Marine Salvage and Boat Breakers in Kent
Boat Breaking Kent
Marine salvage jobs are common this time of year. Especially as coastal marinas and moorings take a battering from the winter storms. Our boat breaking team were once again out on the road. This time we had a marine salvage job to collect a sunken Birchwood 27 from Sheerness in Kent.
We had originally had the call to salvage the stricken Birchwood 27 back in the Autumn of 2021. Our team were told that a boat had been sunk in a storm and then dragged to a nearby slipway. A marine surveyor had visited the boat and decided that she was well beyond economical repair.
Boat Salvage
Our boat salvage team were then sent images of the boat high and dry on the slipway. However one thing the photographer had forgot to mention was the huge barge that was also on the slipway. It was just out of shot in the photo so we didn’t realise it was there until we arrived.
This caused a bit of headache for us as the Hiab truck could not get close enough to the boat to load. We had to go back to the drawing board and the marine salvage operation was put on hold. After discussing with the insurance company it was decided that it would be best to wait until the barge was floated out of the way.
Waterlogged or Smashed
Finally that time came in early 2022 and we were now able to gain access to the slipway. Just like in our original plan the boat was lifted up and away without having to worry about any on site boat breaking. As the boat had been underwater and open to the winter elements for so long there was very little worth removing. It was all either waterlogged or smashed.
It can often be the case with these marine salvage jobs that there is very little to save. We still separate out the woods and metals to be recycled. But we also like to save parts for other boat owners to buy through our Boat Scrapyard Group on Facebook.
If you have an old boat that has been caught in a storm then fill in our Scrap Calculator. One of the team will work out the best price for us to collect and scrap her.
Written By: Luke Edney
Luke completed a journalism degree in Brighton University and fortunately for us uses this in his communications, Facebook posts, Tweets and emails to tell all our enquirers and followers what we are up to. Without Luke we would be lost, he runs the office, keeps us organised and is like a terrier and never lets a tricky boat disposal job go un-photographed or Tweeted about.
He also manages all of our enquiries passing them to whoever in the team is the best suited to deal with it. We are teaching Luke how to drive a motorboat or sail a yacht so while he’s learning we suggest you keep out of the Solent!
When he’s not at work he’s a massive football fan (his Dad used to play for Portsmouth FC years ago) and seems to know everything there is to know about any player, anywhere. Next time you ring and he answers, think of a tricky football trivia question and ask him
Date Published: February 15, 2022
Last Modified: June 28, 2022
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