2019 Boat Disposal Recap (Part 2)
Part 2 of our 2019 recap… Read Part 1 Here
Boat in a Garden
Following the Stirling Starfinder from Norfolk, our next trip was to Enfield in Hertfordshire. We were contacted by a couple who were having work done on their house and they wanted the old boat gone. It was a small fishing boat that was in two pieces.
Our plan to collect was a simple one, we would take flatbed trailer and then lift the two boat sections on by hand. If the pieces were too heavy we could also use the winch on the trailer but we didn’t think it would be needed.
When we arrived in Hertfordshire we were at first greeted by a skip that was right in the way of where the boat needed to come from. But help was at hand, before we had even parked up the Slovakian builders had come to our aid and lifted the boat clear of the skip and into position next to our trailer. From there the loading was simple and it turned out to be the easiest collection we’ve ever had.
Sunken Yacht Emsworth
Most of the time all the boats that come into us are arranged either over the phone or by email. However, the next boat in we had the owner into the office to discuss the process and show us some pictures which was a nice change. He explained the circumstances of how the boat had sunk on her mooring in Emsworth, where she had been towed to, what was left on her and where the best place for us to get her out was. He even put us in contact with the people who could tow her to the collection point for us.
All this information the owner provided made collecting the Snapdragon 24 another simple process. The boat was towed to Itchenor where there is a large gravel area that dries out to become the perfect place to collect boats from. We sent our Hi-ab driver to collect the boat at low tide and he had no trouble at all plucking her off the beach.
Once the boat was back at our yard the team stripped off any of the remaining items that could be re-used or recycled before the boat was eventually crushed.
Insurance Write Off After Theft
We collect a lot of boats for Insurance companies and the latest one was a real shame for the owner. The boat was a Cormoran 18 Speedboat that was in Milton Keynes by the owner’s work unit. The boat was on a trailer and he regularly brought the boat down to Gosport to use her off of Lee-on-the-Solent.
But one night he went to check his boat to find that someone has cut out the transom to steal the outboard. As well as the engine, the thieves stole all the electronics from the boat.
Our team in the office got the call from the insurance company that the boat needed to be collected and within a week we had the boat back at our yard.
Eastney Beach Abandoned Yacht
Eastney beach is tuning into Boatbreakers’ waiting room. There are a number of boats left dumped up on the beach with owners who are long gone. It then becomes the harbour authority or council’s job to dispose of the boats.
Our latest collection from Eastney was a 20ft Yacht that was left beached. On a high tide we pulled the boat off of the beach and repositioned her ready for collection. Overnight some local kids decided to let the boat off and she was adrift overnight. Luckily she hadn’t drifted far and we were able to catch her and re-beach her ready for collection.
At low tide our Hi-ab driver arrived and plucked her from the beach and brought her back to the yard to be disposed of.
Written By: Luke Edney
Luke completed a journalism degree in Brighton University and fortunately for us uses this in his communications, Facebook posts, Tweets and emails to tell all our enquirers and followers what we are up to. Without Luke we would be lost, he runs the office, keeps us organised and is like a terrier and never lets a tricky boat disposal job go un-photographed or Tweeted about.
He also manages all of our enquiries passing them to whoever in the team is the best suited to deal with it. We are teaching Luke how to drive a motorboat or sail a yacht so while he’s learning we suggest you keep out of the Solent!
When he’s not at work he’s a massive football fan (his Dad used to play for Portsmouth FC years ago) and seems to know everything there is to know about any player, anywhere. Next time you ring and he answers, think of a tricky football trivia question and ask him
Date Published: March 27, 2019
Last Modified: June 28, 2022
Related Articles
Published On: May 20th, 2021Our most recent boat in for disposal was a storm damaged Wellcraft 192 from Poole. The Wellcraft speedboat was caught in stormy conditions and it seems to have flooded before sinking on her mooring.
Published On: October 7th, 2019Boatbreakers collect and dispose of hundreds of boats every year. The vast majority of boats that we collect across the UK would’ve come from the marinas or boatyards. However, you may be surprised to know that the next most frequent boat removal location is from peoples gardens or driveways.
Published On: December 12th, 2023Our yacht disposal team had a derelict Dockrell 22 boat to collect this week. We had been contacted by a local lady who owned some moorings in Chichester Harbour.
Published On: June 28th, 2017Boatbreakers were recently called by a marine surveyor to come and recover a fire damaged scrap boat from Pyrford Marina in Surrey. The boat was a Freeman 22 riverboat which was completely gutted by the blaze.