Need advice on shipping RV-4 across Canada

Hello Canadian Members,

I need some advices on shipping an RV-4 across the country, from British Colombia to Gatineau, QC (CYND). My airplane is in the finishing stage; fuselage on gear and flight surfaces on a weeled cart.

The Air Force is moving my family and me to NDHQ Ottawa but I must take care of my airplane move. I'm thinking about renting a sea container and have it shipped by train/truck.

Any contacts? Any advices? Any previous experiences? Any recommendations? Feel free to post them here (could be useful to others as well) or email me [email protected]

Thanks

shipping hazards

Remy,
locally, we used Van-Kam quite a bit...they must have been the cheapest, 'cause they destroyed almost eveything they touched.
On a long trip, you wanna know how many times it's being transferred, that's where the damage can happen...thus the container is ideal in that regard.
If the freight forwarders don't sound promising, I'd try the household movers, like Mayfair or Allied. Most also do containers, and the guys are pretty cognizant of the word, 'fragile'....and 'insurance claim!'

I was a bit surprised to hear the term 'Air Force'...I lost track of how many times its flip-flopped from Canadian Armed Forces - to some other variation.
Best of luck with your move!

Welcome to Ottawa-Gatineau....

Hi Remy,
I don't have any recommendation on shipping, but just want to say welcome...there are quite a few RV builders (15+) in the Ottawa/Gatineau area. I don't believe anyone building a 4...you're the 1st one. This is a good addition to the group.
I'm done building and based in CYND...nice hangar space available, at the right price.

Feel free to contact me when you arrived here...([email protected])

Michel Roy.
RV-7A
C-FZMR.

I did it. You can too.

Hi Remy.

By some coincidence, I did exactly the same thing last summer. I live in Ottawa, but found a terrific deal on a partially completed RV-6 in Mission, BC. I flew out and bought it...then realized that I was 3000 km from home!

I looked at all of the options: shipping containers, commercial movers, and driving it myself. In the end, I chose to pack the project into the back of a 28 foot UHaul and drove across the country. It proved both cheapest and safest from the perspective of damage risk.

As I recall, there were a few things learned along the way...

1. There were great deals on rental trucks in the US. I booked one, but discovered that it is illegal to use an American truck to carry goods within Canada. Won't work;
2. The quoted UHaul rates can be daunting. I saved some money by renting the truck in Vancouver and dropping it off in Toronto. Rates are better if the truck stays in large population centers; and
3. It's a five day drive, unless you're a masochist;

Let me know if you are thinking of the UHaul option. I can offer some suggestions about how to load an RV into a truck for a long drive. It involves wood, lots of wood.

Feel free to give me a call once you're settled in Ottawa. There is a terrific RV builders group in Ottawa. You'll feel at home.

Good luck,

Rob Erdos

u-haul options

...my experience with a dozen household moves.....U-Haul didn't always have the best 'equipment'....to be kind! Maybe more options for trailers though.
Budget seemed to have new or nearly new trucks most of the time, and were more flexible on pickup and drop locations ( ie I could drop it at the airport, and their car guy shuttled it to the truck location - free)

UHaul Experience

Perry is right. UHaul doesn't have the best reputation. Nevertheless, I got good equipment from them out of Abbotsford, and their support was excellent. My wife called and arranged the deal for me after I discovered that I wouldn't be able to use the much cheaper Penske truck that I rented out of Bellingham, WA. The Nice Customs Man patiently explained to me why it is against Canadian law for me to save money...but I digress.

UHaul was amenable to promising us a new truck, and made a deal on the posted rental rates. As I recall, Budget didn't have anything big enough to haul an RV fuselage at the time, although that may have changed.

Overall, and in spite of the reputation, I had no complaints with UHaul.

Good luck,

Rob