To shrink or not to shrink

[Lenny and Louise]

To shrink or not to shrink:

We are making preparations to have our new Ranger 31 Tug trucked from Portland, OR, to St Paul, MN. Scheduled date for move is first week of May, and we will start the Loop June 3, 2018.

We are considering the prospect of shrink wrapping. We have no idea of cost, and that is one factor. The time and effort to remove and dispose of the wrap at the destination is also a concern. Have others had experience shipping their boats with or without shrink wrapping? We see a lot of boats on trailers without wrapping, but we would hate to see a ding in our “new baby.”

What about diesel fuel? We will drain the fresh water tank and pump off (flush) the black water tank. However, in a less than well thought out moment, we filled the fuel tank. We now have 170 gallons of fresh diesel on board with little prospect of using it all before shipping. Do you think it will make the journey – in the tank, not the bilge?

Thanks in advance for all the varied advice.

Lenny and Louise Anderson
Then Again
Portland, OR

 

[Todd]

I would not wrap. The wind tends to cause a lot of flapping which can damage finish. Would not worry about the fuel.

 

[YukonRon]

We bought our R25sc from Port Boat House on Vancouver Island last fall; and had it shrink-wrapped and delivered to Whitehorse Yukon; a trip of about 2500 km (1500 miles). PBH did a great job wrapping the boat. All the delicate or pokey items like mast, nav lights, antennas, etc were all pre-wrapped in foam first. The shrink-wrap itself had ties on the inside which were attached to the boat inside the wrap to prevent flapping. They put a zipper door at the transom to allow entry to check on things (or to allow them to tie and adjust the ties inside after shrinking?).
Unwrapping the boat took less than an hour with VERY CAREFUL use of a utility knife. Keeping the blade turned up away from the boat with my finger guiding the blade, I was able to "unzip" partway up from each end and pull the wrap off in one big piece; cutting ties and removing foam as i went. All the garbage rolled up into a big ball that half filled my pickup truck box.
At first I was horrified to see white "rub marks" all over the hull of the boat. I thought the wrap had worn right through the gel goat! :shock: Fortunately, all the marks were just on the surface. The dark blue paint was fairly oxidized, so I'm not sure if the marks were from the oxidized paint or the white plastic. I bought a Canadian Tire electric polisher, and a good waxing cleaned it all up.
Overall, I was glad to have had the boat wrapped and protected for the trip.

 

[knotflying]

I used a lightweight tarp for years. The cost was about $100.00 and I would get at least 3 years out of it. Lots of bungee cords around the perimeter and I was golden. I even made it through hurricane Sandy never had any damage caused by the tarp.

 

[BB marine]

I'm not sure I would go thru the expense of shrink wrap at that time of year. If you were having it hauled in January I definitely would. A snow storm could really make a mess of the boat. In May you should be free of that. I have towed our boat approx 3000 miles and so far no rock chips in the hull. I think it sits up high enough. The bottom might get hit by debris off the road but I haven't noticed anything. The only issue would be if you are having it hauled by a big truck with exhaust stacks high. You may get some soot. That should be minimal. If you don't shrink it. Plan on an afternoon of scrubbing and the boat will be ready to go. Just my opinion. I never towed out west always midwest and east.

 

[elan]

Good morning Lenny & Louise,
Having just shipped, shrinkwraped our 26 Cutwater from Everette, Wa to Chesapeake, Va, about 3,000 miles in October of this year we would definately reccomend having your tug wrapped.
We had our American Tug shipped from San Diego to Galviston unwrapped & it arrived a MESS!
The company that wrapped the boat, Cutwater used nine mill wrap & took it down to the waterline, NO flapping NO damage, the cost was $450.
The wrapping took three to four hrs working hard.
As to the fuel, no it won't end up in the bilge, it;s a non issue.
DO NOT use a tarp or anything less than nine mills.
Good luck!
Mike & Barbara
2012 Cutwater with a 4by2 Yanmar
M/V Elan

 

[YukonRon]

You may not hit snow, but if you run into road construction it can still get VERY messy. Even if the highways are dry, they will water the gravel when grading and packing. Mud and gravel soup flying everywhere! Been there done that too many times; had a custom cover made for my old boat and never left home without it on.
I also had a RockGARD screen installed on my R25 trailer before having it shipped home to protect the hull from rocks. Much cheaper in the long run than hull repairs. I didn't bother for my last boat because it was aluminum, and regretted it. The forward part of the hull looked like it was sand blasted and used for bird-shot practice!

 

[knotflying]

I used a lightweight tarp for years. The cost was about $100.00 and I would get at least 3 years out of it. Lots of bungee cords around the perimeter and I was golden. I even made it through hurricane Sandy never had any damage caused by the tarp.

Sorry about that. Totally missed that it was being towed. I was referring to storage on trailer.

 

[Lenny and Louise]

Thanks to everyone who replied so far, both on here and in private. We are still scratching our heads.

We are also interested in hearing good and bad stories about trucking companies. Anybody know of a really good outfit?

 

[SeattleShrink]

Hello everyone,

If your looking for a professional mobile shrink wrapping company then please give us a call. We take pride in all of our work and have gained respect through many of the boatyards, marinas, and logistic companies around Seattle, Washington. Our service area is throughout Washington state and centralized around the Puget Sound areas. Also, for boat transport in Washington state I would recommend Associated Boat Transport.

We offer free quotes & lots of information at our website: www.SeattleShrinkWraps.com and would be happy to answer any questions regarding the shrink wrap process.

Thank you

 

[Martin610]

Having a boat shipped can be tough depending on how tight a schedule you have. I have done it twice. Once from Florida to New Jersey, and once from Rhode Island to New Jersey.

The Florida shipment went very well, especially surprising as I used Uship. However, the Florida route is very busy with haul traffic and you have a lot of choices.

The recent Rhode Island shipment of my Cutwater was harder. I had to let go the first guy as he wouldn't commit to a date.

I was lucky enough to get a really good replacement hauler, Bruce Dawson. He's a retired NJ state trooper. Very knowledgeable and very responsible. He was more money, but totally worth it.

Whoever you get, drill down on their insurance. Make its adequate coverage, policy is in effect, etc.

Good luck.

-martin