How to Transport Your Boat for the Summer

A pickup truck tows a boat on a trailer down the highway.

Best Ways to Transport Your Boat for the Summer

The sun has risen, and the flowers have bloomed. Summer has arrived, and the days of staying indoors and out of the cold are behind us. That means you can finally get your boat out of storage and hurry to the open water when you’re ready to make the most of the sunshine by fishing, tubing, and hanging out with your friends and family.

But transporting a boat can be tricky, whether you’re just going down to the local lake, taking it along for your road trip, or bringing it with you as you move into your new home. At Freedom Storage Management, we know a few of the best boat transportation methods, and we also have the space for you to store that boat after you’ve finished your day on the water.

Assess Your Situation

The best way to prevent damage from happening to your boat during transportation is to thoroughly assess your situation and plan accordingly.

There are many ways to transport a boat, and there may be a specific method that best suits your situation. The size of your boat, the type of boat, the distance needed to travel, and the destination are all factors to consider. The bigger your boat and the longer the distance, the greater the boat transportation cost will be. Therefore, as you’re deciding how to transport a boat of yours, know that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all way to make it happen.

Transporting Your Boat With a Boat Trailer

The “do it yourself” approach is a common one known well by boating veterans. To load your boat onto a trailer, lower your trailer into the water using a vehicle that can pull the weight of your boat. Drive or float your boat onto the trailer, then secure it before raising the boat out of the water. This method is good for short trips with small boats, but it has its limits.

Most states have laws on how big a boat on a trailer can be while it is on public roads, and the dangers of a boat getting damaged are higher. While this method is common for a reason, it does require a vehicle that can tow the boat trailer and boat. If you have such a vehicle, this method is best used on small-sized to medium-sized power boats and for short trips.

Transporting Your Boat on the Water

To transport your boat from one place to another, you can also do what the boat is designed to do: sail. If there’s a path of waterways to your destination, this boat transportation method could be the easiest and most effective.

You’ll need to preplan the route and ensure you and your boat can manage the distance. Therefore, this method is best used for short trips with power boats. Just be sure you have a reliable sense of direction and a destination that’s connected to your current dock via waterways.

Transporting Your Boat With a Flatbed

If you have a larger boat and need to transport across the land, then it may be time to rent a flatbed. With this method, if your boat is too large for a trailer, then you can load it onto a special flatbed which is equipped with a “cradle” to secure your boat. To load it, you will need a crane to lift your boat out of the water and onto the flatbed.

While you can do this yourself given the right training and connections, it is highly recommended that you hire boat transportation services to help with this method. These professionals know how to operate this machinery and how to transport a boat of the size that would need a flatbed. This method is best used when you’re taking a long trip a with medium-sized to large-sized power boat, wooden boat, small yacht, or another larger vessel.

Transporting Your Boat With a Ship

For large boats taking long trips or going overseas, you may need to transport your boat by using a boat transport ship. You have to hire these ships, and they can transport virtually any size of a boat anywhere you need it to go. It is a relatively expensive endeavor, but it is also the safest method of boat transportation.

Interested in Hiring Professional Boat Haulers?

If you’re not sure that transporting your boat yourself is the right move, you can hire a professional boat hauler. These experts know how to transport a boat with the least amount of damage and can give you advice on how to transport your vessel in the future. While their prices can be expensive, the total boat transportation cost will be based on the size of your boat, the distance traveled, the destination, and the season. Check around your local area for what professional boat haulers are around.

Using Freedom Storage Facilities for Boat Storage

After you’ve finished your travels, you can keep your boat in convenient, secure boat storage at a facility powered by Freedom Storage Management. Whether you keep your boat with us for the offseason or all year long, you can count on our storage facilities to provide you with the flexible, affordable boat storage solution you need.

Boat storage is leased on a month-to-month basis, and our facilities are equipped with several layers of security to help increase your peace of mind. Fully fenced with gated access and 24-hour digital video recording, you can rest easy when you store your vessel at one of our self storage facilities.

Get started with boat storage near you today! Locate your nearest facility to see what’s available and rent or reserve online.

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