Does a Cape Dory 25 fit in a 40 foot shipping container?

[eyeback]

Anyone know? Anyone done it? Shipping container is 7'8" by 7'10" so in theory it should fit, on top of a trailer but it would be close. Beam is 7'3" so a couple of inches either side should be enough. Height is a bit harder to work out especially sitting on a trailer. I have heard of a typhoon fitting in one but not the 25. Failing this does anyone have a rear end profile or at least a photo from the rear. It is amazing that of the countless photos out there, I haven't been able to lay a finger on one. Thanks

[John Lesage]

I've loaded a few containers; some by mechanical means some by hand. The most important point is the height of the entry. On a forty footer it is best to estimate the entry point at 93 1/2 " and that is with a horizontal loading level. If you are loading from a dock you need to be able to enter level or well below that point. That is due to the "lip" at the door. The sides are generally no issues. As I recall there was a diagram provided by UPS "international shipping" which showed the dimensions. But if you work with any freight forwarder they should be able to give you good information. Always figure in your loading time, that's where it can add a few dollars.

[jbenagh]

see if this works:

[eyeback]

jbenagh that is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I was thinking more along the lines of this....
http://www.brasscast.com/images/profile.jpg

John have you stacked any boats inside containers?
I found one here at this website

continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage75.html

[Duncan]

The draft of a CD 25 is 3'. By carefully measuring this distance from your profile (with my thumb and forefinger ), I get a height above the waterline of 4'.

Taking the two together gives 7', so it might fit. But I would check more carefully first.

Or you could buy this Bob Perry Far Harbour 39 container yacht

[jbenagh]

I was thinking more along the lines of this....

that should teach me to post before finishing coffee! I kinda wondered why you thought that would be useful...

FWIW my 6ft stepladder comes up exactly to the toe rail with the boat on the trailer and the keel on the trailer is about 8in off the ground. If I make it to the boat to knock the snow off the cover I can try to take a measurement for you. Is it total height you need?

Jeff

[eyeback]

Thanks in anticipation Jeff
Peter

[Russell]

If you dont mind my asking, I am very curious as to where you are trying to ship a CD25 to that would involve a trip on a container ship?

For what its worth, with larger boats, its a pretty common practice to build a cradle for them and stick them on container ships without a container. If a CD25 wont fit inside one, this is an option to consider.

[Russell]

Oh, and if you do have it on a trailer, you might look into a roll on/roll off shipper (this is how cars are often shipped). This might actually be the easiest solution for a boat this size. Rather then focus your internet searching on yacht shipping, search for automobile and RV/motorhome shipping as a starting point.

[eyeback]

Am retiring to NZ in 3 years and am looking at taking a boat with me that will fit in a shipping container. The weather there would suit a CD25 and there are lots of good value ones for sale here. The cost of transporting a 40 foot container to New Zealand is about $6000 and I would have to pay taxes of about $2000 on the boat but I am going to have to get a container to ship all my household goods anyway. It is less expensive than RORO or a Far Harbor. The cost of a Far Harbor 39 is over $200,000 and a little more than I want to spend. Also roll on roll off, is about 4 times the cost of containerized shipping.
I actually think the tighter the space for the boat, the better so that is why the 25. A TY will definitely fit but if anything happens, it could bang around inside the space.
Originally I was thinking of sailing to NZ, but there is just so much complicated stuff you have to add and do to a boat to make it bulletproof for bluewater.

[Tod Mills]

kinda interesting that the Container Yacht uses a locker vent motiff very similar to Hinckley's. In fact, Hinckley did use that exact motiff on some earlier boats before they settled on the short/long/short slots. Here is an older Bermuda:



and here is the Container Yacht:

[jbenagh]

I got the heights for Sprite. To the top of the bow pulpit, she is 98in. To the top of the stern rail, she is 88in. With the cover on, I could not measure to the cabintop, but it appears there is roughly 10-12 below the mast which is resting on the pulpit and rail.

Sounds like it is pretty close.

Jeff

[Tod Mills]

hopefully the bow and stern pulpits are easily removeable...bow should be, stern probably more difficult access, unless it was made with socket feet instead of welded feet...

[mike ritenour]

You might consider buying two of them for your move, you would avoid the "rental" charge and if needed you could utilize them as housing. With the world recession, containers are VERY inexpensive.
There are many awesome designs for "Container Houses", plus owning them would allow you plenty of time to fabricate a system to hold your baby tight and happy for the long voyage.

Nothing worse than being hurried by a bunch of longshoremen to get things loaded and away.

Perhaps we will sea u in NZ as we are planning a trip down under in a couple of years.

Rit

[Neil Gordon]

... and if needed you could utilize them as housing.

By the way, Mike, as told by my uncle, WWII gliders arrived in England in large shipping boxes, one for the fuselage, one for the wings and one for the tail assembly. Gliders were assembled and the boxes crushed, for the most part.

As the air bases grew as planes, gliders and men arrived from the US, they surrounded English towns and the pretty women who lived there. More than one enterprising airman salvaged a glider box, hauled it to the edge of the base, cut doors and windows, added curtains and some furniture and moved in.

Oh... the odds of getting a pretty English girlfriend were increased if you "borrowed" a parachute first. Silk was a rationed commodity during the war. (That's how my uncle got his silk flying scarf!)