SHIPPING QUESTION

Hey Guy's does anyone know how long it would take to ship a car from Hawaii to mainland u.s.a and what state would it go to?

Anyone ever done this? what did it cost? how long did it take?

the car in question is a 02 360 spider in Honolulu.

thanks
James Simpson

 

I've shipped my '88 TR between Hawaii and Seattle a couple times. I went through Matson, but I'm not sure if I'll do that again. No notable bad experiences, I just don't really like the idea of somebody I haven't met face to face driving my car. Anyway, it took about two or three weeks and cost just over $1,000. They go between all islands, Seattle and a few places in California. I think they stop in Oregon somewhere, too. Their website talks about length of time, cost and stops.
I have heard several people in the area talk about flying their cars to and from California, but I don't know anything about that whole deal.
The main reason I don't think I'll use Matson again is the sound of squealing tires from behind their fences last time I was there. I'm having to replace the rear differential casing because one of the previous owners liked to do burn-outs, and I'm pretty sure that's what I heard their employees doing with customer's cars. I can't be positive about this, it just made me a little bit on the uneasy side.
Aside from hearing squealing tires, I was pretty happy with the service. The car showed up in one piece and had no dings or dents.

That's my two cents, anyway.
Good luck with your shipment,
-Olin

 

Thanks Olin, everything I needed to know in one post!

Also I just heard the car has been in a accident so most likely not going to bother any futher with it. But thanks none the less.

Cheers
James Simpson

 

Currently DHX is 7 days from Honolulu from any west coast port. Sail days are Saturday and Wednesday.

 

Another option that apparently not too many people know about is air freight. Pacific Air Cargo charges big bucks, around $10,000, to air freight a car from Los Angeles to Honolulu since the demand for space on their 747 is high flying westbound. Going eastbound - Honolulu to Los Angeles - the demand is much lower. I've shipped three Ferraris (not mine!) from HNL to LAX and was charged $2900 per car. $1900 more than by ocean freight and your car gets there in 6 hours. Nice people at PAC and they do a good job.

 

What Bill said, or I've used www.pashahawaii.com with good success for my Ferraris to and from the West Coast.

 

Interesting thread. Thought that just comes to mind is whether anyone has every approached one of the cruise lines to ship cargo between HNL and the mainland. Would guess there's a fair amount of traffic, and a car doesn't really take up all that much space. You supervise loading, have someone on the other end supervise off loading, with hopefully no burnouts included.

Also, I remember reading an article many years ago(R&Track?) about a Colorado bar owner directly importing a 512BB/BBi, and when loaded onto the plane in Italy, it was anchored down on some sort of large shipping pallet. Might be a way to prevent the motor from ever needing to be started up.

Dunno anything about the shipping biz; just a couple of thoughts...

 

I used DAS "Dependable Auto Shippers" recommended from the Automobile club. My experience is from Long Beach California to Oahu not the other way around. It was around $1100 USD for a single car in an enclosed sea van 4 years ago. Had a great experience with them but you are touching lightly on one of the touchiest subjects with regard to "who" is going to be driving your car around prior to you getting it. Insurance companies, Coast Guard regulations & Omni powerful unions are going to be calling the shots as to the "how" your car gets loaded/unloaded. The stuff of nightmares for me.

Lests see...

Ship manefest
1. Logs
2. Sacks of concrete
3. Recycled paper
4. Ferrari

"oh, hey boss I'll load up number four"

I kid but with a knot in my stomach with a little background on how much control or even visibility you will have over the process...

My wife audited the long shoremen in California unloading imported new vehicles from a top auto manufacturer (shall not name) and revving engines, squealing tires, racing up and down steep ramps and hard braking is the norm. In their defense they have so many hundreds of cars to get unloaded and so much time to do it in that you can see the potential for abuse. The worst part is that even as the representatives of the owner/maufacturer of the vehicles there was no way for her team to investigate the process from anyplace except from the outside of the fence due to the nature of the regulations I mentioned earlier.

In my DAS experience I met the guy that would drive my car into the container and got a good vibe from him. But that was only the loading end and you still leave it and drive away and it gets loaded later. When I got to pick it up on the Oahu end 6 days later its was in a dusty lot baking away in the sun. They did a great job also from what I could tell but there wasnt detailed info available for me to "be there" waiting to watch or monitor any part of the process.

The best you can hope for is a respecful car enthusiast to be behind the wheel when unloading your car. This seemed to be the case when I got my car as I spoke with the man for a while and he told me that he had to drive my car because the younger guys cant drive stick shifts so he gets to handle all the nice cars. He seemed like nice guy too and generally appreciative of fine autos so this, of course, felt good.

IMHO the entire process is a leap of faith but what are your choices really? Wait until you see the small print on the paperwork! To keep yourself sane during the ordeal you'll have to trust that the cars were designed / built solidly enough to handle occasional stresses whether intentional or not.

added...."I suspect that this is how the frequent valet users feel"

 

If you're worried about who's driving your car, just rent a 20' contianer (or buy it, like I did), load/unload the car yourself, and ship the container. The only one driving the car is you. Buy a Hi-Cube and ship two, or split the cost with another person doing the same. There are websites for people who share shipping containers going overseas.

 

Is a car in this type of container relatively safe? I don't know anything about shipping but just wondered if the dock gang is rough on containers or what.

 

You have to strap them down yourself. Go to Home Depot and buy 4 ratchet straps... The 4 inch wide big yellow ones... Not the wimpy cheap ones. Tie the car from each side of the axles and to the 4 corners of the container. I strap them so tight they could turn the container upsidedown without damaging the car...

 

I've done this for one of my f-cars I from the West Coast. My experience the Pros: can get your own container, you load it, you lock it, you open it. Strap it down as mentioned above the car shouldn't move, dock workers moving the containers treat them all the same since they don't really know its contents. Cons: Cost, you load it, you get it out of the shipyard, you unload it. Remember the containers aren't ground level and will need a way to get your car in and then out at its final destination. Not hard just need to plan for it. Don't plan on getting your container delivered to your house and expect to roll your car into the container from the street.

 

+1. The container floor is wood, and there are steel tie-down loops welded at regular intervals along the edge/side of the container floor. You can strap down the wheels, and chock the wheels front, rear, and side, and bolt the chocks to the floor. Concur, you could turn the container upside down, and the car won't budge.

 

How did you guys get your cars out of the container on the other end? The devil is in the critical details. The absense of which have me very curious. What did the conatiner run you?

When I moved to Hawaii the company that packed up my house also packed up my motorcycles and used a lift to load them up into the 45' conatiner at my home but when they dropped it off at the other end the "hired" semi truck that pulled the trailer backed it up and uncoupled and drove away, he did wait for me to initial the paper though! I watched him leave and then started looking around for the lift gate or ramp to attach to the 5' high level of the conatiner as it was affixed to the wheeled trailer! He was long gone before I realized that I had absolutely no way to get the motorcycles out, not to mention all the heavy furniture and garage items. It was pure luck that a nice man in a nearby warehouse loaned me his forklift. Very sketchy indeed to balance motorcycles on a slippery metal fork on a less than ideal surface but somehow I managed. I have no idea how a car would have gotten out.

Thanks for your response.

 

The height of the container on the semi-trailer = the height of the bed of a car carrier type tow truck. In the absence of an actual loading dock a car carrier is a very good way to load or unload a car.

 

Picture is worth a thousand words, one of my cars that I moved from the mainland .... oh, and from the Honolulu side you can contact Royal Hawaiian Movers, they'll pull your container from the shipyard and move it to their place where there's a cement ramp that lines up with the container to off load your car or you can do it this way to load as well as unload...see it's easy!! Is it just interesting reading or are you indeed going to move an exotic car to Hawaii??
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Thanks for the follow up. I would have never figured out that a flatbed tow truck could get the job done. Thats awesome!

 

Thanks for sharing your pics. That's a great idea......

 

Haha, Colleen now you know how the original one got to Honolulu.

 

I got my container (40' Hi-Cube, seaworthy, not insulated) for $2900 delivered. But, I live within 100 miles of Houston, so they are plentiful, and transportation was reasonable, but still significant.

My container was delivered and unloaded at Texas World Speedway where I rent space in the trailer parking area. Sitting on the ground, I only need an 8" ramp to load/unload cars. I use a couple 6' lengths of 2"x12" boards. At the other end, I'll have the container unloaded on my lot on the big island, so the same ramps will be used there to unload.

 

Bob, where's you lot on the Big Island?

 

It's on Akaka Falls Road, just above Honomu. Honomu is 13 miles N of Hilo.

 

That funny I am looking serious at a lot about a mile NW on Kula'Iwi. Cool.

 

RBM,

Looks like we will be neighbors. I live on Akaka Falls Road in the house closest to the Falls. When will you build?

Cheers,
Mark

 

We want to start construction this year, but getting a water meter, permits, etc. is like pulling teeth. Seems like every day is Aloha Friday at Hawaii County offices. Living on the mainland and being Haoles doesn't help....

Bob