Boat Trailer Shipping

How an Empty Boat Trailer Ships

An empty trailer is deck freight, and there are three sensible ways to move it. Most ride a flatbed or step deck, strapped at the frame with the tongue jack blocked; a small trailer often shares the deck with other freight, which is the cheapest option when your dates are flexible. Dealers and manufacturers nest several trailers into one stacked load, cutting the per unit cost sharply. And when the trailer is fully road legal, with working lights, brakes, sound tires, and good bearings, tow-away service puts an insured driver on the ball hitch and the trailer travels on its own wheels. Your coordinator prices the options against each other rather than defaulting to the most expensive one. For other trailer types, from utility to gooseneck, see our trailer shipping service.

Shipping the Boat and Trailer Together

When the boat stays on its bunks, the trailer becomes the shipping cradle and the numbers change. Overall height is the figure to watch: a boat on its trailer on a deck can approach legal height limits quickly, which is why we measure to the highest hard point before dispatch, not at the loading ramp. Drain water systems, remove or secure canvas and electronics, latch every hatch, and strap the hull to the trailer at the manufacturer tie points. For the vessel itself, including haul-out coordination and oversize beam permits on larger hulls, our boat and yacht shipping service covers the marine side in full.