Does it make sense to buy a Boat(>40') on the East Coast and Ship (or ferry) it to the West Coast?

Question

Im not looking for a "hurricane" boat, but it appears that the East/West Coast markets are different. Is it enough to warrant buying East, and ferry (ship) West? Im looking for a ~40' blue water capable sailboat for extended west coast and S. America. I hesitate to call it cruising as it needs to go to Usuaia and Vancouver.

Answer 1

to be sure west cost pricing is way higher then east coast.if you find what you want for the price you want to pay go for it.also check out the cost of shipping as to doing it yourself.granted a 40+ft boat is a big boat but you can rent or buy a trailer to hauel it and if you buy the trailer you can sell it for more then you paid for it on the  west coast.i once had to bring a car for a inlaw from n.j to navada.i bought a flat bed type trailer for 900.00dollars and had my inlaw put it the papers for sale down there. before we left to head back (two weeks)it was sold for 1250.00.!!i was asking 1400. for it

Answer 2

You have to look into the economics of it. I agree that you can get a boat cheaper on the east and gulf coasts. The northeast boats tend to be in better shape since they have a short season and are covered the other part (usually). The answer is how much will it cost to get it home. can you truck it? Maybe, they truck some big boats. Or put it on a ship or sail it around. And if you find the boat you want and its on the other coast, does it matter? Funny I might have found the boat on the west coast, San Diego. But I know I could truck it with out too much trouble!

Good Luck

Answer 3

Looking at that myself and the answer appears to be yes and no. To compare different markets can be tricky because of boat conditions and what the "locals" accept as normal or good. Basically add the cost of shipping to the cheaper east coast boats and you'll find that the west coast market does seem overpriced. Of course cost is not everything. There is considerable risk to transporting a boat and it can be time consuming if done right.

Generally a 40' blue water boat is going to be at least $6G to transport. It depends on size and weight as well as insurance and which company will do it. I'd say add $10G to the east coast boat and then see if you can get a similar west coast boat owner to come close. If not look closer at the east coast boat you want and get estimates from a boat mover.

Answer 4

I bought a 26-foot boat that was located 2000 miles from where I live, because I wanted a certain boat and a closer one would have cost much more, so certainly it can make sense on a much bigger boat.    I think especially with larger boats, both the supply (availability) and cost can be very different in different locations.

Call some of the delivery or transport companies and get some estimates.   My guess is your looking at 10-15 K.   In addition to the transportation costs, There is the added delivery time, you have the headache of traveling to a view the boat, setting up surveys farther away, etc.    

However, as one looks at bigger, more expensive boats, it makes more sense to do the traveling and look at boats further away from home.

Bottom line is you need to look at the price differences, as well as how important certain boats are to you and decide what's worth it to you.

Answer 5

the simplest answer i can give is ,  no