A hundred years ago, I was on a business trip and found the perfect present for my wife (partly to make up for a 1/1 truck I had bought). It was a huge terainium in a bottle (about 4 1/2' tall, about 7' around). How to ship? Delicate bottle, live plants? I ended up buying a airline seat for it on my flight home. They even let me fly first class and pay economy for the bottle seat even though I wouldn't let it out of my sight, right next to me. The pilot, in his walk through, was concerned about the bottle flying around in rough air but he conceded through threats (the president of American Airlines is my neighbor), whines, and stories about my wife just giving birth to twins while I was "on the road". He allowed it. Hey, what good is a white lie or two, or three unless you need it.

My neighbor is an AA mechanic so, what's the difference.
I don't think the same consession would be allowed for a six foot wooden model in these days of security concerns.
God luck with the boat, sounds great.
TTT
Sometimes I am the windshield, sometimes, I am the bug.