Shipping a Mac to the med

[mastreb]

My family is considering the idea of shipping our Mac to the Mediterranean and then spending the summer in Europe aboard. The basic thought is to ship it to Greece to a shipyard that is willing to receive it, float it, and then lift it and re-ship it when we're done. We would then spend eight to twelve weeks sailing around the Aegean visiting the various islands.

Anyone have any experience either with shipping a Mac or with the Greek Islands to share? Advice and words of warning are appreciated. This is probably two to three years out on the time horizon and really just in the "thinking about it" stage right now.

[fishheadbarandgrill]

I did some basic research on this board (I think or may have been another) for the same scenario recently on a whim. Things I read were...

1) probably cost prohibitive. Shipping costs looked like they could be $3-4K
2) you would need to ship to a yard because more than likely the trailer, like your motor is probably not up to European (CE) specs.
3) Motor... probably not up to CE specs. Some newer outboards are and saw some reference where the boat was going to be shipped and re-motored in Europe.

I'd really like to do just what you're talking about so I'm going to pay attention to this thread.

Bob

[GaryMayo]

One thing, you will need a photographer / bodyguard, and as it happens, I have that time slot open!

I would think it would be less expensive to rent a sailboat, something a little larger, and sail it from point A in your trip, to point B, and then get on a flight home.

[mastreb]

I did some basic research on this board (I think or may have been another) for the same scenario recently on a whim. Things I read were...

1) probably cost prohibitive. Shipping costs looked like they could be $3-4K
2) you would need to ship to a yard because more than likely the trailer, like your motor is probably not up to European (CE) specs.
3) Motor... probably not up to CE specs. Some newer outboards are and saw some reference where the boat was going to be shipped and re-motored in Europe.

I'd really like to do just what you're talking about so I'm going to pay attention to this thread.

Bob

Hi Bob--thanks for the points. $3/4K is less than what we'd spend in hotels, although there will be more costs. We'd want to keep the total trip below $15K, so that's airfare for the family, shipping for the boat, and all fees and food. Maybe not possible.

I'd ship to a yard simply because I don't have anyone else to ship it to. Boatyards accommodate this sort of silliness--that's sort of what boat yards are for. Any of our greek members (Dmitri?) who know of a good yard, please so indicate!

I checked the BRP website and the ETEC-60 on my boat is fully Europe legal. One advantage of having a new motor. Also, there's a difference between >operating< a boat in Europe and >selling< a boat in Europe (although not much).

[mastreb]

One thing, you will need a photographer / bodyguard, and as it happens, I have that time slot open!

I would think it would be less expensive to rent a sailboat, something a little larger, and sail it from point A in your trip, to point B, and then get on a flight home.

That had not occurred to me, but if it's possible, it might be cheaper. Charter is generally pretty pricey however.

On the bodyguard offer--let me get back to you

[mastreb]

So I looked at charters in the med shortly on Google. Long story short, there's nothing the size of the Mac that shows up on charter sites and things seem like they start in the 20,000 euros ($30K) and up range, which is ruh-dic-you-lus.

But it does bring up the idea of swapping!

So I've got a brand new Mac that can be dropped in the water in beautiful San Diego Bay, Catalina, or anywhere in Southern California for vacation swap if you've got a Mac somewhere picturesque! I'm not too picky about condition but seaworthiness, a reliable outboard, and decent sails would be required. Also I am serious about a swap rather than a rental.

Takers?

[GaryMayo]

I have friends that home swap. They live in CA and wonder the world, mostly England.

[mastreb]

I have friends that home swap. They live in CA and wonder the world, mostly England.

For some reason it's way easier to offer my boat for swap than my home. Probably because the Mac is easier to clean My wife's brother and his wife roam the world that way as well, but I do have three kids and for some reason that makes me a tad more conservative.

Gary I would love to have a beer with you some time. Something tells me you've got stories worth hearing, and you're not opposed to making them worth listening too

[Free2sail]

Could be a trip of a lifetime.

Some thoughts along those lines:

Perhaps you could get away with shipping it one way and then selling it. If you don't want to sell your baby, then buy another, ship, use, and then sell. I'm sure that an or an would be movable. You could do what the big boys do in regards to market research and advertise a Mac for use or sale in Greece, and gauge the response.

You could set it up to charter it to fellow Mac lovers just for the season after you are done, and recoup your costs. I for one would be interested in a bargain charter in the Greek isIands. You could probably have it booked up before the actual ship date. Heck, it could prove to be so popular that you might choose to leave it there for a couple of seasons. No, you won't be able to retire on the money made, but cover the costs of shipping 2 ways, maybe the flights, doable.

But then again any of these plans would take some serious prep work. So, if you plan on investing that kind of work, maybe you should write the boat yards, the local papers, boating sites, our embassy, yacht clubs, whoever, (a serious letter writting campaing), and find a small privately owned sailboat that you could use for the trip. As mentioned, you could offer reciprocity (We do have the America's Cup coming up 2012, or something like that.)

Of course, though I know this will generate some comments on the intended use of the Mac, you could sail it across the Atlantic, or have someone do that for you.

Not wanting to put to much pressure on you, but wanting you to keep in mind that it is important for all of us that you make this happen Fuel for our dreams

Cheers!

[kitcat]

Why not forget about shipping all together and look at buying a Mac which is already CE approved in Europe, run it for the summer and then either sell it or find somebody who can look after it and charter it the following year as suggested. The cost of a recent M in Britain, with o/b and trailer would be around $30,000 - $40,000 and a good X - $20,000 - $25,000. A bit more than you are used to seeing them at no doubt, but they hold their prices well here and, don't forget, the cost of anything is what you lose when you sell it, not the cost to buy it.

The other advantage of buying is that the boat will probably have a stack of equipment that the previous owner has already paid for.

Paul

[fishheadbarandgrill]

Mastreb,
Have you considered contacting the folks who export Macs for the MacGregor factory? Their contact info is on the Mac site under exporting. I bet they could hook you up a lot of answers. I never contacted them as I'm probably several years from making such a trip. They have a website, http://www.macgregorexport.com that I visited at one point and they had a good list of FAQs.

Bob

[Crikey]

Very kom-plik-kated Matt.

Huge amount of variables that could go very wrong. Insurance, for one, comes to mind if loss or litigation occurs. It potentially sounds like the money pit on Oak Island!

Water is nice, but there's so much on land in this area that I think you'd be better served by an occasional short term sailing rental from a non commercial local and go with the ferries with more creature comforts for the kids and missus.
Wanted to do the same thing for Australia but there was no way the math could work, even if it was kept there for re-visits over a couple of years before shipping back.

[mastreb]

Hi Yasser,

I'll keep your offer in mind, but I've already been all through the Persian Gulf region, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, so its no longer on my list of places to see. I think you'd have to ship from Greece to Dubai, which should not be all that expensive I would not think.

Matt

[dlandersson]

Or sail thru Suez.

Hi Yasser,

I'll keep your offer in mind, but I've already been all through the Persian Gulf region, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, so its no longer on my list of places to see. I think you'd have to ship from Greece to Dubai, which should not be all that expensive I would not think.

Matt

[Wavelady]

I just returned from S. Cal and a personal tour (by Roger!) of the MacGregor factory. He ships Macs overseas all the time to his dealers there. He suggested that to put a boat on a container and ship would cost about $2K. A great idea to cruise Europe on your own boat! There are some European specs that he does for the boats he ships there for permanent use - not sure if those are necessary for a temporary use. If you sailed in Europe for 3-4 months and then shipped the boat back home - you would have an amazing experience and still be ahead financially (considering lodging, food, transportation costs for 4 months in Europe - we spent 8 weeks, rental car, cheap lodging, free airfare and spent 10K on our last trip). We are also considering this option!