“How do I sign off on a vessel that blew into my yard?” That was the first thing the property owner asked me after a January storm left a sixteen-foot mahogany utility boat sitting upside down in his hedge. The non-running boat did not belong to him, so before our crew moved a single twig, we helped him establish who had the legal right to let it go. He signed the release of liability, and we set to work.
The hull sat wedged deep in broken pine and privet branches, ice locking the wood into the mud. A rotten fuel line had leaked across the floorboards, so our crew checked for hazardous fluids before we touched a tool. The engine had not turned over in years. We cleared the crushed limbs, rolled the hull upright, blocked it, and slid our trailer underneath. When a trailer sits in snow, the leaf springs like to bind, but a little grease got the frame flexing enough to winch the heavy wood aboard.
We took the boat down to a facility equipped for proper disposal. Salvaged hardware and anything reusable went to folks who restore old wooden craft, and the rest was disposed of properly. The neighbor got his yard back without a scratch on his fence. If you have derelict vessels sitting anywhere in Lowell or Middlesex County, call All Star Hauling at 978-933-7022.
What fifteen years of boat storage taught me
Typically, we see deep cold lock up wheel bearings and turn water inside a hull into solid ice, adding hundreds of pounds to the load. To help us give an honest upfront estimate before we hitch up, clear photos of the hull, the boat trailers, and the path out to the street are essential. They show us if the tires hold air and whether the tow rig can back straight up to the vessel.
Lowell boat pickup, the short version
| Job | Boat removal and disposal |
|---|---|
| Boat | 2002 mahogany utility boat, about 16 feet |
| Where it sat | Tossed into a neighbor’s hedge by a storm |
| Who called | A homeowner after a storm put a stranger’s boat in the hedge |
| What was wrong | An engine that had not turned over in years and a fuel line cracked through |
| Estimate | Free estimate before the date was set |
| Paperwork | Release of liability kept by the owner |
| Area | Middlesex County, MA |
Shown as an example of our boat removal work in Middlesex County; not a specific job record. Photos are illustrative only.
Cost questions from Lowell, MA owners
Is boat removal free?
No. Boat removal involves specialized haulers, fuel, labor, and gate fees at the disposal yard. We provide a free estimate based on the size of your vessel, its location, and how hard it is to reach. Our minimum service charge starts at $400 for a basic pickup.
How do I get rid of my boat?
Call us at 978-933-7022 to start the boat removal process. Send a few pictures of the boat and trailer. Our licensed and insured crew handles the boat removal services from your driveway, yard, or dock, taking care of the entire haul away and recycling process.
From storage lots to docks in Middlesex County
We pick up boats across Middlesex County, in Framingham, Marlborough, Newton and Waltham. Freezing rain and heavy snowfall in a Massachusetts winter make a fiberglass hull or a sailboat brittle, while a pontoon sitting on wet soil sinks fast. Winter weather turns simple yard haulers into heavy winch work, but our junk removal crew handles the heavy pulling safely.
Call 978-933-7022 with the boat’s size, where it sits and whether it has a trailer, and we’ll take it from there in Lowell.