posted 02-01-2005 03:01 AM ET (US)        

Here in Hawaii everything is more expensive than it is on the mainland. The main reason is because everything needs to be transported halfway across the Pacific to get here.

I know the owner of the local (and only) Boston Whaler dealer here. I called him this morniong and he quoted me a price for a 2005 Nantucket with a 115 4 stroke Mercury and trailer for $34,500. I told him that I thought they cost less than that and he explained to me that he has to pay an additional $1500 to get the boat here to Hawaii. Does this sound about right?

I then asked him about the possibility of swapping out the 115 Mercury for a Honda or Yamaha 4 stroke. He said he would think about it. He called me later this afternoon and told me he would swap out the 115 Mercury and put on a new Honda BF135 (sister to the new BF150) for $37,000. This would include trailer, cost for removing the Mercury and installing the Honda, rigging, prop and everything.

I have read lots of great reviews for this new motor and know someone who recently put one on a Classic Outrage 18. It pushes his boat to over 47 mph. I would prefer a 150 on the Nantucket but the dealer says he only has one 2004 BF135 left and a 2005 BF150 will cost a lot more.

He said he will give me a while to decide which way I want to go. His next order of Nantuckets wont be here for a few months so I can think about it for a while.

posted 02-01-2005 05:25 AM ET (US)            

When you fish and cruise, how many people are in your boat? How much "stuff" do you carry? I have found that the 115 4 stroke on the Nantucket is fine for cruising with a light load on calm bays (light load = myself, and maybe 2 kids, and say half a tank of gas). Anything above that weight, and the 115 4stroke efi is challlenged on the Nantucket.

I researched the Hondas when I repowered. I think the 135 is the same as the 150 without the Vtec, and that this 2003-introduced pair of engines are 20lbs lighter than the 130 before them. I would definitely put the Honda 135 on. It seems you have less margin for error in Hawaii to get it right because of higher costs.

At about $37,000 for your boat with trailer and Honda 135? Done right from the getgo? Sounds less expensive than the route I took. Good luck Perry.

posted 02-02-2005 07:14 AM ET (US)            

1. Overland Freight (to get it from Florida to the West Coast).
2. Packing charges. The dealer must pay someone to take your new boat off that tractor trailer (in LA, Oakland, Seattle, or wherever) and custom pack it inside a 40ft container for ocean shipment.
3. Origin terminal (or Port) fees if there is one levied on the port he uses.
4. Customs fee.
5. Ocean freight charge. This is what Matson Navigation (or other company) charges to transport the container to, in your case, Honolulu.
6. Marine insurance....in the unlikely event there is damage to (or loss of) your craft during the ocean transit.
7. Destination terminal fee (if applicable in Honolulu).
8. Customs fee (likely does not apply if only going from CA to HI.
9. Unpackaging fee. To very carefully lift your new boat out of that "box".
10. Rigging fee..to put the motor and controls on the new boat.
Most dealers in Guam, Hawaii, PR, etc. have freight forwarding agents that arrange and do all (but final rigging) for them but it comes at a price - which of course will be passed on to you the consumer. If John's idea works for you then great but just be advised I know a few people here in Guam who tried to beat the local dealers shipping charges by flying back and making their own deals and arranging their own shipping. There is no doubt you will get the boat for a cheaper price but once you factor in all the things I mention above (that you will have to arrange yourself), it may or may not be worth it so look closely. Unless I was going to save a SUBSTANTIAL sum, I would not take on this task alone as normally the dealer's freight forwarder is able to stuff other merchandise in that box with your boat and thereby lower the overall cost by "spreading it out" in the final sale of everything inside the box.

Also....and this could be a biggie...all shipping boxes have 8' doors but you lose nearly 2" on each side due to the hinges. Depending on the beam of the Nantucket, it may or may not fit through the doors. They may or may not be able (or willing) to cock the boat up to an angle to make it fit. Any boat that does not fit inside those standard TEU shipping containers must be shipped on the open deck of the transport ship and this is the absolutely most expensive way to ship as Matson or whomever owns the ship must now dedicate precious deck space that could be used for stackable containers. Since they can't stack anything on top of your boat and thereby lose cargo space, they charge you through the nose for it.

To give you an elementary idea - a rough ballpark figure - for costs of shipping 20 and 40ft containers via ocean, go to the websites of Matson, Lykes Lines (or any other ocean freight carrier) and see what the standard container charge is from CA to HI. FYI, the basic container charge from Oakland-to-Guam through Matson Naviagation is about $3,500. That is the "basic" charge and will go up depending on exact weight of the container.