Sunken Cabin Cruiser Recovery in Homestead

Stored in a barn for decades, the 23 ft Chris-Craft Cavalier cabin cruiser still wore its dust, and a cracked keel strip went unnoticed until she was in the water. It leaked at the seawall until only the cabin roof stood above the surface.

Old wood and old fiberglass do not forgive a rough lift. The crew went slow. Lift bags went under the cabin sole at the keel line, a diver patched the crack with underwater epoxy, and the boat rose in stages over an hour while the water drained.

Neighbors on the canal came out to watch. The whole sunken boat recovery took about four hours. We used a wide strap and a short tow along the seawall and hauled her out of a driveway that suited our trailer. She went to a repair yard north toward Country Walk because the hull was solid and the salvage was worth the work.