Damaged Yacht Tender Transported Safely and Efficiently

In the business of marine towing and salvage, it becomes more apparent each and every day that no two cases are alike. Captains and salvors are always dealing with boats that have vastly different characteristics, as well as wind, wave and current conditions that are constantly changing. It was no surprise at all when TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale received a call for what seemed like another run of the mill towing job, that it turned out to be anything but!

A rigid hulled inflatable tender had broken free from a yacht while moored in the Southern Bahamas. She washed up on a rocky shore and was getting beaten by waves. The crew hired a few local Bahamians armed with “island know how” and persistence to free the stranded vessel from her peril. The tender was delivered back to the yacht and loaded on board with substantial damage to the tubes and hull. The yacht arrived back in Ft. Lauderdale and offloaded the wreckage to the dock at the owner’s residence. This is where TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale was called to live up to their reputation of Solving Complex Marine Problems. A newly acquired asset aptly named Endurance was called on for the task.  She is a 30’ self propelled aluminum deck boat and a perfect fit for the job. The damaged vessel could not be removed by land due to restrictions in the size of the side lot and gates at the residence. The extent of her damage made the prospect of splashing and towing her impossible. As a result, a clever method was employed to transfer the vessel and her motor to the deck of Endurance. The crew maneuvered the bow of Endurance to the seawall at just the right tide level and plywood was used to make a ramp linking the seawall to the deck of the boat. Come-Alongs were used to slowly reposition the boat from the owner’s back yard to the deck of Endurance. Crew members then carefully transferred the motor by hand. Once secure on deck, the crew steamed to the company’s dock in Dania Beach where the load was picked using the Deck Crane of the Richard L. Becker onto a waiting trailer. The distressed vessel was transported over the road to TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale’s 10,000 square foot warehouse where it was offered for sale by a representative of the insurance company and later loaded on the new owner’s trailer.

TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale Prides themselves in Solving Complex Marine Problems and has been doing so since 1989.