shipping a kayak

[fishstew]

I'm going to be traveling to the east coast for work sometime around the middle of may and I will be staying near the beach and I wanted to take my kayak with me. Does anyone know how much it might cost and where I might find a place to ship it?

-Matt

[wavster]

I'm sure the OEX guys will know, but until you get a more "qualified" answer,
I heard that shipping a kayak could run you as much as $100 each way...

It may be cheaper to rent one.

Check the boards in that area. Maybe there'll be someone who'll have a spare
they can let you borrow or rent cheap.

[PerryC]

Matt,
I think it costs in the neighborhood of $75-150 to ship a kayak. One company I know who does it is Forward Air, on the internet at http://www.forwardair.com . Hope this helps,
PerryC.

[fishstew]

thanks for the info. $100 isn't cheap but considering that I could be there anywhere from 3 months to a year it might be worth it. I was also considering renting or buying a used one while I'm there but I'm sure I would have to spend more than a couple hundred bucks getting it all set up the way I want it. I'm hoping to get my work to pay for it but I'm still trying to figure out how to convince them that it is an essential item for me.

-Matt

[dorf]

I'm hoping to get my work to pay for it but I'm still trying to figure out how to convince them that it is an essential item for me.

-Matt
Bring your boss some fresh WSB or YT. This may have 2 different effects.
1. He sees that the kayak is essential to you and pays for the shipping.
or
2. He sees that you catching fish is essential to HIM and keeps you here.

Good luck.

[Sebastian]

Matt - I used Forward Air (as suggested) when I relocated to San Diego from NY. $75 in 2003, no issues. I wrapped the kayak in a heavy duty tarp and duct tapped it secure. It took about 2 weeks to arrive. At that time, they charged based on weight and not dimension. Hope that helps.

Sebastian

[Corey]

When I worked in the industry we used Forward Air. They have hub locations at many major airports, which you can ship to & pickup from and save alot of money & time over residential delivery.

[WCW Moderator]

The difference right now is $49 for hub and $149 for residential...each way.

[fishstew]

Wow.....50-150 bucks doesn't sound too bad. Definitely makes it worth taking my own yak. That way I don't have to worry about finding a new one there and then having to spend more money rigging it up and then selling it before I come home. Thanks a lot guys.

-Matt