The homeowner in Palo Alto called because she wanted her side yard back for a vegetable garden. An 18 foot mahogany utility boat sat on a flat-tire trailer behind a locked wooden gate, right where it had been parked after its last trip years ago. The space was long, narrow, and sun-shaded, but the vessel took up every square foot of soil where she planned to put her raised beds.
When our crew unlocked the gate, we found a cracked battery leaking acid into the tray and several gallons of old gasoline in the bilge that smelled like varnish. The hull wood was soft along the keel. Her paperwork sat in a shoebox in the garage, so we went through the title documents together until the release of liability was signed. The real headache was overhead. A service line hung low across the driveway, leaving no room to back a full-size tilt trailer under the stern. We used our own low-profile rig, winched the boat off its rotten tires, and kept two men watching the roof cleared the wire.
We checked for hazardous fluids before hauling the junk boat out of the neighborhood. Good brass fittings and hardware went to a salvage pile for recycling the metal, and the hull went to a licensed regional facility for disposal. The side gate is clear now, ready for topsoil. If you have an unwanted vessel sitting in Palo Alto or Santa Clara County, call us at 866-994-1769.
What I check first on every boat
Typically, we see rainwater settle inside an open hull until the trailer springs drop down to the bump stops. Waterlogged wood weighs almost double its dry weight, which changes how we lift a non-running vessel. Aluminum hardware, cleat hardware, and stainless rails go to scrap metal buyers, while clean lead keels or intact propellers are picked for salvage. Synthetic decks, foam, and broken fiberglass hull sections head straight to the proper disposal site.
Our Palo Alto boat job on one page
| Job | Boat and trailer pickup |
|---|---|
| Boat | 2002 mahogany utility boat, about 18 feet |
| Where it sat | On a trailer along the side of a house, behind a locked gate |
| Who called | A homeowner who wanted the side yard back for a garden |
| What was wrong | An old battery leaking and fuel in the bilge that smelled like varnish |
| Estimate | Free estimate, photos helped |
| Paperwork | Signed release of liability |
| Area | Santa Clara County, CA |
We tell this as a typical Santa Clara County boat removal, not as a customer’s actual record. Photos are illustrations.
Boat removal pricing questions in Palo Alto
Do you handle hurricane-damaged boats?
Yes. Our crew handles storm-damaged and crushed vessels, including sunken hulls at a dock or waterfront, or those washed onto a yard. We check for hazardous fluids, drain the tanks, load the wreck onto our trailer, and pull it away for proper disposal.
How much does boat removal cost in Palo Alto?
We charge a $400 minimum service charge for boat removal in Palo Alto. The boat removal process pricing depends on the size of the boat, where it sits, how hard it is to reach, its condition, and whether it has to be cut up. We give you an accurate estimate up front if you send us a few photos.
Junk boat removal around Palo Alto, CA
We pick up boats across Santa Clara County, in San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and Gilroy. January storms flood open hulls fast here, filling the bilge until the boat trailer sinks into lawn mud. That extra water weight makes it harder to tow the boat out before winter ends.
Send a few photos or call 866-994-1769, and we will price your boat removal in Palo Alto.