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Author Topic:   Cross Country Truck Rental

mkelly posted 09-27-2014 08:45 PM ET (US)
I might be looking at transporting a 21-foot Boston Whaler from Washington, D.C. to Seatle, Washington. I'm seriously considering flying out--I wouldn't buy the boat unseen anyway--then renting a truck and making the cross country hike. I haven't been able to locally find a mid-1990 21-foot Outrage with blown power, but I've found one on the East Coast for about $7,000. I'd love to get my hands on that hull, even if I don't re-power for a year or two. Professional transport--for what I'm guessing around $5,000--or rent a truck and see the nation? I'll take your input. In looking at Washington, D.C. U-Haul I couldn't find a truck for towing, but that can't be right. If anyone in that area has insight as to a good rental tow rig, I would appreciate it. Or if anyone moving from the D.C. area to Pacific northwest we could work a deal. Any input appreciated. I figure $900 in fuel, $400 plane ticket, hotel and travel $400--still much less than transport and the hassle.
jimh posted 09-27-2014 10:20 PM ET (US)
I have not really made any recent inquiry, but the last time I looked into renting a truck, all the vendors excluded use of the truck for towing anything. Maybe the market has changed. I am interested to hear of rental trucks that permit towing, and what the rates will be. There will be a lot of mileage in a haul from Washington, D.C., to Seatle.
Plotman posted 09-28-2014 12:26 PM ET (US)
I had someone who bought a 22 outrage from me 6 or 8 years ago who did this. He towed the boat from Minnesota to Oregon. He flew in and rented an SUV and drove the package back.
The rental companies apparently prohibit you from towing contractually, but the vehicles had a hitch receiver and was wired for lights.
I asked about insurance and he claimed that even though Hertz prohibited towing, he was still insured through his own carrier. His attitude was that there was nothing illegal about what he was doing, and that while it was prohibited in the contract, if the rental company found out, there wasn't really anything they could do about it besides refuse to rent to him in the future.
saumon posted 09-28-2014 12:39 PM ET (US)
I've heard nothing but good reviews about uShip. It's free to ask for quotes. It's better than nothing for a trucker that was to make one way of the trip empty anyway. I can't imagine it could be $5,000.
jimh posted 09-28-2014 02:22 PM ET (US)
Washington, D.C. to Seattle, Washington is about 2,800-miles. You can probably figure your fuel economy at 10-MPG when towing a big load, so you will need about 280-gallons of gasoline or diesel. Figuring about $3.57-per-gallon, that will be $1,000 in fuel.
The drive will take four days, assuming only one driver and not driving recklessly long stretches. Figure you need four nights of motels. Cheap motels may be $80, so $320 for accommodations. You need to eat; figure at least $25 per day, and four days: $100.
Your fuel, lodging, and food bill is already $1,420. The truck rental will very likely have a per-mile charge. Even at a rather low $0.25/mile, the rental truck will cost at least $700 in mileage. The cost is now about $2,120, plus the four days of rental.
But we have not discussed the biggest possible cost: the breakdown of the trailer on which the used boat will be towed. Based on my own experience and some anecdotal reports of others, used boats are generally not sitting on trailers that are completely prepared for a 2,800-mile highway tow across the continent.
If the boat trailer has a breakdown, costs start to rise rapidly. You have an extra day of truck rental, motels, and food. You might have to have the trailer towed to a service center for repairs. You might have to pay a premium for a fast repair.
I actually have towed my boat 4,800 miles to La Conner, Washington and back. At that time gasoline was under $2-per-gallon. I don't think I would do this again. The cost of gasoline has doubled, and the thrill of my first drive across the continent is unlikely to be duplicated.
Buckda posted 09-28-2014 03:09 PM ET (US)
I was just thinking: "add $500 to the cost of the purchase to get the trailer in condition for a cross-country trip."
JimH hit the mark.
So, you have airfare, local car rental, and the first two nights in the hotel and meals are sunk costs just to look at the boat.
If you do purchase the boat, you have another night in a hotel, taking the trailer to a repair facility or just a half day of shopping for parts and tools to bring with you in case of a trailer breakdown on the return trip, plus meals again. You're at three days before you begin the trip across the country.
Just some things to think about as you plan this out. Sounds like a fine adventure, but the money would probably land on the side of having it shipped. The adventurer side of me is squarely on the side of spending the extra time and money and tow it cross the country. :)
A lot of this depends on your own mechanical skills as well. Some guys can fix almost anything in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Others just call AAA and sit on the side of the road to wait for assistance. If you have solid mechanical skills, you still need tools - a jack, tire iron, etc to conduct the repairs. Some of those things you could bring as checked luggage in a sturdy plastic container, but others you would have to source on site or on the road.
Finally, at this time of the year, weather could be a concern - especially as you join up with I-94 to cross the Rockies. Winter is definitely on the way...
contender posted 09-28-2014 08:00 PM ET (US)
Jim is pretty correct on the cost, however another way to do it would be to rent the truck and trailer (ryder will do this) and put the boat and trailer on the trailer, this way the company would be responsible for any break downs and if the boat trailer is not in good shape this would protect you. I would have to do this trip with two drivers just in case and take turns driving, It would be trip to remember just as long as your friend is not Clark Griswold.
mkelly posted 09-28-2014 09:51 PM ET (US)
Jim - LaConner? Those are my stomping grounds. I often boat there from Guemes Island which is just outside Anacortes. They have great spots to dock and have lunch/dinner. On the travel I think you are all correct, the only way it would work is if I didn't care about time, had confirmation of the trailer, and a very solid vehicle. The trailer was my first consideration for liability. It just kills me to buy a $7,000 hull pay $4,000 to ship it. I wish the west coast, specifically Pacific northwest had the inventory of Whalers and the mid 1990's would definitely be up for sale as a re-power. Anyway, I'll let you know. If anyone knows of a mid 1990's 21 Outrage local to Seattle, let me know. Thank you.
jimh posted 09-29-2014 09:41 AM ET (US)
Much can happen on a 2,800-mile highway trailer haul, and particularly so when you have to cross over the continental divide. Even boaters who think they have meticulously prepared their vehicle and trailer can encounter problems. On the drive to LaConnor, Washington I mentioned earlier, we planned to caravan with another boater. The other boater was starting from the Chicago area, and planned to leave one day later than we did from the Detroit area. Things quickly went bad.
My companion trailer-boater was only about 80-miles from home when the transmission failed on his tow vehicle. He was towing an OUTRAGE 18 with a older Cadillac, but the Caddy was well equipped for towing and had many miles of successful towing in its history. Its transmission had just been rebuilt, but apparently the job was faulty, as a major seal failed and transmission fluid was leaking out badly. Fortunately, they were able to quickly return home and get a second Cadillac tow vehicle, and resumed the trip. The delay put them much farther behind us than we anticipated. We both drove West, with Cadillac#2 trying to catch up.
By our second night of the trip we were in North Dakota, and the Cadillac #2 crew were demon driving late into the night, trying to make up time. We spent the third night in Butte, Montana. Cadillac#2 was still quite far behind.
Our fourth night found us in Ellensburg, Washington. There we heard from our traveling companions. They were still in Montana. The transmission on Cadillac#2 had failed trying to climb the grade of the eastern side of the continental divide. They had to be towed back to the closest major town--I think it was Butte. There a transmission repair shop was engaged to repair the transmission. The actual rebuilder was not in Butte but about 100-miles east, (I think) in Bozeman, Montana. The repair was going to take several days. Instead of waiting, they rented a car, had the repair shop drop the transmission out of Cadillac#2, put the transmission in the trunk of the rental car, drove the 100-miles to Bozeman, and engaged the transmission rebuilder to make a rush repair. This entailed some premium charges, as you might expect.
The transmission was rebuilt in a few hours, and put back into the trunk of the rental car. They then drove it back to Butte, where the repair shop re-installed it in Cadillac#2. Somewhere in all of this there was a night's sleep in a motel, but the next day they were back on the road, driving hard to catch up.
We got to LaConnor, launched the boat, and spent a quiet evening in the marina, relaxing after five days and four nights of driving. With some amazing long stretches of driving, Cadillac#2 finally arrived at LaConnor, about a day later than planned.
On our trip we had a couple of minor problems and a couple of close calls. Some carpet on the trailer came loose and was flapping in the wind, but I was able to pull over on the highway and cut it away. It was not really needed for supporting the boat. I think it was on a fender. The car air-conditioner was having some problems, but that was when we were in 108-degree ambient temperatures. I had no idea it could reach 108-degrees in the scrub lands of eastern Montana and western North Dakota. I have never been in that kind of heat. The car A/C could not cope with those temperatures.
Climbing over the continental divide put our GMC Suburban to the test, but it managed to haul our REVENGE up and over without any real problems. The worst situation came in crossing the Columbia River and ascending the six-mile-long grade to the West. The engine was close to overheating. We had to open all the windows and set the heater to full-blast to keep the engine temperature down.
Our closest call to complete disaster came when we pulled into a motel parking lot late one night. I did not appreciate the low overhang of the canopy that covered the motel office entrance. When I came out of the office I looked up and saw that the top of the boat windshield had made it under the overhang by less than one foot. That was much too close for comfort.
We spent about 12 days boating, then got back on the highway for the trip home. We changed our driving habits on the way home. We spent more time driving at night, which was often much cooler, and we found less traffic on the interstate then. We drove longer each day, and we were able to cut almost a full day off the trip.
One surprise on the trip was how much occupancy there can be at motels on the interstate. When we were in Butte, the local university was just starting up the fall semester. Every motel in town was full of newly arriving students and their nervous parents, planning to enter their dorm rooms the next day. We finally found a room at an obscure motel way off the interstate, after making about six telephone calls. The room they gave us had a terrible smell because it had just been cleaned with some rather smelly cleaners following some sort of "accident" in the room by its previous occupant. We were tired and desperate for sleep, so we didn't care.
On the return trip we planned to stay in Ellensburg, again, but, when we got there about midnight, there were literally no rooms available. There was some big horse show event in town, and every room was filled. There was also no place to park at most motels, as their lots were filled with horse trailers. That night we had to keep driving, and ended up going all the way to Moses Lake. We didn't make it there until about 3 a.m. because we made a long stop at the Columbia River. (We stopped at a boat launch there, backed the trailer into the freshwater, and ran the engines for about ten minutes. It was our way of giving the boat, trailer, and engines a nice flushing after two weeks in saltwater.)
jimh posted 09-29-2014 10:00 AM ET (US)
ASIDE: As I recall, Cadillac#1's transmission was re-re-built back in Chicago on rather favorable terms by its first rebuilder. Cadillac#2 transmission's Montana-re-build was done with an option to improve the towing characteristics at a sacrifice in smooth shifting, and it had a long history afterwords of being a great towing transmission. Apparently the rebuilding of the GM 4L60E/65E transmissions in Montana is something of a high-art, as evidenced by the number of older GM rear-wheel drive cars, trucks, and SUV's on the road out there.
yellowlab posted 10-08-2014 09:29 AM ET (US)
We just got our Outrage delivery last week and couldn't be happier with USHIP.COM. The fuel and the time off work [would] have been more costly. [The cost] ended up being $1,200 to ship from Ventura [California?] to Seattle [Washington].
We were prudent on having the trailer gone through with new tires, hubs, bearings, and stainless steel brakes--all re-done in preparation for the 1,100 mile trek. Sometimes buyers overlook a good deal on a boat without ensuring how [the boat] will transport on a horrible trailer.
Binkster posted 10-08-2014 04:16 PM ET (US)
Sounds like a good deal with USHIP. Five years ago I had an outboard, a 1961 Evinrude Starflite 75-P V4, shipped from Los Angeles to Tampa using USHIP.COM for $250, which I thought was a good deal. Last week I contacted them about shipping a 60-HP Yamaha two-cycle outboard that I picked up on eBay, shipped from Chattanooga to Tampa, and I was quoted $480. Too much, so I found R+L Transfer, for $277. I took that deal and picked up the motor at their terminal in Lakeland this morning. I couldn't be happier, They loaded the outboard, undamaged, onto my trailer and away I went. I find the best way to ship an outboard is wrapped in bubble-wrap and strapped to a pallet. A few years ago, I bought a 35 Evinrude that the seller loaded into a washing machine box and filled the box with styrofoam peanuts. The outboard arrived with a bent fin and a crushed recoil starter. I still have a few garbage bags full of the peanuts. Another one was delivered on a homemade plywood stand, and I think the outboard and the stand fell off the truck at some point. that one was badly damaged. I insured the Yamaha I just got for $2,000 for [unclear], thankfully didn't need it.
mkelly--did they flatbed your boat? Or tow it?
jimh--I think the only member on this forum that would tow a boat long distance with an old Caddy is Larry.
--rich
jimh posted 10-08-2014 08:44 PM ET (US)
Rich---I think two cars and three transmission might be more than what is usually needed for a cross-country towing of an OUTRAGE 18, but it is a good example of what can happen when you set out on a long journey with a boat in tow, even a boat, trailer, and car in which you have very high confidence and lots of experience.
martyn1075 posted 10-09-2014 01:29 AM ET (US)
A Caddy as a tow vehical?
Crazy! crazy stuff. Bad idea it was a luxury cruiser with a big engine. Nice and comfortable with huge oversized seats and was surprisingly quiet inside. Had some torque but not in a towing way
Jefecinco posted 10-09-2014 10:27 AM ET (US)
A friend of mine owned a transmission shop in Albuquerque, NM (as if it could be in another state). He was much older as I was then a teenager but he was a drag racing fiend.
In good weather (almost always) cars would meet up on South Eubank Road on Saturday night for outlaw drag racing. Eubank was a dead end road with no homes or businesses and on the outskirts of town so the police almost never visited except to watch the races.
My friend had a beautiful Cadillac two door coupe with a modified automatic transmission and a very modified engine. I never saw him lose a race and no one would race him for money. I rode with him a few times and when the Cadillac shifted gears under maximum stress you could really feel the impact. On the cruise back to the traps I didn't notice the shifts.
The gentleman made money racing but the advertising of his capabilities with automatic transmissions became very well known and his shop was always busy.
It has been good to see some of Cadillac's newer offerings include some very impressive performance cars.
Butch
EJO posted 10-09-2014 05:57 PM ET (US)
YOU CAN NOT RENT A TOWING VEHICLE been there tried it and was unsuccessful until I bought one, as that is the only way for you to get to drive a towing vehicle yourself (unless you have a friend that will lend you a vehicle (doubtful))
knothead posted 10-09-2014 10:10 PM ET (US)
You can rent a U Haul truck to tow a car on a U Haul dolly or a U Haul car tow trailer.
Don't ask me why I know this because it involves expensive repairs.
regards---knothead
martyn1075 posted 10-10-2014 01:24 AM ET (US)
It does say you can tow a boat unless I am missing something here.
http://www.uhaul.com/Trucks/Pickup-Rental/BP/
outragesteve posted 10-10-2014 02:38 PM ET (US)
U-Haul does rent pick-ups you can tow boats with. However, they usually are local, and truck needs to be returned to renting location. One-way, 2500 mile rentals are not considered. May be cheaper to buy a good used truck and then sell it on the other end. Good luck!
Morocco posted 10-14-2014 02:52 PM ET (US)
I sent my 25 Revenge across the country from Los Angeles, CA to Key West, FL a couple of years ago using USHIP. The cost was about $2500, and was done by a professional boat shipper who brought a big sail boat from the east coast to the San Diego area, then picked up my boat and another 20ish boat in the Bay area and drove it across the country (with a stop at his house in Texas mid way).
I had multiple bids on my boat on Uship, from guys who had big pick up and were willing to tow it (my trailer was not up for any kind of long range tow) to 'flat beds' using my trailer as a shipping rack for the boat (ideal for me). My guy had a custom built semi and trailer set up that could do large keeled boats as well as smaller ones, on and off the trailer.
I will try to find and post some pics, but basically he winched the Revenge trailer and all (along with a Beverly Hillbillie's style cabin load of two kayaks and all the stuff that a boat 'comes with') up on to the truck in LA and winched it down into my backyard in Key West.
I didn't have a specific time frame for delivery so that helped.
The boat arrived covered in road dust but perfectly fine except for a spotlight mounted on the radar arch where the screws had long ago lost purchase -- they must have vibrated out of their holes and the light hung down from the arch on arrival. I epoxied the holes and was good to go.
M
RonB posted 10-16-2014 01:38 PM ET (US)
Agree with outragesteve, I just did this, rented a 2014 F-150 from U-Haul for 8 hours, with an estimate of 275 miles. Drove to NJ, picked up my new used boat, drove to NY, splashed the boat at the marina ramp and put in slip, stored the trailer and got the truck back to U-Haul with a few minutes to spare and about 3 miles under the 275 miles that I estimated. It was a little nerve-wracking but everything went well, the truck was great and I didn't have to use my personal vehicle that was right at it's max weight capacity if I chose to use it.

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Author	Topic: Cross Country Truck Rental
mkelly	posted 09-27-2014 08:45 PM ET (US) I might be looking at transporting a 21-foot Boston Whaler from Washington, D.C. to Seatle, Washington. I'm seriously considering flying out--I wouldn't buy the boat unseen anyway--then renting a truck and making the cross country hike. I haven't been able to locally find a mid-1990 21-foot Outrage with blown power, but I've found one on the East Coast for about $7,000. I'd love to get my hands on that hull, even if I don't re-power for a year or two. Professional transport--for what I'm guessing around $5,000--or rent a truck and see the nation? I'll take your input. In looking at Washington, D.C. U-Haul I couldn't find a truck for towing, but that can't be right. If anyone in that area has insight as to a good rental tow rig, I would appreciate it. Or if anyone moving from the D.C. area to Pacific northwest we could work a deal. Any input appreciated. I figure $900 in fuel, $400 plane ticket, hotel and travel $400--still much less than transport and the hassle.
jimh	posted 09-27-2014 10:20 PM ET (US) I have not really made any recent inquiry, but the last time I looked into renting a truck, all the vendors excluded use of the truck for towing anything. Maybe the market has changed. I am interested to hear of rental trucks that permit towing, and what the rates will be. There will be a lot of mileage in a haul from Washington, D.C., to Seatle.
Plotman	posted 09-28-2014 12:26 PM ET (US) I had someone who bought a 22 outrage from me 6 or 8 years ago who did this. He towed the boat from Minnesota to Oregon. He flew in and rented an SUV and drove the package back. The rental companies apparently prohibit you from towing contractually, but the vehicles had a hitch receiver and was wired for lights. I asked about insurance and he claimed that even though Hertz prohibited towing, he was still insured through his own carrier. His attitude was that there was nothing illegal about what he was doing, and that while it was prohibited in the contract, if the rental company found out, there wasn't really anything they could do about it besides refuse to rent to him in the future.
saumon	posted 09-28-2014 12:39 PM ET (US) I've heard nothing but good reviews about uShip. It's free to ask for quotes. It's better than nothing for a trucker that was to make one way of the trip empty anyway. I can't imagine it could be $5,000.
jimh	posted 09-28-2014 02:22 PM ET (US) Washington, D.C. to Seattle, Washington is about 2,800-miles. You can probably figure your fuel economy at 10-MPG when towing a big load, so you will need about 280-gallons of gasoline or diesel. Figuring about $3.57-per-gallon, that will be $1,000 in fuel. The drive will take four days, assuming only one driver and not driving recklessly long stretches. Figure you need four nights of motels. Cheap motels may be $80, so $320 for accommodations. You need to eat; figure at least $25 per day, and four days: $100. Your fuel, lodging, and food bill is already $1,420. The truck rental will very likely have a per-mile charge. Even at a rather low $0.25/mile, the rental truck will cost at least $700 in mileage. The cost is now about $2,120, plus the four days of rental. But we have not discussed the biggest possible cost: the breakdown of the trailer on which the used boat will be towed. Based on my own experience and some anecdotal reports of others, used boats are generally not sitting on trailers that are completely prepared for a 2,800-mile highway tow across the continent. If the boat trailer has a breakdown, costs start to rise rapidly. You have an extra day of truck rental, motels, and food. You might have to have the trailer towed to a service center for repairs. You might have to pay a premium for a fast repair. I actually have towed my boat 4,800 miles to La Conner, Washington and back. At that time gasoline was under $2-per-gallon. I don't think I would do this again. The cost of gasoline has doubled, and the thrill of my first drive across the continent is unlikely to be duplicated.
Buckda	posted 09-28-2014 03:09 PM ET (US) I was just thinking: "add $500 to the cost of the purchase to get the trailer in condition for a cross-country trip." JimH hit the mark. So, you have airfare, local car rental, and the first two nights in the hotel and meals are sunk costs just to look at the boat. If you do purchase the boat, you have another night in a hotel, taking the trailer to a repair facility or just a half day of shopping for parts and tools to bring with you in case of a trailer breakdown on the return trip, plus meals again. You're at three days before you begin the trip across the country. Just some things to think about as you plan this out. Sounds like a fine adventure, but the money would probably land on the side of having it shipped. The adventurer side of me is squarely on the side of spending the extra time and money and tow it cross the country. :) A lot of this depends on your own mechanical skills as well. Some guys can fix almost anything in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Others just call AAA and sit on the side of the road to wait for assistance. If you have solid mechanical skills, you still need tools - a jack, tire iron, etc to conduct the repairs. Some of those things you could bring as checked luggage in a sturdy plastic container, but others you would have to source on site or on the road. Finally, at this time of the year, weather could be a concern - especially as you join up with I-94 to cross the Rockies. Winter is definitely on the way...
contender	posted 09-28-2014 08:00 PM ET (US) Jim is pretty correct on the cost, however another way to do it would be to rent the truck and trailer (ryder will do this) and put the boat and trailer on the trailer, this way the company would be responsible for any break downs and if the boat trailer is not in good shape this would protect you. I would have to do this trip with two drivers just in case and take turns driving, It would be trip to remember just as long as your friend is not Clark Griswold.
mkelly	posted 09-28-2014 09:51 PM ET (US) Jim - LaConner? Those are my stomping grounds. I often boat there from Guemes Island which is just outside Anacortes. They have great spots to dock and have lunch/dinner. On the travel I think you are all correct, the only way it would work is if I didn't care about time, had confirmation of the trailer, and a very solid vehicle. The trailer was my first consideration for liability. It just kills me to buy a $7,000 hull pay $4,000 to ship it. I wish the west coast, specifically Pacific northwest had the inventory of Whalers and the mid 1990's would definitely be up for sale as a re-power. Anyway, I'll let you know. If anyone knows of a mid 1990's 21 Outrage local to Seattle, let me know. Thank you.
jimh	posted 09-29-2014 09:41 AM ET (US) Much can happen on a 2,800-mile highway trailer haul, and particularly so when you have to cross over the continental divide. Even boaters who think they have meticulously prepared their vehicle and trailer can encounter problems. On the drive to LaConnor, Washington I mentioned earlier, we planned to caravan with another boater. The other boater was starting from the Chicago area, and planned to leave one day later than we did from the Detroit area. Things quickly went bad. My companion trailer-boater was only about 80-miles from home when the transmission failed on his tow vehicle. He was towing an OUTRAGE 18 with a older Cadillac, but the Caddy was well equipped for towing and had many miles of successful towing in its history. Its transmission had just been rebuilt, but apparently the job was faulty, as a major seal failed and transmission fluid was leaking out badly. Fortunately, they were able to quickly return home and get a second Cadillac tow vehicle, and resumed the trip. The delay put them much farther behind us than we anticipated. We both drove West, with Cadillac#2 trying to catch up. By our second night of the trip we were in North Dakota, and the Cadillac #2 crew were demon driving late into the night, trying to make up time. We spent the third night in Butte, Montana. Cadillac#2 was still quite far behind. Our fourth night found us in Ellensburg, Washington. There we heard from our traveling companions. They were still in Montana. The transmission on Cadillac#2 had failed trying to climb the grade of the eastern side of the continental divide. They had to be towed back to the closest major town--I think it was Butte. There a transmission repair shop was engaged to repair the transmission. The actual rebuilder was not in Butte but about 100-miles east, (I think) in Bozeman, Montana. The repair was going to take several days. Instead of waiting, they rented a car, had the repair shop drop the transmission out of Cadillac#2, put the transmission in the trunk of the rental car, drove the 100-miles to Bozeman, and engaged the transmission rebuilder to make a rush repair. This entailed some premium charges, as you might expect. The transmission was rebuilt in a few hours, and put back into the trunk of the rental car. They then drove it back to Butte, where the repair shop re-installed it in Cadillac#2. Somewhere in all of this there was a night's sleep in a motel, but the next day they were back on the road, driving hard to catch up. We got to LaConnor, launched the boat, and spent a quiet evening in the marina, relaxing after five days and four nights of driving. With some amazing long stretches of driving, Cadillac#2 finally arrived at LaConnor, about a day later than planned. On our trip we had a couple of minor problems and a couple of close calls. Some carpet on the trailer came loose and was flapping in the wind, but I was able to pull over on the highway and cut it away. It was not really needed for supporting the boat. I think it was on a fender. The car air-conditioner was having some problems, but that was when we were in 108-degree ambient temperatures. I had no idea it could reach 108-degrees in the scrub lands of eastern Montana and western North Dakota. I have never been in that kind of heat. The car A/C could not cope with those temperatures. Climbing over the continental divide put our GMC Suburban to the test, but it managed to haul our REVENGE up and over without any real problems. The worst situation came in crossing the Columbia River and ascending the six-mile-long grade to the West. The engine was close to overheating. We had to open all the windows and set the heater to full-blast to keep the engine temperature down. Our closest call to complete disaster came when we pulled into a motel parking lot late one night. I did not appreciate the low overhang of the canopy that covered the motel office entrance. When I came out of the office I looked up and saw that the top of the boat windshield had made it under the overhang by less than one foot. That was much too close for comfort. We spent about 12 days boating, then got back on the highway for the trip home. We changed our driving habits on the way home. We spent more time driving at night, which was often much cooler, and we found less traffic on the interstate then. We drove longer each day, and we were able to cut almost a full day off the trip. One surprise on the trip was how much occupancy there can be at motels on the interstate. When we were in Butte, the local university was just starting up the fall semester. Every motel in town was full of newly arriving students and their nervous parents, planning to enter their dorm rooms the next day. We finally found a room at an obscure motel way off the interstate, after making about six telephone calls. The room they gave us had a terrible smell because it had just been cleaned with some rather smelly cleaners following some sort of "accident" in the room by its previous occupant. We were tired and desperate for sleep, so we didn't care. On the return trip we planned to stay in Ellensburg, again, but, when we got there about midnight, there were literally no rooms available. There was some big horse show event in town, and every room was filled. There was also no place to park at most motels, as their lots were filled with horse trailers. That night we had to keep driving, and ended up going all the way to Moses Lake. We didn't make it there until about 3 a.m. because we made a long stop at the Columbia River. (We stopped at a boat launch there, backed the trailer into the freshwater, and ran the engines for about ten minutes. It was our way of giving the boat, trailer, and engines a nice flushing after two weeks in saltwater.)
jimh	posted 09-29-2014 10:00 AM ET (US) ASIDE: As I recall, Cadillac#1's transmission was re-re-built back in Chicago on rather favorable terms by its first rebuilder. Cadillac#2 transmission's Montana-re-build was done with an option to improve the towing characteristics at a sacrifice in smooth shifting, and it had a long history afterwords of being a great towing transmission. Apparently the rebuilding of the GM 4L60E/65E transmissions in Montana is something of a high-art, as evidenced by the number of older GM rear-wheel drive cars, trucks, and SUV's on the road out there.
yellowlab	posted 10-08-2014 09:29 AM ET (US) We just got our Outrage delivery last week and couldn't be happier with USHIP.COM. The fuel and the time off work [would] have been more costly. [The cost] ended up being $1,200 to ship from Ventura [California?] to Seattle [Washington]. We were prudent on having the trailer gone through with new tires, hubs, bearings, and stainless steel brakes--all re-done in preparation for the 1,100 mile trek. Sometimes buyers overlook a good deal on a boat without ensuring how [the boat] will transport on a horrible trailer.
Binkster	posted 10-08-2014 04:16 PM ET (US) Sounds like a good deal with USHIP. Five years ago I had an outboard, a 1961 Evinrude Starflite 75-P V4, shipped from Los Angeles to Tampa using USHIP.COM for $250, which I thought was a good deal. Last week I contacted them about shipping a 60-HP Yamaha two-cycle outboard that I picked up on eBay, shipped from Chattanooga to Tampa, and I was quoted $480. Too much, so I found R+L Transfer, for $277. I took that deal and picked up the motor at their terminal in Lakeland this morning. I couldn't be happier, They loaded the outboard, undamaged, onto my trailer and away I went. I find the best way to ship an outboard is wrapped in bubble-wrap and strapped to a pallet. A few years ago, I bought a 35 Evinrude that the seller loaded into a washing machine box and filled the box with styrofoam peanuts. The outboard arrived with a bent fin and a crushed recoil starter. I still have a few garbage bags full of the peanuts. Another one was delivered on a homemade plywood stand, and I think the outboard and the stand fell off the truck at some point. that one was badly damaged. I insured the Yamaha I just got for $2,000 for [unclear], thankfully didn't need it. mkelly--did they flatbed your boat? Or tow it? jimh--I think the only member on this forum that would tow a boat long distance with an old Caddy is Larry. --rich
jimh	posted 10-08-2014 08:44 PM ET (US) Rich---I think two cars and three transmission might be more than what is usually needed for a cross-country towing of an OUTRAGE 18, but it is a good example of what can happen when you set out on a long journey with a boat in tow, even a boat, trailer, and car in which you have very high confidence and lots of experience.
martyn1075	posted 10-09-2014 01:29 AM ET (US) A Caddy as a tow vehical? Crazy! crazy stuff. Bad idea it was a luxury cruiser with a big engine. Nice and comfortable with huge oversized seats and was surprisingly quiet inside. Had some torque but not in a towing way
Jefecinco	posted 10-09-2014 10:27 AM ET (US) A friend of mine owned a transmission shop in Albuquerque, NM (as if it could be in another state). He was much older as I was then a teenager but he was a drag racing fiend. In good weather (almost always) cars would meet up on South Eubank Road on Saturday night for outlaw drag racing. Eubank was a dead end road with no homes or businesses and on the outskirts of town so the police almost never visited except to watch the races. My friend had a beautiful Cadillac two door coupe with a modified automatic transmission and a very modified engine. I never saw him lose a race and no one would race him for money. I rode with him a few times and when the Cadillac shifted gears under maximum stress you could really feel the impact. On the cruise back to the traps I didn't notice the shifts. The gentleman made money racing but the advertising of his capabilities with automatic transmissions became very well known and his shop was always busy. It has been good to see some of Cadillac's newer offerings include some very impressive performance cars. Butch
EJO	posted 10-09-2014 05:57 PM ET (US) YOU CAN NOT RENT A TOWING VEHICLE been there tried it and was unsuccessful until I bought one, as that is the only way for you to get to drive a towing vehicle yourself (unless you have a friend that will lend you a vehicle (doubtful))
knothead	posted 10-09-2014 10:10 PM ET (US) You can rent a U Haul truck to tow a car on a U Haul dolly or a U Haul car tow trailer. Don't ask me why I know this because it involves expensive repairs. regards---knothead
martyn1075	posted 10-10-2014 01:24 AM ET (US) It does say you can tow a boat unless I am missing something here. http://www.uhaul.com/Trucks/Pickup-Rental/BP/
outragesteve	posted 10-10-2014 02:38 PM ET (US) U-Haul does rent pick-ups you can tow boats with. However, they usually are local, and truck needs to be returned to renting location. One-way, 2500 mile rentals are not considered. May be cheaper to buy a good used truck and then sell it on the other end. Good luck!
Morocco	posted 10-14-2014 02:52 PM ET (US) I sent my 25 Revenge across the country from Los Angeles, CA to Key West, FL a couple of years ago using USHIP. The cost was about $2500, and was done by a professional boat shipper who brought a big sail boat from the east coast to the San Diego area, then picked up my boat and another 20ish boat in the Bay area and drove it across the country (with a stop at his house in Texas mid way). I had multiple bids on my boat on Uship, from guys who had big pick up and were willing to tow it (my trailer was not up for any kind of long range tow) to 'flat beds' using my trailer as a shipping rack for the boat (ideal for me). My guy had a custom built semi and trailer set up that could do large keeled boats as well as smaller ones, on and off the trailer. I will try to find and post some pics, but basically he winched the Revenge trailer and all (along with a Beverly Hillbillie's style cabin load of two kayaks and all the stuff that a boat 'comes with') up on to the truck in LA and winched it down into my backyard in Key West. I didn't have a specific time frame for delivery so that helped. The boat arrived covered in road dust but perfectly fine except for a spotlight mounted on the radar arch where the screws had long ago lost purchase -- they must have vibrated out of their holes and the light hung down from the arch on arrival. I epoxied the holes and was good to go. M
RonB	posted 10-16-2014 01:38 PM ET (US) Agree with outragesteve, I just did this, rented a 2014 F-150 from U-Haul for 8 hours, with an estimate of 275 miles. Drove to NJ, picked up my new used boat, drove to NY, splashed the boat at the marina ramp and put in slip, stored the trailer and got the truck back to U-Haul with a few minutes to spare and about 3 miles under the 275 miles that I estimated. It was a little nerve-wracking but everything went well, the truck was great and I didn't have to use my personal vehicle that was right at it's max weight capacity if I chose to use it.