Ferries from Hull and the Z4

[mjennings23]

Now, this may seem a bit over dramatic to some as the Z4 isn't exactly the lowest car out there, but I'm just wanting to make sure!

We are looking to head to France next year to visit the other halfs gran, as well as checking out some wedding venues. Being a northerner and being that her gran lives in the south, I don't much fancy the drive to the south coast followed by 700 miles through France.

As such, we're looking at the Hull to Zeebrugge route, it only adds an extra hour at most in Europe from Calais, but saves an awful lot of time driving in the UK. Also, bed for the night so that saves a stop too.

My concern is the ferry ramps, so I'm curious if anyone has used this specific port. From what I can see, the layout is that the car loading area is elevated and separate from the freight decks, thus the only ramps are the concrete ramps at the ferry. Cars are loaded at a higher level via a big steel bridge and there is no ramps inside the ship.

As such, I'm assuming the clearance should be no issue. Obviously I would approach the concrete ramps with as much angle as possible to avoid any catching.

Anyone with experience wants to give me some tips?

 

[stupot1]

There is a rise onto the Ferry, if I hadn't swapped my springs to standard I'm pretty sure it would have been a problem. In the past I've taken a TR6 over and the clearance was fine but the Zed is lower, did notice there were timbers at the side of the ramps in case anybody struggled though

 

[obewan]

I can't comment on the ferry ramp issue but don't forget to disable the 'anti tilt' feature on the alarm
On a trip a few years ago we sat in the boat lounge laughing about the car alarm we could hear
When we got back to the car we found out it was ours
IIRC there is a light sequence when you unlock that tells you the alarm has been triggered

 

[mac27040]

Just lock the door physically with the key and it wont arm the alarm. i have taken my Z4 on ferries at Dover and no issue and mines lowered.

 

[MalNCH]

Don't know about Hull but leaving Harwich on the Stenna Line I had to go on the upper car deck, I scraped, coming back I was on the middle deck and didn't have a problem.

 

[Jembo]

Taking any ramp diagonally tends to help, most are quite wide... just watch out how many bottles of plonk u buy on the return ;@)

 

[buzyg]

Never had any issues with the Zed on ferries or the Chunnel. If you can get over standard speed bumps ok then a standard ferry ramp should present little trouble. Just take it nice and slow.

 

[Grumpyowl]

Ive taken the hull ferry 3 times with the Z..the last time was the end of June this year.
No problems at all on SE standard suspension.
Lock the car using key in lock to avoid setting the alarm.
Unless you've lowered your suspension you should be fine
Enjoy the trip

 

[obewan]

Ive taken the hull ferry 3 times with the Z..the last time was the end of June this year.
No problems at all on SE standard suspension.
Lock the car using key in lock to avoid setting the alarm.
Unless you've lowered your suspension you should be fine
Enjoy the trip

Other than locking with a key, you can also disable the alarms, leaving the iindicator light flashing - just for info

"Avoiding unintentional alarms
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sensor can be deactivated at the same time. You can do this to prevent a false alarm from being triggered, for instance in garages with elevator ramps or when the vehicle is transported by ferry, train etc.
Lock the vehicle twice = arm the system:
Press the button on the remote control twice in succession,
or
lock the vehicle twice with the key.

The indicator lamp lights up briefly and then flashes continuously. The tilt alarm sensor and the interior motion sensor are deactivated as long as the system is armed."

 

[Chris_D]

Living in Holland currently and having a base in Liverpool I've done the P&O Hull/Rotterdam route countless times, also in the zed.
No problems in my SE M Spec suspension but I always drove onto the ferry loading ramp at an angle just to be sure.
If you politely stop and ask the loaders they will let you drive to the foredeck where you can park in the corner and not worry about people slithering past your p&j.
Make sure your on the rear viewing decks leaving Hull with a pint of Stella for some spectacular views of the Humber. Refinery burn off towers look fab if theyre active.

 

[ronk]

I take this and previous z4 to Europe and would only advise you to approach the ramp with caution and you’ll be fine.

Alarm the car by pressing the lock button twice - this locks and alarms the car but disable tilt etc . The red light gives a long flash to indicate.

 

[mjennings23]

Cheers all. I'm currently on M Sport suspension and have a front splitter too which reduces clearance by around 8mm or so. Will take it easy, sounds like it shouldn't be too bad!

 

[Needanothercoupe]

Other than the boarding issue, one bit of advice I’d pass on is the thought of getting on the boat and having a good nights sleep, I’m a frequent traveller as I do small removals throughout Europe, the hull crossing is not the longest and obviously can be rough, by the time you get on the boat have some food etc then try sleep it can prove difficult then when you get off in Belgium you do not feel rested, I use the tunnel mostly, late night crossing or early morning I try time it so I’m not going anywhere potentially busy at rush hour, I do know check in checkout at hotels is an issue, also I believe you can board pretty early at hull again best check but that could help, the drive to the south coast is ok but check the roads if you do consider it as a lot of roadworks happen at night, you probably know all this.

 

[R60BBA]

You will be fine.

 

[ronk]

Living 20 miles from the Dfds port of Tyne crossing my choice of ferry is more or less made for me.
It costs a bit more cash but as was said earlier, it’s best to get a good night sleep before a Continental trip on strange roads and on the wrong side. With this in mind I always book their Commodore class which has proper beds, a lounge area, free beer / wine / nibbles / breakfast and it’s quite!

I’ve done a spread sheet to convince myself and although more cash for the crossing, a hotel and additional fuel costs soon cancel big savings of a south coast ferry or tunnel.

That aside, I’m too old to rough it these days.

 

[mjennings23]

In honesty we're probably keeping the distance quite short on the first day, considering stopping somewhere near Reims/Epernay for the night, so a shorter crossing isn't much of an issue with a 4 hour drive the next day.

Honestly I'm not much of a sleeper anyways, can get by perfectly well on 4 hours or so of good kip rather than needing 8.