Transporting a boat by road costs between €250 and €900 for a RIB or a motorboat up to 6 m, between €600 and €2,000 for a 6 to 9 m boat, and from €1,200 to €8,000 for boats of 9 to 15 m, which are usually abnormal loads. On top of that come the crane at each end, permits and an escort car if the beam exceeds 3 m, and unstepping the mast if it is a yacht.
These figures are indicative ranges in euros, excluding VAT (hauliers almost always quote this way), taken from published tariffs of crane and abnormal-load companies, Mediterranean European marinas and real quotes shared by owners in the UK. Every country has its own road rules, and the price varies a lot with the route, the season and lorry availability.
Boat transport prices in 2026: summary
The table above groups boats by size, because what really drives the price is not the length but the beam: above 2.55 m the boat no longer fits a standard lorry and becomes an abnormal load, with a permit, restricted hours and, above a certain width, escort vehicles.
Three real reference points:
- In the UK, owners who have moved 34 to 38 ft (10.5 to 11.5 m) motorboats report quotes of £1,440 to £2,500 for trips of 300 to 750 km, with cranes extra. A 34 ft sports cruiser from Southampton to Newark cost £1,500 plus VAT. That works out at €3.50 to €7 per kilometre travelled with the boat.
- A Spanish crane and abnormal-load company publishes its net rates: a 24 t low loader without a crane starts at €410 for the four-hour minimum service plus €1.80/km outside its area; a 50 t·m crane lorry at €457 per call-out and four hours.
- The same company charges each escort car at €170 call-out plus €0.60/km and €30/h, and handling special permits with traffic authorities and town councils at €400 plus fees.
The top end of each range covers international trips, boats with a wide beam or high air draught, routes over mountain passes or through cities, and busy seasons (spring and autumn, when everyone moves their boat at once).
What the price includes
A complete quote has five parts. Check yours covers them all, because very often the per-kilometre price only covers the first one.
Lorry, driver and mileage
This is the main item: the right vehicle (flatbed, crane lorry or extendable low loader with a lowered bed), the driver and the distance. Almost all hauliers charge for the total mileage, including the empty return to their base, so a trip that starts far from the company costs more. There is always a minimum charge, even for a short run.
Cradle, chocking and securing the load
The boat travels on its own cradle or on the lorry's supports, with straps and padding. If the boat has no cradle or trailer of its own, some hauliers hire or build one, while others require the owner to provide it.
Cranes at origin and destination
Unless the boat is already ashore on its trailer, it has to be lifted out and launched. In a marina with a travel hoist the lift is cheap: a Costa Brava marina charges €179 including VAT for a 10 to 11 m boat. If the boat is somewhere without a crane (a shed, a garden, a lake), you need to hire a crane lorry or a mobile crane, which can cost from €450 to over €1,000 per job.
Permits and escorts
If the boat exceeds the legal width or height, the haulier applies for the special permit and arranges the escort cars the route requires. These are fixed costs per trip that weigh heavily on short journeys.
Preparing the boat
A yacht needs its mast unstepped, and almost any boat needs aerials, arches, windscreens or canopies removed to stay within height limits. Tanks should be emptied, loose gear secured and electronics and windows protected.
Factors that change the price
Beam, height and weight
- Up to 2.55 m beam: standard load. The cheapest band, with the most hauliers available.
- Between 2.55 and 3 m: abnormal load with a permit, but usually no escort vehicles in Spain.
- Over 3 m: in Spain and much of Europe at least one escort car is mandatory, and many motorways or urban sections are restricted. In the UK the police must be notified above about 2.9 m.
- Over 5 m: in Spain a traffic police escort is required, which turns it into a bespoke project.
Height matters as much as beam: adding the lorry bed, a flybridge motorboat or a keelboat can exceed 4 m, and in many countries bridges are lower than you would expect.
Type of boat
A RIB or motorboat on a road-legal trailer is the simplest case; sometimes a professional can just tow it with their own vehicle. A keelboat needs a cradle, the mast down and more overall height. A catamaran is almost always an abnormal load because of its beam, even if it is short. Large motor yachts are heavy and may need multi-axle low loaders.
Distance and route
The price per kilometre falls on long trips because fixed costs are spread out, but rises if the route crosses borders, mountain passes or cities with time restrictions. International haulage adds permits for each country and often two or three days on the road.
Season and urgency
In March, April, May and October demand soars with launches and winter lift-outs. If your dates are flexible, or you accept sharing a lorry with another boat on the same route, the price comes down.
Islands and ferries
To take a boat to an island, the lorry boards a roll-on roll-off freight ferry. Shipping lines charge by the linear metre of the whole rig, with a minimum of about 6 m, and quote out-of-gauge loads separately, so ask the shipping line directly or through the haulier. Add the lorry on both sides and the cranes. For boats that can sail, crossing by sea is often cheaper.
Real example: 10 m yacht, 350 km by road
A 10 m cruising yacht with a 3.4 m beam and a weight of 5 t, moved 350 km between two marinas with travel hoists. Because of its beam it is an abnormal load with an escort car.
- Unstepping the mast and packing the mast and rigging at origin: €300 – €600
- Lift-out with the travel hoist and chocking on the low loader: €150 – €250
- Extendable low loader and driver, 350 km loaded plus the return: €1,100 – €1,800
- Abnormal load permit handling: €150 – €400
- One escort car for about 7 hours: €450 – €700
- Launch at destination: €150 – €250
- Restepping the mast and tuning the rig at destination: €300 – €600
Indicative total: €2,600 – €4,600 excluding VAT, or about €3,150 – €5,550 with 21% VAT. Delivering the same yacht by sea, roughly 190 miles, would cost around €1,000 – €1,800 with a professional skipper, fuel and marina fees, provided the boat is ready to sail and the weather allows.
DIY or hire a professional
If your boat fits on a road-legal trailer and your car has the right towing capacity and you hold the right licence, moving it yourself is perfectly reasonable. Under the EU licence framework, a category B licence covers trailers up to 750 kg or combinations up to 3,500 kg; above that you need B96 or BE. Check the trailer's lights, brakes, tyres and wheel bearings, and respect the speed limit for towing.
From about 7 or 8 m, or 2.55 m of beam, it stops being an amateur job: you need commercial vehicles, permits and goods-in-transit insurance. What you can do yourself is the preparation, which saves billed hours: remove aerials and canopies, empty the tanks, lower the boom, photograph the condition of the boat and have the paperwork ready.
The same goes for delivery by sea: if you have the experience, the right qualifications and the time, taking it yourself with friends is the cheapest option. If not, a delivery skipper charges by the day and takes the risk off your hands.
How to save without cutting corners
- Measure the boat properly. Give the overall length, maximum beam including fenders and cleats, height from the keel and real weight. A 10 cm error can change the type of permit and the day of transport.
- Reduce the height. Removing the arch, aerial or windscreen can avoid a longer route or an extra permit.
- Look for hauliers near the origin or with a return load. If the lorry has to come back empty, you pay both legs; if it returns loaded, it can adjust the price.
- Be flexible with dates. Outside spring and autumn there are more free lorries and marinas have crane slots available.
- Coordinate the cranes. Book the lift-out and launch with the marinas before confirming the haulage: a lorry waiting hours on the quay gets billed.
- Compare with the sea option. If the boat is seaworthy and the trip is coastal, also ask a delivery skipper for a price.
- Make the most of the trip. If the boat is going to a yard, combine the move with the annual lift-out or the service you had pending.
How to choose a professional
Get at least three written quotes with the same level of detail and compare them line by line. These are the key questions:
- Does the price include the empty return, permits, escort cars and cranes, or just the lorry?
- What type of vehicle will be used, and have they moved boats of this size before?
- What goods-in-transit insurance do they have and what is the per-load limit? Can it be extended?
- Who handles the permit and how long does it take?
- How do they support the hull and keel, and what padding do they use?
- What happens if the authorised route requires waiting or an overnight stop?
Be wary of a very low per-kilometre price with no breakdown, of anyone who does not ask for exact measurements or fails to mention permits for a wide boat, and of any company that will not show you its insurance. On Nautify you can find boatyards and haul-out services in Barcelona or marine repair workshops in Mallorca that coordinate the lift-out, haulage and launch. If you are moving the boat because you have just bought it, first read our guide to inspecting a used boat or compare new versus used boats.
Conclusion
Transporting a small boat is a cheap formality; moving one with more than 2.55 m of beam is a small logistics project in which permits, escort cars and cranes can weigh as much as the mileage. Measure carefully, ask for complete quotes and always compare with delivering it by sea. With your boat's exact details, a professional on Nautify can give you a firm price for your route.
