MacGregorSailors.com

Don't know what size jeep you have, but maybe you can load it into the u-haul, then tow the boat home with the truck. Be sure to block the wheels from side to side.

~Rich

The other option is scrap the jeep, rent a truck to haul the boat home, then buy a vehicle at home.

I almost rear ended a box truck in the keys. I don't know what I would have done if I had totaled my truck 800 miles from home. I didn't even want to think about it. So glad I just put disk brakes on the trailer.

Edit:
One other option only if you have multiple drivers is to rent two trucks, one to haul the boat, the other with a dolly to haul the jeep. Would likely be cheaper than a tow truck or other type of delivery. Could call your insurance and see what their roadside assistance can do. Probably not much but worth a call.

Given the difficulties in even scrapping the Jeep in the US (since it's Canadian registration), I think I'd go the used engine from a junkyard route, if that's cheaper than repairing the original engine.

For a rented truck, if a one-way rental over the Canadian border is a problem, perhaps you can arrange storage for the boat and trailer near the border, and get a ride from there to home from someone, since the border is relatively close (compared to the 2000 mile overall distance) to your island. But you still have to scrap the car in the US.

OR, contract the fix, and leave the boat and the car, fly home, and come back another time to trailer back.

The more I think about it, the more fixing your engine or replacing it with a used engine sounds like the path forward, especially if they can do the work while you sail.

The more I think about it, the more fixing your engine or replacing it with a used engine sounds like the path forward, especially if they can do the work while you sail.

I feel for you, not a pleasant start to the trip. If you can have the jeep fixed while you are out sounds like the least stressful method. For me enjoying the rest of the trip with peace of mind the problem is taken care of would be most important.

Towing the mac is a great feature and I know some people tow all over without a second thought, but it was always a main concern of mine for the reasons you are experiencing.

Here is my reasoning on the deal. If you like the Jeep and it is in decent shape and you would like to keep it I go with a re-manufactured engine vs. a junk yard one as a good part of your repair bill will be the engine swapping part regardless of which engine goes in and if it is from the junk yard unless it is a low mileage (under 50,000, which I would then consider) you might get another engine with a potential problem to happen.

You are going to have some money into it going this way but will know what you have vs. going and buying another used vehicle if you aren't considering a new one (out of the question for me for the rest of this life).

I had something similar happen to the Suburban a couple years ago. It had 175,000 miles on it running great, no problems. Driving home from Florida hauling my box trailer I take there with tools and supplies we came through Phoenix to visit friends. Leaving there in 108 deg. heat and about 60 miles north the plastic radiator broke apart along one seam dumping all the water out. I pulled over right away but the engine in that short time got too hot and hurt, but we didn't know that at the time. Got towed into Cottonwood where a radiator was put in and we left but the 'burb was running rough and quickly overheated so got towed into Flagstaff (thank you AAA). A friend's pickup was down near there at a family member's house. They brought it to us and we used it to tow the trailer home and then I took my car hauler back down to Flag and got the Suburban.

Now what to do? We had paid $4000 for the Suburban and gotten good use out of it and liked it so really didn't want to part with it. Do we junk it out and look for another? We decided to put a new engine in it. Got a new complete GM engine with warranty for $1800.00 delivered to the house. No one has new crate motors as cheap as GM. Since it was out I decided to have my transmission guy rebuild the automatic as I didn't want to have to do any of this again. All told, doing the work myself, it was about $3500 for the engine, transmission, and some other new parts. Sure the Suburban probably wouldn't sell for $3500 but now it should be good for another 200,000 miles and I know what is in it...new engine and rebuilt transmission and I don't have car payments and I didn't buy another used vehicle with possible unknown problems.

So if you can afford it and like it and would like to keep it I'd put in a new or re-manufactured engine and continue using it,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

You can abandon the jeep there at the shop. The shop has it parked already and it's not going anywhere and if it's gets stolen your way ahead. Probably best to just forget about the jeep for right now - you have bigger fish to fry.

Go get a truck - any old 1/2 ton pickup - rent it at the closest U-haul, or home depot or whatever is close by. Then just hook up the boat and tow it home. Once you are home you can drive back to St. Augustine and deal with the jeep or just leave it there.

By the way, St. Agustine is a great place to sail a MAC - I think there are many MAC owners there too, but I'm not sure. It's a fairly big harbor - LOT's of history - I think it's one of the oldest ports in the country. If I were you I would just saty in St. Agustine and live there - it's a great place. Isn't it cold in Canada?

I've imported a few vehicles. Its not hard, you just need to follow the process to the letter. Here is some links. Good luck

https://www.riv.ca/ImportingAVehicle.aspx
http://www.ezbordercrossing.com/the-ins ... to-canada/

I put a new motor in a 4.0 jeep grand Cherokee by myself ,took a weekend but really was very straight foward ,jasper or one of the companies that sells motors on both sides of the border would be good because of warranty .i bought a 4.0 with 29,000 miles for like 650 or 700 bucks .

I'm in Charleston s.c on a farm ,if you can get one or both here you can store them here .its not too far ,I have done this before for people with Macs that had issues .

Thank You all for the support.
I am still checking out my options.
The garage quoted 5700$ for an engine with 50000 miles on it an 2 days work.
U-haul is one option, and to
Bahama bound: I apreciate Your offer, and I consider flying home and get another vehicle, come back later to pick up the boat..

There is a great site call car-parts.com where it is almost like reverse bidding to buy parts and engines but they are rated by condition and usually you get a print out of the miles . If its a 4.0 it would not be difficult to do .but I'm like you I would make the best of the trip ? What year ,what are the miles ?

Norca wrote:Thank You all for the support.
I am still checking out my options.
The garage quoted 5700$ for an engine with 50000 miles on it an 2 days work.
U-haul is one option, and to
Bahama bound: I apreciate Your offer, and I consider flying home and get another vehicle, come back later to pick up the boat..

That seems very high to me for a used motor. Around here I could get an engine from a yard for probably under $1200 and it is about $600-$900 for the labor. I bought a low mileage GM Atlas 4 cyclinder for the race car for $700 a couple years ago from a yard and a very good re-manufactured older Jeep 258 ci 6 motor for about $1800 4-5 years ago. I can't believe I live in the cheapest place in America . I'd call some yards there myself and some other shops you might not of ended up in the best one (Google might be your friend).

Good luck,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

Yeah Sumner, what's it like to live in Utah? It's not expensive is it? I'm always kicking around the southern part like Kanab or Mexican Hat - (You will find me running back and forth on the 163 or the 89 between Utah and Arizona in the spring most years). Is that where used motors come from?

BOAT wrote:Yeah Sumner, what's it like to live in Utah? It's not expensive is it? I'm always kicking around the southern part like Kanab or Mexican Hat - (You will find me running back and forth on the 163 or the 89 between Utah and Arizona in the spring most years). Is that where used motors come from?

Tax wise it doesn't rate hi as a retirement state, but there are for sure other benefits if you are an outdoor person. Mexican Hat is about 40 miles south of me (I'm on 191 70 miles south of Moab) and 2,000 feet lower so quite a bit hotter in the summer and not much there. We are the nearest town of any size. Finding a used motor here means going to Cortez, CO or Farmington, NM, also the nearest Walmarts,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

It was mentioned above, but I want to add a second vote for www.car-part.com. This site is where junk yards list the parts they have for sale. I used it to find a new door for my grandma's car after my nephew crashed it. We even found the right color. I also bought a transmission for my Mini Cooper. I had it flown here from Hawaii!

Jeff