According to a research report of 2017, there were around 13 million registered boats in the USA. Most of the people there are interested in owning personal boats and as of that the number of boat owners have increased dramatically in the last few years.
And, if you are also willing to include your name in those boat-owners or already owning a watercraft for many years, then it is quite possible that you need to relocate your craft to your nearest port or some other point from its previous location.
Therefore, the good news is there are several such transportation services that are grown up there that are ready to help you ship your boat across the country. You just need to find out the right service company according to your specific requirements.
In that case, it is very important to find a reliable shipping service who would assure you to transport your vessel as per your stated schedule without damaging your craft.
In this article I am going to focus on some certain characteristics that might help you to find a suitable shipping company to transport your watercraft safely and effectively.
Let’s get started:
- Before selecting your boat hauling company , make sure that the particular shipping agency has a proper authorization. The transportation company must be registered by the Federal Motor Carrier and the Federal DOT. If it is licensed, then only the certain company will be eligible for transporting boats to another place.
It would be a red sign if your shipping company is not legally affiliated.You might be cheated on your further consideration. So, you need to check the company’s profile for its MC and DOT license number before hiring it.
- Make sure that the transportation company is experienced enough for the best shipment of boats. Verify how long it is working in this field and it’s average shipping percentage per year. Check out the reviews for its accuracy of job. Moreover, the certain company must have adequate knowledge about inside and outside of the watercraft and the attendants of the company know how to handle boats carefully.
A renowned boat shipping agency must know about the possibility of inconveniences that may occur during shipment and should have the ability to come out of them without doing mess.
Though there are lots of upgrowing boat shipping companies who are doing splendid jobs, yet it is better to stick with experienced ones rather than rely on new agencies.
- As the boats are expensive enough and moreover your most desired ones, so it is not at all a good idea to handover your watercraft to the transporters for shipping uninsured.
Before considering to hire any professional shipper, check out it’s insurance policies on the SAFER website. Ask for a full coverage insurance like cargo insurance as liability insurance won’t cover the value of your boat. In case the insurance is not enough to cover your boat total valuation, inquire for other additional charges that would secure your boat.
- Some of the boat transport companies demand the full payment before shipping especially when they are dealing with inexperienced individuals. But this action might be risky. It is better to negotiate for giving halfway payment before shipping.
You must go through and understand each and every word of the contract papers before signing them. Do not make any payment before it is assured that your vessel has been loaded to the trailer.
Both the parties, owner and transporter should be agreed to the same condition that the balance would be paid after delivering the vessel into its final destination.
- Reputed boat hauling companies must have flexible payment options. They should allow the customers to pay as per their convenience. If any transportation company wants transactions only by cash, there must be something wrong. So, beware of such fraudulence.
- Any reliable boat hauling company would admit that transporting a boat to another place is not at all an easy task. To make a successful and smooth vessel transportation, every boat shipping company needs adequate resources. Therefore, before hiring a boat hauling company it is essential to ask if they are properly equipped for making the transportation.
- As your boat has a great value for you, it is quite natural that you want the best relocation specialists to transport your watercraft that will provide you with the necessary tracking details. Therefore, before booking a hauling agency ask about its tracking methods, do that you can keep in touch with the transport personnels. Ask for an all time GPS tracking facility.