicle(s), if required, drive many more miles than would be required of a passenger car for the same trip.

Why is the price not always less when you pull my boat using my trailer?
Since most of the economies of scale are achieved by transporting several boats at the same time going in the same general direction, it is often more expensive for us to pull your boat on your trailer. Moreover, unless we have another boat to pull back on its own trailer, we have to “bob-tail”, incurring the same fuel and other operating costs as if we had a load.

Wecanonly tow your boat on your trailer if the trailer is new, or nearly new. Even then, the owner is responsible for having the bearings, lights, and tire pressure inspected and in perfect working order. Further, a spare tire must be supplied. We must be able to contact you day or night in case repairs must be authorized.

Any time spent by the driver getting your trailer road-ready, repairing it or waiting on it to be repaired will be billed at a rate of $55.00 per hour, which must be paid in cash at the time of delivery. You must be available to authorize parts and labor charges on your credit card at the time of repairs.

A deposit will be required to begin scheduling your boat for transport. It is our policy to refund deposits if it is our fault that we can not transport your boat within the agreed upon time frame.
The deposit, however, is not refundable if we have already bought permits or our truck has already been dispatched or routed (sometimes as much as a week or more in advance) to pick up your boat, and you cancel the transport.

As a transporter, we must commit and route expensive equipment to carry out the transport of your boat. Normally, a deposit of 10% to 20% will be sufficient for “legal” (8 ft. 6 in. or less wide) loads that are scheduled for shipment in the normal course of routing with delivery in a 2 to 4 week period.
If you are shipping a boat with a “legal” beam, and a transporter asks you for a deposit in excess of 20%, be very suspicious. If the transporter asks you for payment in full in advance, “Just Say No” and find another transporter.

If you are moving a vessel that is over-wide (8 ft. 6 in.), over-height (11 ft. 6 in.) over-length or over-weight, permits and special routing will be required. The special routing required by the permits usually results in many more miles being added to the trip than the normal “truck” miles. Also, these added miles must be driven by any additional escort vehicles required.
These permits must be purchased in advance and are only good for a few days for each state. The transporter can reasonably expect you to advance the money to secure these permits, as they are only applicable to your boat and the time period designated for transporting your vessel.
Also, if your vessel is more than 12 feet wide, rear, and sometimes front, “escort” vehicles are required.
Additionally, over-height boats will require a front “high pole” vehicle and possibly the conduct of a route survey to certify clearances before states will issue permits. The transport company is expected to pay for these services as they are rendered, and in such circumstances a deposit of 50% (+ or -) may reasonably be required.
Many boat transport companies are simply not properly equipped or otherwise capable of handling “super loads”, so an extra measure of caution should be used when selecting a transporter for a job like this. And, as you might imagine, the good ones are not usually the cheapest.