How to ship a boat on a trailer
Shipping a boat on a trailer is a width, length, and brake problem, not a car problem with a hull on top. Measure the boat and trailer together. On the National Network, states use a 102-inch width limit unless they issue a permit. The trailer needs working lights and brakes. A car-carrier quote does not include this load unless the company says it does.
Key facts
- Width on the National Network
- States may not set a width limit other than 102 inches on the National Network, except Hawaii at 108 inches. Wider loads need a special permit.
- Source: ecfr.gov
- What to measure
- The widest point of the boat and trailer together, including guides, a tower, and fenders. Not the hull beam alone.
- What has to work
- Tires, lights, wiring, and brakes. A bent frame is a reason a hauler will refuse the trailer.
- Source: militaryonesource.mil
- Who this quote is not
- A sedan range is not a boat-and-trailer price. Say the length and width in the request.
The sources are listed on this page.
Boat transport, for most people asking, means the boat stays on its trailer and a hauler pulls that rig. The quote depends on how wide the rig is, whether the trailer brakes and lights work, and whether the route needs a permit. A car-carrier slot is the wrong picture. A pontoon, a center console with a T-top, or a bass boat on a trailer is wider, taller, or both, than a sedan.
RideShipper can show a range and request quotes. It is not a carrier and not a broker. It does not haul the boat, pull state permits, or insure the hull. Companies that receive a request may pay RideShipper. Read how the site is paid if that is unclear.
How wide is the load?
Measure the boat and the trailer as one object. Include the guide posts, the fenders, a wake tower, a T-top, and any motor that sticks out. The hull maker's beam is not the legal width of the load.
On the National Network, 23 CFR 658.15 says no state shall impose a width limitation of more or less than 102 inches, about 2.6 meters, except Hawaii, which may keep a 108-inch maximum. The same section says a state may grant special-use permits for vehicles that exceed 102 inches. A trailer boat is often over 102 inches. Over that width, the trip is a permitted wide load on those roads, not a normal car move.
Height matters too. A tower or a mast that is up can hit a bridge. Lower or remove what the hauler tells you to lower. We are not printing a bridge clearance. The driver and the permit, if there is one, have to match the route.
Write down length tongue to stern, width at the widest point, and height at the tallest point with the boat on the trailer. If you do not know, measure before you request quotes. The will-it-fit tool is for a vehicle against a car trailer. A boat on its own trailer is a different shape. Use the tool only if someone is asking whether the boat, off the trailer, fits a car-hauler deck. For the usual job, send the three measurements in the quote request.
Do the trailer brakes and lights work?
A hauler is not going to pull a trailer that cannot stop or cannot be seen. Before anyone is booked, check the rig yourself.
- Tires hold air, and the wheel bearings are not howling or leaking.
- Lights and the plug work: tail, brake, and turn.
- Brakes work. If the trailer has surge brakes or electric brakes, say which, and say if you have the controller.
- The frame is not bent, twisted, or cracked.
- The ball size and the coupler match, and the safety chains and breakaway hardware are on the trailer.
- The registration or a trip permit is current for the trailer. Rules differ by state. Ask the hauler which document they need in the truck.
Military OneSource, describing boats moved in a household-goods shipment, tells service members the trailer needs a valid license, or a transit permit if the origin state does not license it, and that the trailer must have good tires, working lights, wiring, and brakes, and a frame that is not bent, twisted, or broken. That is entitlement guidance for a military move, and the accessorial charges are the member's to pay. It is also a fair checklist for a private haul. The private contract, not the military page, sets the fee if the driver arrives and the lights are dead.
If this is a military move, boats 14 feet long, 6 feet 10 inches wide, and 6 feet 5 inches high or less can ship as household goods on a CONUS move, according to that same Military OneSource page. Longer boats use a separate Boat One Time Only process through the transportation office. You pay accessorial charges and any cost over your weight allowance. That size split is a military entitlement rule. It is not the rule for a private hauler, who will price the rig you measured.
What else changes the quote?
| Fact | Why it changes the job |
|---|---|
| Width over 102 inches | Permits, and sometimes a pilot car, on National Network roads |
| A tower, T-top, or mast up | Height, and a bridge problem |
| Trailer brakes that do not work | The load can be refused |
| Boat and trailer, or boat only | Different equipment |
| In the water, or on land | A haul from a ramp is not a haul from a driveway |
Oversized fees on car carriers are a related idea, but a trailer boat is usually not on a car carrier at all. Do not compare the boat quote with a sedan range and call the boat quote a scam because it is higher. It is a different vehicle.
Put length, width, and height in the request. Say whether the trailer is coming. A quote that ignores width is not a quote you can book.
What should I remove, and what about Alaska or Hawaii?
Take out life jackets you will need at home, electronics, and anything loose in a compartment. Drain what the hauler tells you to drain. Do not leave fuel cans in the boat. Lower antennas, fishing rods, and outriggers. Military OneSource lists those steps for a household-goods boat. Follow them unless your hauler's sheet says something more specific.
A highway leg and an ocean leg are separate bookings. Alaska Marine Lines ships vehicles between its service centers, not door to door, and it prices by overall dimensions, including racks. It says it does not ship electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids. A boat on a trailer is its own AML page, not the car page. Read how Alaska shipping works and the operator's current trailer page before you treat a road quote as the whole trip. Hawaii has the same split: a truck to a port is not the ship. See Hawaii.
How do I avoid paying the wrong company?
Interstate auto transporters and brokers are supposed to be registered with FMCSA. The consumer advisory says to look up the MC docket number, and to be suspicious of a site that does not say whether it is a broker or the company with the truck. A boat hauler may be a different authority from a car carrier. Check the number you are given on the company check, and match the legal name.
At pickup, walk the hull and the trailer. Note existing gelcoat cracks on the paper. Photograph the prop, the trailer tires, and the coupler. At delivery, do it again before you sign. RideShipper does not decide a damage claim. The contract's deadline does.
If you also need the tow vehicle moved, that can be a second unit. Say so. A truck and a boat on a trailer are not one "car" in a five-car stack.
How do I book it without guessing?
- Measure length, width, and height of the boat on the trailer, with the tower in the position it will travel.
- Confirm the brakes, lights, tires, and coupler yourself. Write down surge brakes or electric brakes.
- Tell the hauler the pickup is a driveway, a marina yard, or a storage lot. A soft ramp and a low tide are facts. A car-carrier address is the wrong kind of address.
- Ask who pulls wide-load permits if the rig is over 102 inches, and who pays the state for them. The permit is not inside a sedan range.
- Ask whether the boat stays on your trailer the whole way. If the hauler transfers it, ask how it is supported and who is responsible for the hull during the lift.
- Remove loose gear. Lower what they tell you to lower. Photograph the prop, the gelcoat, and the trailer tires before you sign.
- At delivery, check the same spots before you sign. A new crack at a bunk or a strap point goes on the paper.
Do not accept a quote that says "boat" and nothing else. If the company never asked the width, they have not priced the load. Oversized is the glossary word for a vehicle that does not fit a standard deck. A trailer boat usually is not on that deck at all. Use the word so the request is not treated as a sedan.
If the boat and the tow vehicle both move, say whether they must arrive together. Two units can leave on different days. A family that needs the truck to pull the boat at the destination has to plan that gap. RideShipper does not schedule the two trucks as one arrival.
Questions
Can I ship the boat without the trailer?
Sometimes, on a special trailer the hauler supplies, or as freight. That is a different job from moving your trailer. Say which one you want. If the boat stays on your trailer, the trailer's plates, lights, and brakes are part of the shipment.
Do I need a permit?
If the rig is wider than 102 inches on the National Network, a state may allow it only with a special-use permit under 23 CFR 658.15. The hauler usually pulls the permits for the states on the route. Ask who pays the permit fee. The fee is a state charge, and it is not in a car-shipping range.
Can the boat go to Hawaii or Alaska on this trailer?
Only if an ocean operator accepts the trailer and the size. Alaska Marine Lines and TOTE publish vehicle and trailer rules that are separate from a highway quote. Read the Alaska or Hawaii process page, then ask the operator. Do not assume a road hauler's quote includes the barge.
What should I take out of the boat?
Loose gear, electronics you can carry, and anything the contract forbids. Military OneSource tells members shipping a boat as household goods to remove clothing, televisions, skis, and similar items, and to lower or remove antennas, masts, and outriggers. A private hauler may have a shorter list. Ask for it in writing.