Fantastic Tips For Preparing Your Boat For Transport

By Author: Keith Raven
Total Articles: 3698
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You can guarantee the condition of your boat when you reach your destination by properly preparing it for travel ahead of time. During the transportation process you can secure everything in order to protect your boat. It is also a good idea to identify any damage that is pre-existing in order to save complaints once you reach your destination.

Preparing your boat is important since many service providers won't be responsible should damage occur from improper travel or loading preparations. You should have your boat checked out by a licensed marine surveyor prior to traveling. In order to properly prepare a boat you need to give yourself enough time so set aside at least two days or more. You also shouldn't wait until the last minute in case the transport company has to come early for some reason.

The loading spot you choose should be a marina or boatyard with at least a fourteen-foot clearance so you won't have to worry about branches and wires interfering. As your service provider to refer you to a destination area in case you don't know where the best drop-off point is.

Be sure to take photos ...
... of anything on your boat before dismantling it. This will give you a reference when it comes to reassembling your boat after transport is complete. Clean and inspect the exterior of the boat. Write down any problems you find and take photos with dates if possible. The driver that you have hired will then make a final assessment for a Condition Report, but you want to do your own inspection so you know what you need to point out for them. Consider the following tips to have everything ready.

· All loose gear should be secured both above and below deck.

· Any hatches should be closed and secured by taping or tying them. If hatches leak, be sure to seal them in order to avoid any possible water damage.

· You should also latch and tape cabin windows from the outside.

· All fuel and water tanks need to be drained and all drain plugs removed from the hull.

· During the winter months you need to drain all water systems, pumps and air conditioners of any liquid in order to avoid damage.

· Batteries should be disconnected and secured with the cables away from it in order to prevent any accidental contact.

· External accessories or anything that goes beyond the hull should be removed, padded securely, packed away or stored below.

· All valuable electronics should be removed. Take the anchors from the deck then pad and secure them in the cabin. You should also do this for any windshield or Plexiglas that is protruding over the flying bridge.

· If there is something large like a dinghy then you want to secure it on board and make sure it has lots of padding.

· If you have a radar arch or anything that causes the load out to be over thirteen feet six inches it will need to be removed, padded and secured to the boat.