Sunken Cuddy Cabin Recovery in Hialeah

Thompson built the 21 ft Thompson 21 cuddy cabin with a stern drive, and this one had no outdrive, which is how the water kept getting in. The boat finally settled in its slip, deck awash, bow pointing up, wedged between two intact neighbors.

Slip work is its own kind of tight. The marina office wanted the neighbors' lines left alone, and the Thompson held a small fuel tank that still smelled of gas. The crew sealed the transom opening with a plywood plate, then ran portable pumps for an hour while a second hand watched the lines on both sides.

The sunken boat recovery took about three hours. We refloated her, rafted her out of the slip, and moved her by tow to the hoist. From there a repair yard near Country Walk took her. Salvage made sense here, since a new transom plate and a drive beat a new hull, and the owner chose to keep the boat.