FloridaValrico, Hillsborough County
Valrico, FL: 21 ft Thompson 21 Off the Bottom in One Morning
Nobody ever put the outdrive back on the 21 ft Thompson 21. The hole in the transom had been plugged with a plank and a lot of sealant. At the public ramp, she sat with the gunwales level with the water, a cuddy cabin full to the berths.
The obstacle was the open transom. Lift bags alone would not hold her if water kept pouring in. So the crew fit a patch over the hole from the skiff, then rigged the bags under the gunwales. She floated within two hours. We tied her off and let her drain.
She came to the trailer on a short tow. With no drive, a worn hull, and a patched transom, there was no salvage and no point rebuilding. She rode out toward Brandon to our yard for dismantling and recycling. Sunken boat recovery here took about three hours on site, and the ramp was open for the next launch.
Case summary
Illustrative example — a representative sunken boat recovery in Hillsborough County, not a record of a specific customer job. Photos are illustrative too.
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Crews cover Hillsborough County: Apollo Beach, Bloomingdale, Brandon, and Cheval. When a boat goes under in Valrico, photos and a rough depth are usually enough to plan the job, and most recoveries here are scheduled within the same week. The lift bags, the skiff, and the trailer all ride in with us, which saves the owner from calling around for separate help. Email or text us the pictures, and we will explain what lifting it takes.