Shipping Costs

I've decided to take advantage of the LARGE difference in price between US and Aust Epic surf skis and am in the process of upgrading to a V12/V10 Ultra (test paddle soon).

I live in Hawaii and will be looking at shipping the ski back to Perth when I move back. Prior to handing over the hard earned, I want to get an idea of the cost of shipping a ski from Hawaii to Perth. Can anyone recommend a shipping company who will ship surf skis SAFELY or has anyone shipped a ski to/from Hawaii before and has an idea of the cost involved. As I'm saving approx 1700 dollars by buying it here (yes this would really piss me off if I was still living in Aust)I'm hoping it will be far cheaper for me to buy it here and ship it back.

To avoid customs duty I'll be buying it at least a year before I move back. Also a great excuse to play with it in one of the best paddling areas!

Mahalo.

I shipped a 18'6'' paddleboard to Hawaii for Molokai via air freight (cost close to $1100) one way. Sea freight back cost about $200 or so, but took 3 months. Best to contact a local freight company and get prices.

The shipping costs for a single ski are the only thing that keeps local sale prices high in Australia.
The importers know it and milk it for all it's worth.

If you're moving back to Perth from Hawaii, why are you shipping a ski back separately? Why wouldn't you ship it back with the rest of your belongings (furniture, etc)? You can get a V10 ito a 20ft container if you put it in diagonally.

Good question which I also put to my employer. Unfortunately while my employer will ship my general "stuff" back to Aust, they aren't happy to ship a surf ski and won't allow it be included in the container even though there is room.

Hmmn, is your employer going to see the loading manifest?

Seems that shipping it in the (household contents) container is a no-brainer, maybe you just need to seek a 'creative solution' to how it get's into the container?!

Maybe you pay the insurance of the ski-portion of the container?

But if the ski in there DOES NOT add to the total cost for shipping, then it sounds like someone is being bloody-minded!

Good luck, let us know.

So if you bought a new TV you could ship it back?
But a ski you can't?

Just buy it now, then it is part of your personal properties.
Unless the employer put some sort of weird arse clause in a contract that explicitly excluded ski's, how could he possibly object?

I'd ask the shop to keep all of the original shipping packaging and anything else you could scrounge to help protect it and shove it in the container like suggested.

As bizarre as it sounds, you're right. I can, and have, bought a bike, TV and a surfboard and my employer will ship it back. Unfortunately they are very adamant that if I buy a surf ski (apparently not a "normal" thing to buy overseas) I have to cover all transport costs and the surf ski has to be sent separately so I'm left with the only option of trying to find a shipping company who can competently ship surf skis. I can't complain too much as my employer is paying for my family and I to live Hawaii for a few years!

It may not really be your employer at all, but the policies of their contracted shipping company. I've had many experiences moving household goods at my employers expense and it always came down to what the moving company would except. For a time I was able to ship any type of boat; 18' sea kayaks, 18.5' flatwater racing canoes, and whitewater boats.

Unfortunately all these types of boats require special handling. Most companies I've shipped household goods with arrive at the house with a moving van, which is loaded with the boxed belongings, it is then transported to a shipping warehose where all the stuff is transfered to the appropriate sized intermodal shipping container. It is much more complicated then just throwing your surf ski into a container. It has to be wrapped and padded, sometimes by people who really don't care all that much. Plus the potential for costly damage claims is a concern.

Eventually a length limit of 14' was set, that basically left whitewater boats and surfboards being the only watercraft excepted for shipment. No more long boats. Oddly enough, if I wanted to ship a motor home or power boat on a trailer it was Ok, go figure.

Whatever works out, good luck and hope for a damage free shipment.