Sunken Sailboat Recovery in Ocoee

Soft deck core around every stanchion was the story on this 26 ft Pearson 26 sailboat, and the owner had known about it for years. Rain found those stanchion holes, the cabin filled a little each week, and one night she let go at her lake dock, deck awash and bow slightly up.

The obstacle was the dock itself. The mast was still standing, the dock roof was low, and there was no room to bring a crane over her. So we ran two bow lines to the pilings to keep her from rolling and sent a diver under the bilge to set the lift bags by feel.

The cabin emptied as she rose, and after about five hours, she floated on her own lines. This was sunken boat removal at its most patient. A slow tow brought her to the launch, and a truck carried her to our yard near Apopka. Wet core is not worth rebuilding, so she was dismantled and recycled, and the lead keel went out as salvage.