29 juin 2018

Useful Advice On Preparing For Boat Transport

By Laura Allen


There are many reasons to move a water vessel. Maybe one is moving to a different city and would like to have the vessel be closer to home. Or maybe one is participating in a tournament out of state. The vessel may not have the capacity to sail all the way to the destination port. This then necessitates the hiring of a company for boat transport. The smaller vessels are pretty easy to move. The complication lies in the big yachts and such.

One must remember to remove all personal items from the vessel. Clear out everything from top to bottom. Then proceed and remove the loosely placed items like pans and plates. Do not leave anything lying around to break or damage something in the interior. Next, lock all the hatches and tape over them. Seal the exterior hatches too especially if they are not waterproof. Ensure that if the interior is breached, it will be easy to tell.

Empty out the fuel and water tanks. The fuel is especially dangerous, in the event of an accident it would catalyze an explosion. Leaving these empty will also lower the weight of the ship in addition to preventing spillage into other compartments of the ship. Remove the radar units and keep them padded until the time comes to reinstall.

Photograph the interior before sealing off. This is a way of documenting how the interior looks like before hauling. Also, keep a full list of everything that was removed, especially the important things. Take many pictures of the body of the ship from all angles. Keep a record of any dents there might be on the body. Ensure to check again once the vessel is delivered to the port. One must take their time with this step as it might prevent finding out about damage in the future. The company would be justified in denying liability if the damage is realized after delivery to the destination port.

There are two ways to haul vessels. The first is by water. Load the boat onto a carrier vessel and sail it across the water mass to the other port. When the highway is avoided, there is little risk of an accident or delays due to traffic. Another option is to use the road. This is done if there is no sea, lake or river linking the two places.

There is a need for a crane and a few other types of equipment to ensure safe movement of the ship from point A to point B. Experience and expertise are paramount to safety f the boat in transit. One should ensure to check that the company has a well-trained crew. Do a background check on the company so that there are no surprises.

The company must have insurance. They must also be bonded. This means that the client is assured of indemnity in the event of an incident. This is a particularly tricky situation and one should not compromise. Ensure to get all the insurance information. The company must willingly provide this information.

A dealership that deals in vessels would be a good place to start to find a good company. These dealerships move vessels to clients all the time. Often, they will have their own in-house hauling unit.




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