Carver Owners Forum

If you go with a transport, contact a couple of transporters sooner than later. That is the time of year that some owners ship their vessels from FL to Great Lakes. A transporter would love to have a project for the return to FL. At least you are in an area that has a number of transporters. Where in Michigan is the subject boat? er

Boat is in Spring Lake right by Grand Haven. Got several quotes on Uship, but shippers’ height needs are tough, mostly around 12.5 feet for boat alone, that’s on a lowboy trailer. I think that will require removal of the upper half of the salon entry, which is the highest point after removing arch, upper helm, Venturi. That entry looks like a large piece that includes the base for the helm seat and the adjacent bench and extends forward to the upper helm console. Appreciate any recommendations around shippers and shipping configuration for the 36/370 aft cabin.

Unfortunately, there are far less transporters in this area. Insurance requirements/expense for over the road carriers forced most out of that business. Secondly, the remaining transporters are tied up with moving/launching boats within more localized destinations due to May being the launch month up here. The reason I am familiar with this is, I needed to transport my Mariner just 60 miles from storage to launch, but lost that ability after last year. Getting that height down to 12.5 feet is going to take removing the entire section, just above the salon windows. Carver would ship these boats before final assembly of top half. As you are aware, Uship is a third party broker with a network to assign contracts. If I were you, I would personally visit a few actual large boat dealers or marinas, and inquire how they receive transported vessels. Maybe try the marina you slip at for starters. If nothing else, I will drive out to Cruisers Inc, in Pulaski to see if they can point us in some sort of direction. Cruisers purchased Carver a few years ago. Maybe someone there could be helpful. Finally, there is a member here that identifies as "Johnnykey". Try to PM him and have a phone conversation. He transported a similar boat from Texas to Wisconsin 5 years ago. He would be a great resource to connect with. Let me know if I can help! er

Wow. Thanks for all the guidance. No time for a long reply right now. But I think I decided to take the risk and just try to run it downriver in May. Dismantling, trucking, and reassembling will cost too much, and not as much fun?/ adventure. The Lockport lock south of Chicago will reopen after repairs on May 19. If conditions permit that is my target. Thanks Cooler.

Try Great Lakes Marine Transport in Port Washington Wisconsin. They go all over
Very nice equipment. When we were in Wisconsin we kept our boat there in winter heated storage.

I am familiar with Great Lakes in Port Washington. They are 1 of 2 remaining transporters in WI, and are very good. They are on the water, so they may be able to handle the entire job of dismantle/transport. But you're correct in that expense estimate. Here is another thought. I know a couple of guys who could asst you with that trip. One is a transport capt. that has some mechanical knowledge, the other is probably the best marine mechanic in the midwest. You may want to hire one of them to cruise with you for a couple of days, just to make sure all systems are reliable for the remainder of the trip. If interested, I will reach out to them and see if they would do that with an estimate of fee. I agree with your thought of just cruising it down. A little scary, but probably way less expense. Yes, that can be interpreted as "adventure". What engines are in the vessel, and how many hours are on them? No rush for response. er

Thanks for all the great advice. For various eeasons, trucking is back on the table. I’d do the dismantling n prep, then reassembly myself. I did this with a Bayliner 3218 a few years ago. Not a huge task, but I didn’t pull props n rudders, or a hardtop then. But I think I can manage. Got a few quotes on Uship, and one from an established Great Lakes transporter, who provided the most thorough all-in quote, with disassembly requirements noted. The quote was high, but seems to eliminate surprise costs. They also have known experience with Carver after cabins like mine. I think all that may justify the cost. Independent carriers may also be good, but they don’t seem to line out all the costs up front and may not know the boat and the height requirements. It’s not going to work without a lowboy, and a 5th wheel where you can place the hardtop. I’ll check with Great Lakes too. Thanks for the tip.

Very good. Keep us informed as time goes by. Good luck on the survey! er