Episode 55, Choosing the right boat, Part 3, Buying and Shipping
Exciting news:
My buddy John sold his Olson 30, smart buyer; it was the best deal going for shorthanded sailing. Now John and his wife Joyce just purchased my last Archambault 31. Finally we have two of the same boats, a long time coming. This will add significantly to the show and help our tuning process. Along with just making us better shorthanded sailors.
Ok, let me get into the final part of this series. If you have not read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series I think it is worth the read.
After deciding on the Archambault 31 with its compromises fitting the sailing I want to do, I needed to close the deal on one in La Rochelle I had been watching. First of course you have to agree on the price. With the Euro to Dollar and the world a little unsure in early March the exchange was inviting at 1.07. So I negotiated a deal and then set up a survey, which all happen before the shut down.
For the survey I went with Grassie Bateau (the dealership I purchased the boat through) recommendation and that was a mistake. I searched for two weeks prior, and could not get any answers from other companies. With what was happening in the world I am sure that did not help. So I went with their recommendation. I can tell you once I received the boat the surveyor did a poor job. There were at least 20 simple items he missed, which I found in the first hour. Oh well, not much I could do at that point, but lesson learned. This is the first boat I have purchased that I did not do the survey myself. It is still a great boat, just items that could have negotiated the price down or have been fixed.
After the written survey we closed the deal. I already had shipping prices by contacting every shipping company I could find for a quote, so I knew I could stay within my budget. The prices were all over the place.
Brian Harris, who is general manager of Maine Yacht Center, in Portland, Maine. I have exchanged emails with Brian for years, starting back when I was interested in the Akilaria 9.50. Brian is a shorthanded sailor of the highest caliber and runs an amazing yard. Brian recommended ElmSkip shipping company, in Portland, Maine who has shipped all the college Figaro 2’s from France, Class 40’s he works on and sells, to US through Maine Yacht Center. So this option went to the top of my list, while still talking with three other shipping companies. But in the end ElmSkip, and Nathaniel in the ElmSkip Portland, Maine office were excellent to work with all the way through the process. Nathaniel would always got right back to me and never changed his price. This seems rare in this type of shipping, there always seems to be add on charges. And I was warned about shipping to Baltimore, NY, or NJ due to the port fees. Going to Portland, Maine and using Maine Yachting Center meant I could sail it home saving on road shipping.
To get an accurate price you need to have the proper dimensions, and most companies have what they need on their site for a basic quote. Then they will ask some detail questions, you need to make sure you are accurate, or your price will change.
A few other things I learned to protect the boat for shipping, and to get the best price
Know where bulkheads are for lifting and supporting.
You need a solid well built shipping cradle that meets the shippers needs. They need to strap boat and cradle onto a flat rack so it can be moved similar to a container.
(I have a brand new shipping cradle I no longer need for sale if anyone is interested. You get it for fraction of the new price. Will fit 30-39+’ boats, 5.0’ to 7.9’ draft. Built like a tank, with adjustable bunks. )
- Know your exact mast length, in the shipping tube. Mine came in two-foot diameter heavy corrugated pipe, cut in smaller sections, suspended with foam blocks taped to the rig. Great way to ship the mast.
- Beam, LOA, loaded displacement, height (top of boat, to bottom of cradle), critical number for road shipping, and adds to the volume cost on the ship.
- Insurance; who will cover the boat as it goes over the road, and insurance with the shipper? My boat went over the road from La Rochelle to Rotterdam with ElmSkip, then ship from there to Portland, Maine. Out the North Sea, to Iceland, changed ships in Iceland stopped in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, then and Portland. ElmSkip insured the whole way at a very reasonable fee.
- Will you be on deck or in the hold? They asked if I would mind going in the hold, “Yes please”. Based on that route, going in the hold was a great option keeping the boat dry and not getting caked with salt. The mast was on its own flat rack on deck, which is fine because it is sealed.
Next is importing to the US. Once you have chosen the shipper and have a signed deal, you can ask who they use for Import Broker. The import broker will take care of all the paperwork with importing. Their fee is low, and it is something I would not want to do myself. You will have to supply the legal documents such as, Change of Flag from export country to US, Bill of Sale, Proof of citizenship, shipping information. Again Nathaniel at ElmSkip recommended Brenda Costello of Fred E. Gignoux Inc. Brenda did an excellent job and took the worry of paperwork out of my hands. When I showed up to pick up the boat there was no paperwork needed. They did not even look at my paperwork, they said you are already pre-cleared. A good import broker is a must.
At this point just making sure you can pay the bills. The shipper did not ask for any money until the ship was docked, then you pay in full. This surprised me, but when I received a bill for about 25% more then the contract, I contacted Nathaniel. Nathaniel said you are correct, they used the wrong code, so he changed the bill. Important to have good contacts and ask every question you can think of in writing.
If you are going to document you need all the paperwork to be notarized, Bill of Sale with (Apostille), and deletion of Foreign Registration also with (Apostille). Apostille is an international way to notarize and US Coast Guard only accepts this option. I could not get the dealer to do this so I had to register in RI first, then the Coast Guard will accept that and you can document. It was a hassle and I have no idea why the Grassi Bateau would not get the Apostille, except they had a small margin on the boat, and felt they were done.
Day of pickup
Working with Brian Harris since the boat was going to his yard so I could put it together and sail home. We needed a trucker, which he set up, and one of his yard workers (Mike) met me at the Portland, ElmSkip dock since he had been through the process many time before. With the help of Maine Yacht Center and Brian Harris staff this was a stress free operation even with the trailer height issue. Andrew the trucker was great, and his attention to detail set me at ease.
On the cradle she was too high for a low bridge going to Maine Yacht Center, so the trucker called Portland Yacht Service which was right next to ElmSkip. We drove there and they kindly accommodated us right away, and did a fantastic job launching the boat. At this point I motored around the harbor to Maine Yacht Center with a boat loaded with gear. Luckily the motor had been serviced and started right up.
For the next four days I worked 15 hr days to get her ready. My van was loaded with tools, spare gear, galley setup, cooler, so I could live out of it while working at the yard. But with the boat in the water right away I had a bunk around all the gear.
I have to say everyone at Maine Yacht Center was a pleasure to deal with and they do first class work. So cool to see four, Class 40’s in the water and ready to go. And two slips over was Rich Wilson’s new RM 12.60 cruising boat. Check out their site. What ever you need done Maine Yachting Center can do it to the highest standard.
At this point my next Archambault 31 is in the water and ready to sail home to RI. I did the minimum to get her home, and learned a lot about her in the 200 NM trip in early July.
See you soon, Paul