Sunken Wooden Boat Disposal in Chichester

The Boatbreakers team were asked to scrap a sunken wooden boat from Chichester Marina. “Mr Whippy” has unexpectedly sunk on mooring in the marina and had to be re-floated and hauled out to the hard standing. We’re not quite sure what caused the sinking but the boat was under long enough for the surveyor to deem her a write off.

Despite being a large boat there wasn’t much to come off of her. We had hoped that the engine might be salvageable but it was only good for scrap. This was removed and recycled by our engineers. The propeller was also removed for scrap and the wooden steering wheel was kept for decorative purposes.

Her owner was in a difficult situation as he weighed up whether to keep her. But the investment he would have to make to get her working again was substantial. He was also paying high storage fees which puts an immediate financial pressure on any repair. Luckily for the owner the boat was insured and his insurer had agreed to cover the disposal.

This made the process much simpler for the owner as he then instructed us to collect and dispose of the boat. Our plan was a simple one. We would arrive with our low loader and the marina was load the boat. Then we would take the boat to our boat scrapyard to be unloaded and broken apart. Her engine was already out so that saved one job before crushing could commence. As the hull was wood this can all be recycled. So can the metal still on board so ultimately this is much better off heading for scrap than sitting underwater in a marina.