Found a sunken boat

[acdc96]

While kayaking at low tide the other day I stumbled upon a sunken Fiberglass boat! It's about 14ft long and capsized. No motor that I can tell, no registration numbers on hull, & hin is readable. It appears to have been their for a few years from a previous hurricane. The hull looks to be in perfect condition but cannot tell what inside looks like it's capsized in the mud. It's down a creek that's I can access with my Jon boat. I'm gonna try to retrieve it with a couple of friends and a couple of 55 gallon plastic drums I have. And tow it out of their at high tide with my Jon boat. If it's in terrible shape and is not worth fixing I'll either bring it to the dump or send it back down to the sea floor. Thoughts or advise? I've raised kayaks and a small 8ft rowboat before. Any one have and tips on raising a sunken boat? I'm not a professional of any sorts. But have a general idea on what I'm doing

 

[MikDee]

I'd leave it with Davy Jones! But, if you insist, you've got to get it up above the "gunwales" in order to make any progress bailing it out, but I'm sure you know that. Besides, if you can't register it, it's of no use to you?

 

[vollymall]

That sounds like a lot of fun. Definitely something I would try to do just to see if i could. Maybe inflate tubes underneath?

 

[acdc96]

I'm attaching some 55 gallon drums to it at low tide and using those to float it up. The rowboat I found and restored to working condition I never registered and used that for 3 years with my yamaha 2hp. Never left the marsh cause I would have went to the bottom with any wake that passed by.

 

[Splat]

Ping pong balls, lots of them!

 

[smokeonthewater]

It's junk.... Unless you feel like replacing floor stringers and transom..... If you retrieve it and then return it to the drink you are the. Responsible for it and any future damage it does.... If you contact dnr they will likely have a process for recovering and disposing of it

 

[Grub54891]

Found a aunken wood flat bottom boat once,bottom shot,my buddy retrived it and made a flower bed for his wife out of it.

 

[Ned L]

Sounds like salt water. If so I wouldn't count out the wood portions (stringers & transom). If they were good when it sank then they may well be ok now. (pbviously any wiring would be shot. Sounds like a fun little adventure, have fun (& be careful).

 

[WIMUSKY]

Since the HIN is readable, maybe you can find the owner...... Unless he doesn't want to be found......

 

[UncleWillie]

I would report it to the local authorities before you begin any salvage operations.
Not Likely, but it may be a crime scene that someone never wanted found.

You do not want to have to start explaining how you came into possession of the boat that they are searching for when you attempt to title it. At least then you will have an official report that you had nothing to do with its demise.
You also do not want to be the one that rolls the boat upright only to find the owner still in it!

 

[smokeonthewater]

Sounds like salt water. If so I wouldn't count out the wood portions (stringers & transom). If they were good when it sank then they may well be ok now. (pbviously any wiring would be shot. Sounds like a fun little adventure, have fun (& be careful).

wood submerged in salt water would still be water logged.... plywood in the transom could likely come apart... the wood could swell, warp and possibly damage the surrounding glass.... a long term sunken glass boat is not likely to be worth anything... BUT I'm all for going through channels to get it removed from the water and disposed of.

 

[Ned L]

Waterlogged & rot are two different things and not always related. Plywood had better not delaminate (or it was interior plywood). ------ The fungus spores that cause 'rot' actually require a fairly narrow range of % moisture to grow. Saturated wood has too high a moisture content for 'rot' spores to grow, and salt water does not readily support the growth of ‘rot’ spores.

 

[acdc96]

Waterlogged & rot are two different things and not always related. Plywood had better not delaminate (or it was interior plywood). ------ The fungus spores that cause 'rot' actually require a fairly narrow range of % moisture to grow. Saturated wood has too high a moisture content for 'rot' spores to grow, and salt water does not readily support the growth of ‘rot’ spores.

the water in that creek is brackish water. And at low tide it's almost completely out of the water. The creek it's up has a freshwater feeder stream so it's even less saltwater. UncleWillie you have a very valid point their about the unknown of the origins of the boat and what lies within it. But the creek it's down has a lot of bends and turns that when it flipped over it dumped it's contents out. But it could still contain evidence of a crime scene I'll lift it up out of the mud and take a look under it too see if anything looks out of the normal. If anything look suspicious I'll drop the boat and call the cops and call in a submerged boat.

 

[jbcurt00]

While kayaking at low tide the other day I stumbled upon a sunken Fiberglass boat! It's about 14ft long and capsized. No motor that I can tell, no registration numbers on hull, & hin is readable. It appears to have been their for a few years from a previous hurricane. The hull looks to be in perfect condition but cannot tell what inside looks like it's capsized in the mud. It's down a creek that's I can access with my Jon boat. I'm gonna try to retrieve it with a couple of friends and a couple of 55 gallon plastic drums I have. And tow it out of their at high tide with my Jon boat. If it's in terrible shape and is not worth fixing I'll either bring it to the dump or send it back down to the sea floor. Thoughts or advise? I've raised kayaks and a small 8ft rowboat before. Any one have and tips on raising a sunken boat? I'm not a professional of any sorts. But have a general idea on what I'm doing

IF you raise it, and decide it's not a project you want to try & tackle, I think you'll 'own' the problem of disposal & strongly suggest you don't re-sink it. You had to have possession of it to sink it, so illegally disposing of it by sinking could come back on you. As would any environmental impact if there is gas or oil still in the hull somewhere that leaks out as you disturb it.

IF the HIN is visible, I wouldn't touch it. A former owner could claim anything he choose to as to why it's now in your possession & he's the rightful owner.

Whoever suggested contacting the DMV, Fish & Wildlife, or DNR about a sunken vessel is on point, IMO.

Depending on where you are, you might be able to claim abandoned property, but do so after making inquires w/ the proper authorities, to CYA.

 

[Malibu Rudder]

Smoke and Grub are right on!!!

 

[sublauxation]

14 foot boat...... it wouldn't happen to be red by chance would it........you know, we haven't heard from SBL in a long time.:facepalm:

 

[Mel Taylor]

14 foot boat...... it wouldn't happen to be red by chance would it........you know, we haven't heard from SBL in a long time.:facepalm:

ROTFLMAO!

 

[Lager]

It sank for a reason and looks like a whole lotta trouble to get it up. Think of as an inshore reef.

 

[ronward]

A 14' glass boat would definitely need a motor. If it doesn't have one on it then it was deliberately removed, as were the registration numbers. Sounds to me like the boat was in bad need of repairs and the owner stripped it and intentionally sank it to avoid disposal cost and hassle. The motor is happily hanging on a better transom that is attached to a better boat that is most likely proudly bearing the registration numbers of the sunken boat. I agree with most... if you raise it and then re-sink it you will probably be looking at some fines if someone reports you.

 

[Bubbasboat]

If you can identify it with an an HIN, Research it legally before you investigate it physically. Sounds like a fun adventure though. Good luck!