Sunken Dawncraft 25 Salvaged from Northampton
Sunken Dawncraft 25
Boatbreakers were asked to collect a dispose of a Dawncraft 25 that had sunk in Northampton. According to the owner the boat had been caught out by exceptionally high river levels after the heavy rain that battered the UK. With the river flooding much of the yard the boat was in it managed to flood the boat as the mooring lines didn’t have enough slack. The boat was submerged but luckily the lines didn’t break which made sure it at least stayed on her mooring.
Her owner and the club then had the job of pumping the boat out and once the conditions improved she was floating again. However as the Dawncraft 25 had been under the water her engine, electronics and interior were all ruined. The owner’s insurance company wrote her off and asked us to arrange for the disposal.
Tricky Access
Our main issue whilst planning the collection was access to the site. Inland waterway yards and clubs can often have tricky access. Especially for our trucks. This particular club had a single lane which passed over a bridge and then onto an island. However the main complication was that the island was partially submerged still. So there was a real danger our truck might get stuck.
After speaking with the club they suggested using their slipway. Another member had a boat delivered the week before using a trailer so we agreed asking this haulier would be the best course of action. The owner of the boat made sure that the boat was fully pumped out and that it was waiting on the slipway.
Then our chosen haulier simply reversed his trailer in and loaded the boat. We had been worried that a Dawncraft 25 might be too big for the trailer. But this particular transport guy was an expert on inland waterway boats. Within no time the boat was out, loaded, strapped down and on the way to the boat scrapyard.
Caught in a Storm
If you have a boat that’s been caught in a storm and needs to be disposed of then get in contact. Just fill in our contact form and our team will work out the best solution for the boat.
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: February 16, 2025
Last Modified: March 3, 2025
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