- Road towing only: boats on trailers, not boats on the water.
- Runabouts, fishing boats, aluminium skiffs, small sailboats and personal watercraft.
- Tell us the boat length, the trailer type and whether the trailer rolls.
- Common drops: storage yards, marinas, launch parking and repair shops.
- The price is confirmed on the phone before hookup.
How boat towing in East Cambie works on the road
Most boats in East Cambie live on a trailer beside the house or in a storage yard, and they only move a few times a year. The trip is where things go wrong: the truck that used to pull the boat has been sold, the trailer's bearings have dried out over the winter, or the boat has grown heavier with gear than the family SUV can handle. In each case the boat still needs to get somewhere, and that is the part we take on.
If the trailer is sound, we hitch it to our truck and pull it, the same way we would any trailer towing job. If the trailer is damaged or unsafe, the boat and trailer go on a flatbed together, or the boat is loaded on its own if a shop is replacing the trailer. We never lift a boat by its hull fittings, and we strap over padded points so the gelcoat and rub rails stay clean.
- Boat length and beam, and the trailer type (bunk or roller).
- Whether the trailer has brakes and working lights.
- Outboard trimmed up and locked, or the leg raised on a sterndrive.
- Covers tied down tight, or removed for the trip.
Getting a boat ready to tow from a driveway or side yard
Boats tend to sit in tight places. Single-family lots around Bargen Drive and in Jacombs often keep the boat in a side yard behind a gate, and the trailer tongue points the wrong way for the street. Tell us how the boat is parked, how wide the gate is and whether there are trees or wires overhead. If the trailer has to be pulled out by hand or with a short winch to reach our truck, we plan for that before we come.
Take loose gear out of the boat before the tow: coolers, fuel cans, batteries and anything that could shift. Check the winch strap and the bow safety chain on the trailer, and make sure the tie-down straps at the transom are in good shape. A trailer tire that has been flat all winter needs air or a mobile tire service visit before it can roll.
Check the trailer lights too. Boat trailers spend time backed into salt or river water, and their wiring and bulbs corrode faster than most. If the lights don't work and can't be fixed before the trip, tell us, because a trailer without working lights may need to ride on a flatbed instead of being pulled. The same goes for brakes on a larger trailer that has sat for a season.
Boat towing to a marina, launch or storage yard
The drop-off is usually one of three places. Storage yards take boats for the off-season. Repair shops take boats with engine or hull work. And some owners want the boat taken to a launch for the first trip of the year. In Richmond, the City's fishing piers and boating page lists the McDonald Beach boat launch ramp on the north bank of Sea Island, at the end of McDonald Road. We get the boat and trailer to the parking area; launching and retrieval stay with you.
For a marina or storage yard, book a time with them first and ask where they want the trailer left. Gate codes, a contact on site and a stall number save time on the day. If the boat is going further, for example up the Fraser Valley or onto Vancouver Island, our long distance towing is quoted before pickup.
BC invasive mussel inspections when you move a boat
Moving a boat in BC comes with one rule many owners forget. The province's watercraft inspection stations page says anyone transporting a watercraft in BC must stop and report to all open invasive mussel inspection stations, and that failure to stop at an open station could result in a $690 fine. Most stations are open from early April until late October.
The page lists where stations are set up, so check it before a longer trip. If your boat has been in another province or state, tell us so we plan the route and any stop, and keep the boat clean, drained and dry before we hook up. Our RV towing customers with a kayak or canoe on board should keep this in mind too.
Boats at townhouses and business lots around East Cambie
Townhouse complexes in California Pointe usually don't allow a boat to stay in a visitor stall for long, and strata rules may limit trailers on common property. When a strata asks an owner to move a boat, we can take it straight to storage, with the price confirmed before the day. If the boat is in an underground garage, which is rare but happens with small craft, our underground towing page covers parkade jobs.
Some owners keep boats on business lots in Crestwood where there is more room. Tell us the unit number and which side of the building the boat is on. Everything we do in the area is on our towing in East Cambie homepage, and you can send the details with a photo of the boat and trailer.