Lake Magdalene, FL: 28 ft Bertram 28 Off the Bottom in One Morning

Few boats are heavier to lose than a 28 ft Bertram 28 sportfisher with twin engines dead and the cockpit sole soft. She sat on a mooring all summer, rain pooling in the cockpit and seeping below until she settled by the stern with the bow pointing up.

Weight was the obstacle. Two big engines meant she weighed far more than her length suggests, so the crew used four lift bags instead of the usual two and brought them up in sequence, so the hull never rolled. A drain line kept the engine room clear while she rose. The moment she broke the surface we ran a line from the skiff to the bow and held it taut, so she could not swing.

We worked her in on a slow tow to a ramp near Brandon and loaded her on a lowboy. The engines were seized and the sole was rotted, so nothing justified a salvage. She went to our yard for dismantling and recycling after about six hours of sunken boat removal.