: Maybe at R2K2 I'll drive up with a flatbed and make a big haul of some real
: boat-building materials. Hmmmmm????

You cna rent a 4x8 open trailer for about $20 a day from U-haul and other rental places. since there are no mileage charges on trailers, they are much more economical than renting small trucks when you need to get plywood home from the store.

I purchased a kit for making a 4x8 trailer from the local Menards hardware store for just under $200. It took two afternoons to assemble (lots of nuts and bolts to fasten) but it was easy to do. U-haul had a good price on hitches so I had them mount a custom hitch to my compact car for another $100. Then I got rid of the minivan, which was always a bit too small for the wood I wanted to carry in it. The floor and sidewalls cost me about $40 for plywood and particle board. and I used the cheapest stain I could find instead of paint to protect the wood from the elements (1 1/2 gallons at $2 a gallon, closeout price at Home Depot). Finally, the electrical connector for my car, by the time I got the right one, was another $15.

My intention was to use this mostly for trailering my motorcycle, and to build a rack on it for my canoe, but it has been great for several unexpected tasks and has been a good investment. I expect it to last 10 years or more.

The disadvantages are that you (are supposed to) go 10 mph slower on most expressways around me (55 vs 65mph) and the toll roads want you to use the manual pay lanes and/or pitch in a few cents more for the extra axle. I lose about 1-2 miles per gallon in fuel efficiency, getting about 30 mpg rather than 31 to 32 mpg. A bigger car with a more powerful motor would probably not have any difference. Storage can be a concern, but the trailer version I have can fold in half and stand on end, so it is not much larger than a folding bed. It has castors to help it roll into storage, too.

If you are looking at a shipping fee of $15 to $20 a sheet, and you need 4 to 5 sheets, then you are looking at an $80 to $100 add-on for shipping. If the dealer is within 300 miles you can rent a trailer and drive there and back in a long day. Assuming you have a hitch on your car, that would be just about $20 rental and 20 gallons of gas. After a scenic drive you get to select your own wood, and even get an extra sheet for less than having the stuff shipped to you. Gee you might even have enough left to buy yourself lunch.

Of course the real advantage is if you get enough wood for two or three boats on one trip. The laod limit on my trailer is about 900 pounds. That is roughly 10 sheets of 3/4 particle baord, or 12 sheets of 3/4 plywood, or 36 sheets of 1/4 inch plywood. If you are getting a dozen sheets of 3mm and 4mm plywood you'll be nowhere near maxed out. Even 2 dozen sheets would be well within the load specs -- and your savings would be sizeable.

PGJ