The storage facility owner in Methuen emailed us three phone pictures of a 2002 walkaround fishing boat. The pictures made the 25-foot hull look decent enough, but they missed how the transom had pulled clean away from the stringers, or how water had rotted soft spots right through the deck. January in Essex County means whatever water sits in a deck freeze-thaws until the wood turns to wet cardboard. The renter had walked away months ago, leaving the yard owner with an unpaid stall and a derelict boat.
Getting it out was a spatial puzzle. The storage aisle was barely wider than our trailer, with zero room to swing a truck around. Before we hooked anything up, we checked for hazardous fluids and made sure the fuel tank was drained. Our crew used our trailer and power winch to draw the boat out straight into the narrow alley, millimeter by millimeter. I checked the trailer hubs before we touched the highway, because frozen wheel bearings will lock up after two miles of road travel if you do not catch them first.
We brought the boat in for dismantling. The hardware, aluminum, and stainless fittings were stripped so the metal was recycled, while the wrecked fiberglass hull went straight to a disposal facility. The yard owner signed the release of liability when he booked, and we cleared the paperwork using the registration and a bill of sale since the original title was missing. Waterfront property owners or storage operators with unwanted vessels in Methuen can call 978-933-7022.
What I check first on every boat
Usually, we tell people that deep Massachusetts cold turns old hull water into ice blocks that crack fiberglass wide open and weld drum brakes to their backing plates. A junk boat left in a snowdrift always takes extra care to haul safely. Signing the release of liability with the deposit keeps the legal responsibility with the property owner from the start, long before our truck arrives to haul the boat away.
Job summary: boat removal in Methuen
| Job | Junk boat removal |
|---|---|
| Boat | 2002 walkaround fishing boat, about 25 feet |
| Where it sat | In a covered storage space whose renter had stopped paying |
| Who called | A storage facility owner tired of chasing a renter |
| What was wrong | Soft spots across the floor and a transom that had pulled away from the stringers |
| Estimate | Estimate up front, no charge |
| Paperwork | Release of liability kept by the owner |
| Area | Essex County, MA |
An example drawn from the kind of boat jobs we do in Essex County; it is not a specific customer’s job. The pictures are illustrative.
Boat owners in Methuen, MA often ask
Can you remove a boat that is in the water?
Yes, we handle boat removal for floating vessels, non-running craft, and sunken or partially submerged boats at a marina or private dock. Our crew uses specialized gear to raise or secure the vessel, pull it to a ramp, and haul it away for responsible disposal.
Do you handle hurricane-damaged boats?
Yes, our boat removal services cover storm-damaged craft, smashed pontoons, and battered hulls stranded on shore or crushed in storage yards. We inspect the hull structure, clear any hazardous fluids safely, load the debris onto our trailer, and haul everything to a proper disposal site.
Boats we pick up across Essex County, MA
We pick up boats across Essex County, in Haverhill, Gloucester, Peabody and Beverly. Winter storms and heavy snow pack down inside exposed hulls, adding hundreds of extra pounds of ice that make an old boat top-heavy and hard to lift off blocks. Our boat removal process accounts for frozen ground and slick access roads during winter jobs.
For boat removal and disposal in Methuen, call 978-933-7022 or ask for an estimate online.