From the monthly archives:

July 2007

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Florida pays to dispose of derelict boats

by Douglas Gould on July 31, 2007

Two different press releases today about removing derelict boats from Florida waters:

County hauls derelict boats floridatoday.com Serving Brevard County and Florida’s Space Coast

Capt. Kevin Miller of Absolute Marine Towing and salvage is under contract for $275,000 to remove nearly 70 boats from the Indian and Banana rivers, along with the Barge Canal. His work for the county will take him from the Sebastian River to Titusville.

UpdateFlorida: Project to clear waterways

Brevard County recently awarded the $275,000 job to Melbourne-based Absolute Marine Towing and Salvage Inc., which will start the project in late June or early July, pending approval from commissioners.

A $200,000 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission grant and FEMA reimbursements will cover the contract cost. The county is expected to contribute about $30,000 in matching funds, including the cost of monitoring the project.

Ranging from a 131/2-foot sailboat to a 72-foot yacht, the boats were declared “derelict vessels” after owners couldn’t be identified or found

If the boats range from 13.5′ to 72′, would it be safe to say that the average is 40′? Lets see, 70 boats divided by $275,000 comes to $3928 per boat; an average of almost $100/foot. If you have some derelict disposal work in your area, now you have a general price range that your state and federal authorities might consider fair. I used to charge $100/ft to strip old derelicts and have them trucked to the county dump.

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Boat America Corporation sold to Berkshire Hathaway

by Douglas Gould on July 25, 2007

Boat America Corporation sold to Berkshire Hathaway

I’m not sure there is anything to add to this news. But, I do claim my blog is “news, notes and commentary about the towing and salvage industry”, so I would be remiss if I didn’t at least note this as a news item.

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Vetch & Release

The two major national membership comanies, BOAT/US and Sea Tow, have engaged in a little “tit for tat” this month. Am I the only one who hears a banjo and a guitar playing as I read these “dueling press releases”? It all began with this release on July 11, which began with this statement: Contrary [...]

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July 22, 2007 Read the full article →

Heavy Lifting

How much does that 10,000 pound keel weigh? Divers know that the answer begs another question: “submerged or dry?” Regardless of how much something weighs on dry land, once it is submerged, it is displacing water, and because water gets denser as it gets deeper, a displacement of water by any object, no matter how [...]

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July 18, 2007 Read the full article →

24′ Diesel RIB on Ebay

If you’re looking for an extra towboat, this 24′ RIB caught my eye. Built to Mil-specs, a 24′ RIB with a Cummins 6BT is pretty rare. Hurry, auction ends soon… http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Military-Spec-Rigid-Inflatable_W0QQitemZ150141273337QQihZ005QQcategoryZ31271QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

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July 16, 2007 Read the full article →

Barnacle-busting technology

This story was first brought to my attention by Dave Delano (TowBoat/US San Franscico Bay/Delta). Barnacle-busting paint makes ships’ voyages greener World The Observer Not only does this sound like a promising new bottom treatment, but I want to know how get some of the company’s stock….

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July 6, 2007 Read the full article →