Headin' down the Highway, Lookin' for Adventure.........
If the price was right, I would consider a west coast boat. Is it even possible to transport a 38 foot sailboat over land from say California to Boston? I would imagine it would cost many thousands!
What we learned, a couple of decades ago, was that boat transport involves several facets.
Basic cast is mileage. It costs XX cents per mile to move cargo. I did not (too much) stress about the cost for the haul out and relaunch at arrival because haul outs and likely some bottom prep would be part of acquiring it.
Ask around about the reputation of the hauler. Your marine insurer and surveyor will have suggestions.
Then, there is the boat itself. The total overhead clearance of the cargo on the purpose-built keelboat trailer is governed by the Federal hi way overhead clearance standard. I recall, dimly, that this is a bit over 13 feet. One good thing is that the Ericson 38 is not a grossly Huge vessel. LOA is about 37'8" and the beam is a modest 12'.
It's not unusual for a yard at the departure point to have remove a bow or stern pulpit and pad and lash it under the hull or inside the cockpit somehow. Those coils of rigging have to be well-padded and lashed inside or somewhere.
Chafe is the enemy, inside and on deck. Repeat that caution several times.
As I was able to persuade a friend with a pickup truck to drive down to SF to help with the move, we loaded his canopy chock full of boat gear, and lashed the boom, spinnaker pole, and radar mast on top. Not nearly up to the rocking-chair standard of the Beverly Hillbillies TV show (!), but funny anyway.
12 hour non stop drive, regularly trading drivers, and we were in PDX waiting for the truck to get here, days later.
Cost will vary. Our original quote (1994 dollars, of course) was about $2500. for the one way haul, on our schedule. We chose option two = some flexibility in time and about $1900. Option three= they called me with an empty 'back haul' that had to get their truck-and-trailer up to Seattle, and offered to do it for about $1300. This sped up the load out time at the yard in Alameda, but they sighed and said OK, and this had happened before.
Beam is important, and if the load is wide enough to required a pilot car, the cost goes up.
Talk to at last two national haulers (of sailboats), and they will explain the costs and options.
Oh yeah, risk and liability. While the hauler will have insurance of some kind, do have your own insurance in place before it's loaded and leaves the yard. We did. No issues, but a potential extended fight with the hauler and their insurer was something we did not want to be a part of.
Finally-- it was the boat we really really wanted.... no regrets. Well, not too many anyway.
Trucking trivia: our draft is 6' and our beam is 10' 10". No stanchions or pulpits had to be removed for trucking.
Edit: an on-line inflation calculator would increase my '94 dollar figures by 73%. (sigh...)
