Shipping is not free. The cost of shipping is included in the pricing shown for our boats for those orders in the Lower 48 US States. Depending on the distance from our location, we may decide to either deliver your boat or ship it.

When a boat is shipped, each boat is wrapped in multiple layers of foam, cardboard and bubble wrap prior to going into a heavy vinyl shipping bag. This bag has loop handles on both sides to make it easier to lift and move. Multiple placards are applied to the bag to instruct the LTL carrier to not use a fork truck and only hand carry the boat. This direction isn’t always followed. We realize that.

Boats are not shipped in a wooden crate. This would add considerable cost to the shipping and limit where they could be delivered because of the difficulty it would present when unloading it from a truck. It is also never a guarantee to reduce possible shipping damage.

If you would like to pick up your boat from our facility in Hampden, Maine instead, this can be arranged also.

Each boat that is shipped goes by a LTL carrier. This is a commercial freight delivery company. They are instructed to call prior to each delivery to schedule a delivery time.

The LTL freight trucking company is not responsible for unloading the item(s) from the truck or carrying the item(s) into a building. Your boat is heavy and large. Therefore, we recommend that you have someone with you to help you unload the boat and bring it where you want it. If a truck cannot get to your house, then you are responsible for picking the item up from the nearest terminal or the nearest location to your house that the truck can access. Customers located in remote areas, or areas a semi-truck cannot reach, may have longer transit times. Because it is a larger, heavier item, it can only be sent via ground freight.

At the time of delivery, make sure you unwrap and properly inspect the boat before signing for it. Should the delivery driver refuse to allow you to inspect it, you may write "Subject To Later Inspection" on the delivery receipt. You must then inspect it right away.

We take every precaution to prevent this from happening, but it can happen. It’s a large bulky boat and shipping damage is possible.

We do not guarantee that you will receive a scratch-free boat. We are looking for damage that causes the boat to be unusable or have structural damage. Keep in mind that these boats are shipped over the road many miles through multiple transfer terminals. Many times your order could be scratched as it is unloaded from the truck. Inspect the item thoroughly upon delivery. Write on the delivery receipt before the freight company driver leaves, the nature of the damage and/or if any components are missing. Please take plenty of pictures of everything, including the notated delivery receipt. If you fail to note freight damage on the delivery receipt upon delivery, the freight carrier will not compensate you for your loss!!!

The next decision is whether to accept the boat or reject it for the damage. In most cases accepting the item seems to work out better than immediately rejecting it. If you notate damage on the driver's delivery receipt and accept the product, please do not use it. Leave the item right where it is and inform us and keep the packaging. Contact us immediately when damage is found. We will want to see the pictures you have taken of the damage along with your picture of the notated delivery receipt that the driver has acknowledged. All of these can be emailed to us so we can file a complete damage claim with the carrier. Once we receive the pictures of the damage we can review them and determine the best direction to take to get things right. If the carrier needs to come back for the product, that may happen at a later date.

With damage there are different levels, from the repairable to a total loss. A lot of times having the damage repaired locally is the best approach. We can send out materials for this so everything matches and most times the repair is undetectable afterwards. To make this happen we will need a coordinated solution with you to find a suitable repair shop in your area. You have better local knowledge of shops or know someone that knows a shop. Some people even opt to do the repairs themselves.

If there is extensive structural damage, such as a fork lift hole in the side of the item, reject the shipment and a replacement order can be processed. If you think the packaging was too poor, we could put the product in a solid wood crate but it wouldn't stop a forklift (we have tried). If you reject a boat for cosmetic reasons, be aware that you may be held liable for freight charges, restocking fees etc... Remember all boats will have scratches. If you reject your boat because you're not sure about some damage, we will get an email with a picture from the freight carrier when it gets back to the local terminal. Management will look at the pictures and determine if the damage is cosmetic or structural. If cosmetic, we will highly advise you to accept the boat back from the local terminal in order to avoid paying very high fees (the difference between the repair bill and shipping there and back and restocking fees).

We can and will file claims against the freight carrier to cover the cost of the repair or replacement, but you need to work with us. Those claims normally take two months or more to get resolved.

All our boats are built as Row boats first. We typically only build a Sail boat when we have an order for one. If you would like a Sail boat, please use our Build page to make your selection. If we have that size/color in Inventory already as a Row boat, we are able to use that and add the sail components in just a couple weeks time. Otherwise we will build your Sail boat from scratch.

The bow & stern tanks are air filled, not foam filled. This serves as flotation without adding weight.

If modifications or repairs are made to your boat involving these tanks, it is crucial to seal them afterwards to maintain this flotation.

The HIN on the transom of your boat will tell you the age. The last (2) digits are used for the Model Year of your boat.

Each boat sees different conditions. Some boats spend their entire summer outside on a dock while others are upside down undercover. The oak seat and motor board should be sanded and varnished periodically to help them stand up to the harsh elements.

If yours are too far gone and need replacement, see our parts page.

Shipping costs are included in the purchase price.

At this time covers are only made for certain Bennington years & models.

No, we only produce Individual seat covers.

Returns are possible if covers are:

• Unused

• Within 30 days of receiving them

• Our standard color - Black, Metallic Silver or Taupe

Return the covers to us and we will issue a refund. Contact us and we can discuss this.

The individual covers we make are secured over the seating to the outside rail by the attached straps and Bennington’s j-clip. If you boat is older and doesn’t have correct rail with the groove for their j-clip, our covers will not attach properly. Modifications can be made in some cases, but this would be a custom order with additional charges. Contact us to discuss your boat.

We recommend that you read and following the recommendations of the fabric manufacturer. If you have specific questions, they are available to ask.

www.sunsolutionproducts.com

We can make specific covers if you don’t want to buy a full set. Contact us with your year, model, which cover(s) you would like and which color. We can price just those covers and get them made for you.