Boat Disposal Devon: Drago Fiesta 600 Collected from Brixham

Boat disposal jobs pop up all over the country for the Boatbreakers team. But we always enjoy a trip down to Devon. Boat collections in Devon take us into some picture postcard like towns. Of all the towns to visit in Devon Brixham is definitely one of the most picturesque. With the mutli-coloured houses, rows of fishing boats and pensioners enjoying fish and chips.

This time we had been tasked with collecting a Drago Fiesta 600. Her owner hadn’t been to get for a number of years and he wanted to get out of the trap of mooring fees. He also lived a fair distance from the boat so getting down to sort her out would have been a big job. Sending in the Boatbreakers team for a boat disposal Devon mission was his escape plan.

Usually when the Boatbreakers team collect a boat we would have seen a picture first. In this case however we were going in blind. We had absolutely no idea what condition the boat would be in. Typically a boat that has been left will be green, full of water and with a seized engine. Always a flat battery and often damaged due to accidents that haven’t been repaired.

After an early start and a long journey along the Jurassic coast we arrived at Brixham Harbour. In typical seaside fashion you could hear the chorus of seagulls welcoming in the fishing boats. Our boat disposal Devon team for the day reversed the trailer onto the large slipway. We then went to say hello to the Brixham Marina team who were primed to bring the boat across. Within a few minutes the boat was floated over. Our submerged trailer was waiting and so was the team with the winch strap.

We waved off the marina team with thanks and proceeded to gently pull the boat onto the rollers. With most of the boat on we then towed it all out of the water so we could prep her for the journey home. As the boat had been untouched for about 3 years she was particularly green. In addition to that she had half of the cast of Finding Nemo on her bottom. We scraped off as many sea creatures as we could and returned them to the water. One of her mooring lines had been dangling in the water and become a home to a bunch of mussels.

One thing the team were hoping for was the engine to be in working order. We were told it was going to have a Suzuki 70 on the back. But as she hadn’t been run up for a couple of years there was every chance she wouldn’t work. As the battery was dead we couldn’t see if she would turn over on site. So the plan was to test her once she was back in Gosport.

The Drago was strapped down and secured for the journey back to our Boatbreakers base. Getting out of Brixham’s winding roads was the hardest part of the journey. By the end of the day the boat disposal devon mission was complete and the Drago was ready to be stripped. At the time of writing we’ve just got the Suzuki 70 to turn over. So hopefully we will be able to sell it on.

Overall it was a successful collection. We love to visit different parts of the country to collect boats. It was interesting to see a couple of boats which had sunk in Brixham Harbour. Right next to the tourist galleon boat that takes pride of place. Thankfully this Drago will no longer be a danger of sinking.