Boat transport and boat haulage

HAINSWORTHS BOAT TRANSPORT AND BOAT HAULAGE

We can safely move your boat to any  destination in Europe or  beyond, Boat owners, agents and manufacturers  have come to depend on us over the past 22 years. We can tailor the marine industry transport operation to suit your needs. Using our specially designed air suspension vehicles and trailers, We are capable of handling all vessels up to 55ft long and 32 tons. We are a family run firm based in Bingley, West Yorkshire. Employing only experienced and dedicated staff.

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WE'LL TAKE CARE OF IT

One driver will be with your boat from port to port. We never swap trailers, or put them on ferries  unaccompanied, so your boat will receive better care, and never be left on a dock side for days.

   We use our own pilot car when necessary, and occasionally use a local pilot if required (a little local knowledge is valuable, especially in European countries)

   We stick to the rules, and always obtain the right permits for the country's we are traveling through, some boat transporters have been stopped by the police, heavily fined, (£2000) and parked up for 2 weeks until the correct permit has been granted.

   We always use mud guards on our trailers to protect your boat from stone chips or a tyre blow out. (some people do not) 

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THE HISTORY OF HAINSWORTHS

Hainsworths was founded by Leslie Hainsworth around 1939 when he rented some land next to the canal,  so he and some friends could haul out and repair their own boats, this naturally turned into a business, and he started building wooden canal cruisers, in 1978 he passed away, Peter & Kath took over the boat yard doing repairs and building steel narrow boats. Having their own 20 ft trailer sailor, they were asked to move a few small yachts around England. 

All the technical boat transport terms and expressions explained ...

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  CONVOI EXCEPTIONNEL

French for abnormal load, this sign must be displayed at the front and rear of any wide load in France, and on the pilot car too.

 MUD GUARDS

We always use mud guards because a motor boat will sit very close to the tyres on a trailer (about 3 - 6 inch) ours are made from 4mm steel, they provide a lot more protection from a tyre blow out, and stone chips (most people just use plastic, some non at all)

 PERMIT

Documents from government agencies that dictate our routes, permitted driving speeds and what equipment we must fit, "convoi exceptionnel" or "wide load" signs, beacons, red & white load projection marker boards and marker lights. different permits are required for each country, and can take 3 days to 4 weeks to obtain, depending on the country (i.e. Holland or Spain)

 PILOT CAR

To warn oncoming traffic, survey routes, measure bridge heights and assist in every aspect of wide load transport, including fetching bacon buttys! ours is fitted with 2 rotating beacons, front flashing lights, CB radio, bridge measuring pole, roof platform, reflective stripes, fridge, heater, cooker and sink.

 POLICE ESCORT

Sometimes law requires one, when moving a very wide boat over 4.5 meters. This then involves a lot more planning, and waiting for over-stretched police resources to be available.

 RATCHET STRAP

2" wide webbing strap with 2 tonne braking strain, which is tightened with a ratchet, used to stop the boat moving around on the trailer and various other tying down jobs.

 SHRINK WRAP

Is a huge polyethylene sheet draped over the boat then heated to shrink it taught, usually only fitted to new boats at the factory, but it is possible to get it done by a man in a van. cost depends on size but is usually £500 -£800

 SPEED LIMITER

This is fitted to the fuel injector on all European lorries, and restricts the speed to 56 Mph (90 Kph)

 TACOGRAPH 

This is fitted to all vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, to record driving hours, mileage, start finish points, and speeds over a 24 hour period on to a paper disk. so the police can check up on us.

 TRACTOR UNIT

This is used to pull an articulated trailer, also where the driver lives during the duration of the trip.

 TRAILER

Our  trailers have been purpose designed and built to carry any kind of sailing boat, motor boat, fishing boat, or canal boat. all are fitted with air suspension, for a smooth ride, 

Sending a trailer on a ferry on its own, the trailer is left at the dock, then the ferry company will park it on the ferry, using one of their special tractor units or "tugs". The ferry then arrives at its destination, and a "tug" parks the trailer on dock side until it is collected.

 WIDE LOAD

Any load over 2.8 meters wide, 8'6"

Hainsworths

Fairfax Road

Bingley, Bradford

West Yorkshire

BD16 4DR

Great Britain

MAP & DIRECTIONS

Telephone:      +44 (0)1274 565925

Fax:               +44 (0)1274 773803

Peter mobile:  +44 (0)7767 243739

Peter EU        +423 663085187

Gary mobile:   +44 (0)7736 120836

Gary EU         +423 663085199

BOAT TRANSPORT LTD

An articulated vehicle with an Extendable Low Loader Boat Trailer.

The trailer has a loading height of 13" in the 'keel well', throughout its entire length. The trailer extends from 43' (13m) to 50' (15m), and is quite capable of carrying all types of boat up to a maximum of 50' (15m). It has a payload of 22 tonnes.

A rigid lorry complete with various trailer combinations, capable of transporting all types of boat up to 33' (10m).

The flatbed facility of the lorry offers the versatility to transport cradles, stands and trailers etc. as well as craft up to 23' (7m).

Your own trailer, (with or without boat) can be towed by ourselves, as long as it has been regularly serviced.

Modern transport these days is governed by so much red-tape, mainly for safety reasons. We always try to keep within the law as we believe it pays dividends if you have a “clean” history. This can be tedious sometimes but we have to work around the problems, the same as any other business.”Fly by night” transport can end up being fined and parked up for a week and then nobody wins!

The UK

Loads over 9’6” (2.9m) in the UK are classified as “wide-loads”. If your boat is wider than this, then our Company is required by law to notify the Police in each respective county of the route we wish to take. They require two working days notice of this and they need the exact dimensions of the vehicle, the collection and delivery addresses, the date(s) of the move, and of course the route. Sometimes we need to provide an escort vehicle for the load if the police require it, and boats over 3.5m wide require a “second-man”/ assistant to travel with the load, either in the cab or the escort vehicle.

France and Spain

There are many more regulations abroad than in the UK governing “wide-loads”. Some examples are:

• any boat over 8’2”(2.5m) is a “Convoi Exceptionel”

• any boat over 10’(3m) requires a “pilot vehicle” to travel with the load from start to finish.

• Loads bigger than 3m wide are not allowed on motorways, and are subject to “ban times” through towns and ring roads at specific times during the day, and some night bans.We possess all the necessary route permits which we obtain annually from the relative Departments of Transport. We now use French and Spanish Convoi cars whose local knowledge is invaluable to us. Each vehicle is fully equipped with a Convoi Exceptionel (Voiture Pilote) roof sign and flashing beacons to warn other road users of an impending wide load. The Voiture Pilote is in constant CB radio contact with the Convoi Driver

A Quotation - It's Easy!!

To make it easy for you and to ensure a fast response to your enquiry all you need to do is have the following information available:-

• Make and model of the boat

• Length and beam (in feet or metres)

• Collection and delivery addresses

• Anticipated date/month of the boat move

We will give you both a verbal and a written quotation so that you can relax knowing that there are no hidden charges later.

Whilst we can not promise to always give you the cheapest of quotes, we will definitely not be giving you the “cheapest of service”. We honestly believe that our experience and professionalism is the best value, money can buy !

Please contact Geoff or Gill Houghton on:

Tel. +44 (0) 7831 486710 (Mon-Sat)