Kingfisher 26 Yacht Recycling in Gosport

Abandoned Kingfisher 26

This abandoned Kingfisher 26 being collected from a boatyard in Gosport marked the end of a long, frustrating ordeal for the facility. The twin-keel yacht, a familiar hull in many UK harbours, had spent months languishing on the hard. She was the subject of numerous attempts by the yard to find a new owner. Unfortunately, every potential buyer turned into a time-waster. Drawn in by the low asking price but deterred by the reality of a boat requiring significant, structural attention.

Damage to the Hull

The core issue lay beneath the waterline. Upon closer inspection, our team determined that the integrity of the keel-to-hull joint was compromised. The boat suffered from what appeared to be structural failure where the twin keels had begun to punch up into the hull itself. In our professional opinion, this made the yacht completely unsafe to sell on to an unsuspecting private buyer. As the cost and complexity of a proper repair would easily exceed the boat’s ultimate value. Let alone the costs to then store the boat ashore whilst the work was done.

Time to Go

Faced with a liability and a space-hogging eyesore, the yard finally made the only sensible decision: disposal. We dispatched our HIAB lorry to the Gosport yard. The crane swiftly and carefully lifted the flawed hull from its chocks and onto the truck. There wasn’t much in the way of salvage to conduct. The boat was too far gone to yield many reusable parts. Her only two items of any note were the tiller and the sprayhood frame. The Kingfisher 26 was subsequently transported away to be responsibly dismantled, ensuring that its structural defect would never pose a danger to a sailor at sea.

If you know of an old boat that has been left abandoned in a boat yard then let them know about our boat disposal option. It helps clear value space for the yard and means the boat won’t be a danger to anyone else.