Lake Havasu City auto and boat transport

Lake Havasu City is not on an interstate. State Route 95 is the only highway through town. Interstate 40 is about 20 miles north, and Interstate 10 is more than an hour south by way of Parker and Quartzsite. A car carrier has to leave its main route to get here, and it has to go back out the same way.

That doesn't make shipping difficult, but it does change the timing. Fewer trucks pass through than in Phoenix or Las Vegas, so a carrier usually waits until it has two or three vehicles going to or from the river before it makes the trip. We ask Havasu customers for a little more notice than city customers, ideally two weeks, and for a pickup window of several days. With that, finding a truck is routine.

Once the truck is in town, loading is easy. Havasu's residential streets are wide, most homes have long driveways or RV parking, and there are few gates. The steeper streets on the east side of town are the main exception. If your driveway drops sharply from the road, the driver will load on the street.

Havasu is one of the busiest boating lakes in the West, and boats are a big part of what we move here: pontoons, wake boats, performance boats and personal watercraft, to and from California, Nevada, Texas and beyond. Each boat is quoted by phone. We'll ask whether it rides on its own trailer, how many axles the trailer has, and for the overall length, beam and height.

Width matters most. A boat and trailer wider than eight and a half feet is an oversize load in most states and needs permits, which affect both price and routing. Performance catamarans often fall into that group. Towers, radar arches and Bimini tops should be folded or removed to bring the height down.

There is also a rule specific to this lake. Lake Havasu has quagga mussels, and Arizona requires boats leaving it to be cleaned, drained and dried. A boat that has been kept in the water for more than a few days needs additional decontamination, and several states inspect arriving boats at the border. Check the current Arizona Game and Fish Department requirements and have the boat ready before the carrier arrives. A hauler stopped at an inspection station can lose a day or more.

Lake Havasu City has a car culture to go with the boats. Shows held here in the cooler months draw hot rods, classics and customs from all over the West, and plenty of residents keep one in the garage next to the boat. For a show car, enclosed transport keeps fresh paint and chrome out of the wind and grit on the long desert stretches of the trip. If you're bringing a car in for an event, plan for it to arrive two or three days early. That leaves room for a delay on the road and time to clean the car before it's judged.

Winter residents often keep a pickup for towing and a smaller car for everything else, and bring one of them back and forth each season. Give us both ends of the trip when you ask for a quote. Some northern addresses are as far from an interstate as Havasu is, and that affects the schedule more than the distance does.

From June through September, afternoon temperatures in Havasu often pass 115 degrees. Drivers working the river load at first light and are usually gone by mid-morning, so expect an early call. Have the car parked where the truck can reach it the night before, with the keys ready. Holiday weekends bring the opposite problem. Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day fill State Route 95 and the streets around the London Bridge with trucks and trailers, and carriers avoid coming into town on those days.

Because the local market is small, Havasu residents often buy vehicles in Phoenix, Las Vegas or Southern California, and sell to buyers in those places too. A purchase can be shipped straight from the dealer or seller to your driveway, which saves a long round trip and a second driver. If you're selling, a buyer who knows the car can be delivered is easier to find than one willing to come and get it. We can quote the delivery for your listing before you have a buyer.