Moody 31 MkII Boat transfer costs? Trying to budget!

C

Chris Mennim

Registered Guest
Hi folks,

Looking to upgrade our boat to something bigger and am looking at a couple of contenders around the 29-31ft mark. Top of my list would be a Moody 31. Preferably bilge keel for sailing in the Firth of Forth.

I'm finding it hard to set a budget as I'm seeing examples coming up in Devon which is around 500 miles from me and have no idea how much transportation is likely to be. I've emailed a couple of boat haulers but neither keen to give an estimate unless I have full specifics.

So - has anyone recently moved a boat by road of similar size to a Moody 31? An idea of cost no matter how ballpark would be very helpful to me. Either fin or bilge.

Thanks,
Chris
 
Road haulage always costs less anyway if the driver has to take another boat back to the same area, so he earns on both trips.
Had you thought of sailing the boat back? If you buy this Autumn you could leave it there until the Spring for better weather. If you buy in the West Country you’d have a good downwind trip, with luck!
 
Thanks Dick.

Had briefly thought about sailing up but as a new(ish) sailor and somewhat impatient I'd be keen to bring it up here as soon as possible after purchasing.

A fellow sailor up here is due to move south this winter with his boat so a return trip could well be an option.

I'm going under the assumption that to road haul a boat of this size from say Plymouth to Edinburgh would set me back around £3,000. This is purely from speaking to someone that paid around £2k for a smaller boat about 2 years ago and not as long a trip.

Am I widely off the mark with this figure or does it sound about right for a solo drop off?
 
I honestly don’t know how much it costs these days. Last and only time I used a truck was about 25 years ago and cost a few hundred for about 150 miles!
 
Hi Chris,

I moved Capella (M336) from Oban to Exmouth by road in June 2020. John Shepherd boat transport were great. I was able to save by waiting for them to have a return load. As it turned out, they brought Capella from Oban to Exmouth, Sante, my old Hunter 26 from Exmouth to Portsmouth and then picked up another boat from the Gamble to take back up to the west coast.

I can't recall what it cost, but I could look it up if it helps. Obviously fuel costs have gone through the roof since then!

Rob
 
Thanks Rob. It would be massively helpful if you remember how much you paid. Even very roughly.
 
For some point of reference:

I got a quote to move a 7.5 metre motor boat from Kent to Plymouth recently (last month) - £700+VAT.

I moved my M28 from Portsmouth to Kent in 2021 and paid £650.

Don’t forget the lifting and mast craning costs in your overall calculation - I got stung by double craning fees as I went from trailer->yard->water.
 
Dick's suggestion of sailing her back is a good one. You could consider using a yacht delivery skipper (I can thoroughly recommend Halcyon Yachts, who also offer discount to MOA members). This might prove cheaper that road delivery and you would gain a lot of experience in the process and get to know the boat.
 
I was planning to bring mine round from Portsmouth originally, and was in a similar position of being a new sailor and definitely not confident enough to do it on my own.

I had been speaking to a chap recommended to me named Ricky Chalmers at Debanessa Sailing School https://www.facebook.com/Debanessa/

The plan was that he would act as my delivery skipper, but that we would take a week over it and would cover the Day Skipper practical training as part of it. Only reason I didn't go ahead was that Lockdown No 2 happened!
 
Ricky is very good, he helped me get Pisces part of the way home from Corfu, until, that is, the Orcas spoiled our. A skipper from Halcyon helped me finish the job earlier this year.
 
Chris Mennim said:
Thanks Rob. It would be massively helpful if you remember how much you paid. Even very roughly.
Click to expand...
Looked it up this evening and it was £1,900 inc VAT.

Reasons I opted for road rather than sail.
1. Standing rigging was 25 yrs old.
2. If weather turned I would have to leave boat somewhere and return at later date or sit it out for a few days and that might not fit with work.
3. If I had to leave boat in say Belfast or Dublin the cost of flights could make sailing more expensive.
4. I was not sure I wanted to sail an unfamiliar boat down the north sea against the prevailing wind.
5. Road could be planned for almost to the hour which (despite covid) made life easier. Perhaps if I was retired and time was of no importance then sailing might have been more appealing.
6. I reckon flights, marinas and fuel would have cost about £1000 and more if I was forced to leave the boat half way due to weather.
 
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