A side gate four feet wide and sixty feet of soggy lawn sat between the driveway and the back corner of a home in South San Francisco. A homeowner called us because her 1990 mahogany utility boat had been sitting on wood blocks for years, taking up the only sunny patch of grass she wanted to turn into a vegetable garden. The varnish had baked off, the plank joints had gaped wide open, and the trailer that brought it here was long gone.
Getting a seventeen-foot wooden vessel out of a wet yard takes a plan. After the property owner signed the release of liability online during booking, we handled the DMV registration paperwork and bill of sale for the titleless boat. Our crew brought out plywood sheets to lay across the grass so the trailer tires would not sink into the soft lawn. We rolled the boat onto padded blocks, backed our trailer down the path, and winch-slid the hull smoothly onto our bunk skids without digging up her yard.
We drained the gas tank and pulled the remaining metal hardware for recycling before taking the broken hull to an approved disposal facility that takes derelict wood vessels. We swept the corner clean of dry rot debris, leaving a flat patch of dirt ready for tomato plants. If you have an unwanted boat taking up space in San Mateo County, call 866-994-1769.
How our boat removal process really starts
Usually, we inspect every vessel for remaining fuel or oil before any dismantling begins. Having the release of liability signed before our crew touches the boat protects the property owner the moment the hull shifts off its stands. Sunken hulls or custom wood builds each carry different weight, which is why size and condition change our boat removal process.
What this boat removal in South San Francisco, CA involved
| Job | Removal, recycling and disposal |
|---|---|
| Boat | 1990 mahogany utility boat, about 17 feet |
| Where it sat | On jack stands in a back corner of the yard, no trailer under it |
| Who called | A homeowner who wanted the side yard back for a garden |
| What was wrong | Planks shrunk apart and the varnish gone gray |
| Estimate | Estimate agreed before booking |
| Paperwork | Release of liability with the deposit |
| Area | San Mateo County, CA |
This story is an illustrative example of boat removal in San Mateo County, not a record of one customer’s job. Photos are illustrative.
Common boat removal questions in South San Francisco, CA
Do you take the trailer too?
Yes, we take boat trailers with the vessel or by themselves. If the tires are flat or the axle is rusted, our crew uses our own trailer equipment to load the rig safely for proper disposal.
Can you get a boat out of my backyard?
Yes, we remove non-running vessels from backyards, side yards, and waterfront yards. We use ground mats and hand winches to haul boats past tight gates without causing heavy damage to your lawn.
Boat pickup around San Mateo County
We pick up boats across San Mateo County, in Redwood City, Pacifica, San Mateo and Woodside. March storms around the bay turn open hulls into heavy bathtubs, filling dry-rotted wood with rainwater and making prompt junk boat removal necessary before the weight crushes the support blocks.
Start with a free estimate: call 866-994-1769 about the boat in South San Francisco.