Shipping a 32' sailboat from Antwerp, Belgium to Chicago, USA

[Carl-T705]

Originally Posted by Verichai

Yep, saw that one, thanks for the heads up! I spoke to the broker, and reached out to the owner as well but never heard back. It's a beautiful boat, but a bit tired. She needs some significant refreshing, the running rigging all needs to be replaced and the interior needs to be re-varnished. It's also been on the market for nearly 18 months. Perhaps the age and amount of brightwork in conjunction with the condition is scaring people away?

If what you describe here is too much work, you need to stay away from 40 year old boats, no matter where they are located. On the market for 18 months is not a long time for a boat the majority of buyers are not interested in. Also as a note, containers are available in different configurations , flatbed, open top ,extra height, extra length. If you ship the boat you will transportation to the shipping port, then stevadors to prep the boat for transport and loading then ship it to a major east coast USA or CA port. Then shipping to your home . The above boat you think is too much work will certainly be a bargain compared to all the transport fees.... I would think .

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Verichai

Hi Paul,

Thank you, that's pretty much what I figured. In this case, the boat is only about 24% more than the number you quoted. It just doesn't makes sense to ship it. I did put in for a quote anyway, just to see what they come back with, but it's all wishful thinking at this point. I guess that's' why the broker was so dismissive of me when I called, lol.

Believe me, I would love to quit my job, buy a one-way ticket to Antwerp, write a check for the boat on arrival and spend the next 18 months living aboard. and exploring The Netherlands.

Flying over and sailing the boat back is in an interesting idea as well, except that my home port is on the great lakes. If I lived on the East Coast, I may give this more serious consideration. I'm also not ready for a transatlantic voyage in a 32 foot boat, I know that much!

Buy a boat closer to home.

[blcote]

You need to look for boats in the Great Lakes. There are many good older models / makes to choose from that are plentiful in the Chicago area

Tartan - several great boats - I own a Tartan 34C and it meets your criteria, plus it is a centerboard which is great if you ever get to Florida. Tartan's were made in Ohio, so there are many models and boats in the Great Lakes.

S2 - Also made in the Great Lakes, several great models, I race against a couple in Waukegan - nice looking boats that are good performers.

Sabre - These are more on the high end, but I saw one that is in your price range https://www.sailplace.com/portfolio-item/34-sabre-34/

Keep Looking - Don't Get Boatstruck!
Brad

[blcote]

Teak Decks?

Run away as fast as you can. Maintenance nightmare.

[Tanqueray]

Originally Posted by Verichai

Many good points have been made. I just wanted to add one more point about this particular boat, according to the broker, it underwent a complete no-expenses-spared refit in the last 24 months, to include all new teak decking (no screws or bungs), new engine, new electrical and new plumbing.

So while yes, the boat is over 40 years old, many of the major systems are new and should be be good for a while. I just wanted to make that point, it's not as if I found the boat on an Antwerp Craigslist page and I was just going to buy it sight-unseen from a private owner.

Of course I would have had it surveyed and inspected by an independent third party before flying over.

I do see now thanks to the discussion here that I was perhaps being a bit naive, believing that I could simply have the boat shipped over for a reasonable sum.

It's okay, I'll continue to look for something that checks my boxes and is a bit closer to home. I have time.

Thanks all!

Hate to be a downer, but this whole idea seems pretty...dumb.

Buy your FIRST EVER boat, basically sight unseen, and pay 50% of its value to ship it to the Great Lakes....doesn’t seem real smart. I know it looks like a nice boat and Vindos are known for their nice woodwork and joinery...

But the whole thing is a huge waste of money.

There has to be something that floats your boat, on the Great Lakes, or at least in the continental US.

Keep looking...and subscribe to Captain Q...
https://youtube.com/c/CaptainQYachtHunter

He inspects boats on the East Coast mostly, but I recall he reviewed one recently that was “Vindo-like”.

Greg

[watermanmax]

Hey....you get it anywhere in the USA or Canada....I could bring it to Chicago for you. you pay for fuel.
As long as your open to time table....I am currently delivering boats for a company for the next few weeks.

[Manrico]

If she is really a good boat I can go there after july, get your boat and sail to NY, is it good?

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Manrico

If she is really a good boat I can go there after july, get your boat and sail to NY, is it good?

Sorry, offering to sail an unseen boat that distance, is about as wise as purchasing it. Maybe less at least the purchase is only risking money.

[Cheechako]

It will likely double the cost of the boat.

[Manrico]

Oh yes, it have a lot of questions before getting on board to an across ocean passage, but If she is a good boat why not? Why saving money if it's not for a dream? I can survey, prepare and do the passage with just the money for air tickets, food and boat affairs, it's a bargain, I'm a captain, vacined, have time, like to travel and sail, I have an electric 1975 cape dory 28" at Indiantown FL waiting for me. So, why not?

[gogross]

Originally Posted by Verichai

I think I may have found The One.

Problem is I'm in Chicago and the boat is in Belgium.

Do I have it shipped? What is the typical order of events for a process like this?

I'm sure the figure is eye-watering, but can anyone provide a ballpark figure/estimated guess of what something like this would cost to actually pull off?

It's a nearly 40 year old 32' fiberglass sloop.

I want it.

I don't want to spend $20k on top of the purchase price getting it over here.

The logistics seem totally overwhelming.

Any insight would be appreciated.

TIA!

I had a 30’ Friendship brought over Antwerp tp Baltimore for $8000.
That was in 2001. The Vessel is now for sale here in Portland Maine.
Check it out here:
https://heimu-maine.blogspot.com

https://heimu-maine.blogspot.com

[gogross]

I did this in 2001, shipped my 30' Friendship from Rotterdam to Baltimore. The vessel is now for sale, have a look:
https://heimu-maine.blogspot.com/

[Lemsteraak]

Beautiful boat, a nice clean Dutch design. I love the tile counter top. I can see why you shipped her over

It might make sense to ship an older design across the Atlantic, there used to be quite different styles of boats. For example, I could see bringing a Dutch steel boat across, as no one in the US could touch the quality of Dutch steel boat manufacture. Modern fiberglass is a different story, I can't see a reason to ship a modern boat over as the boats are very similar on both sides of the Atlantic. There still are a few yards in the Netherlands that specialize is super high end boats that maybe ......

Sometimes you can find a backhaul. I shipped a boat from Jacksonville to Amsterdam for a little less than $2500 but the boat was broken into and pilfered of anything small that had value so the savings didn't pan out. I doubt you could find any sort of deal these days as the worldwide supply chains are sorting themselves out.

I still advocate buying a boat in the area you want to cruise. I don't think it would pencil out shipping a boat from Belgium to the Great Lakes. If you bought a boat in Belgium to sail there, then it would make sense. Then again, owning a boat for most of us make no financial sense whatsoever, you justify the purchase and ownership in other ways.

[CaptainShef]

Many interested sailors available on FindACrew.net, with a variety of experience levels, who might want to help sail your new purchase (recently upgraded) from Belgium to Chicago. As long as one of the crew you select is an experienced bluewater sailor, it’s a reasonable option. Did the Hudson River - Erie Canal trip many years ago: fascinating. Significant problem: at that latitude, east to west Atlantic crossing is all against the wind, so looping south across the Atlantic would be more pleasant, but longer. If you can’t get sufficient time off, you could do it in stages: 1) Do sea trials on the Belgian coast and sail to the Canaries, 2) later cross to the Caribbean, 3) then up the Atlantic coast (offshore or up the ICW) to New York City, 4) then upstream on the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers into the Erie Canal, and 5) finally through the Great Lakes to Chicago. What an experienced captain you’d be at that point, with a thousand sea stories to tell...

[Finn77]

I'm living in Antwerp and the city happens to have the second biggest port in Europe the biggest being Rotterdam which is less than 60km away. So shipping competency/options should not be a problem. It is going to be expensive and I think your best bet is delivery skipper and voluntary crew. Traveling from US is possible, obviously you need PCR tests and if you come what they call "red zone" you might end up in 10 or 14 day quarantine.