Mud Bay Salvage

A long-neglected boat (see photo) drifted in on an overnight high tide late last month beaching itself on the spit in front of my neighbor’s property. At first I was excited as it would be great to have a rowboat for exploring Mud Bay and nearby Dyes Inlet. In checking around I learned that it is customary to wait a month before claiming a small derelict vessel. But a close examination of the hull shows that I probably don’t need to wait that long. In fact it’s unlikely the owner will ever mount a search for it. Now I’m trying to decide if I should patch the leaks or haul it to the dump.

The boat came with about as much information as a stray dog. It’s a 12-foot rowboat with three seats (two of which are missing), white with a green interior. There’s no name plate or serial number, so I have no idea what company manufactured it or when. It was registered at one point and still bears an almost-complete Washington boat number. I considered requesting information about the owner from the state DOL. But the one missing character is a letter not a number, and with 26 possible combinations I figured a title search would be a dead end. At this point my first choice is that someone will claim it.

I have done some amateur fiberglass repairs in the past on the old Livingston K and I bought for Treasure Island. But this boat isn’t a Livingston and instead has a resin-covered molded-foam hull. Years of exposure to ultraviolet light have caused the resin to weaken, and there are some serious gouges in the foam. Someone had a go at fixing the most serious leaks on the keel years ago, but even those repairs need to be revisited because of the abuse the keel has gotten when it was dragged across rocky beaches.

I would need to grind off the old repairs, patch the foam, apply new glass and resin, and hope for the best. Plus replace the seats and figure out why the drain plug leaks. I estimate it would take at least $100 in materials plus hours of work to fix the boat. Even if I could make it seaworthy, it would still look like it does now, minus the green slime on the hull.

Besides, I have my eye on a Walker Bay dinghy. They are overpriced of course like any new boat or vehicle, but I got some birthday money last week that would help pay for one. WB dinghies come with an extendible wheel in the keel, making them far easier to move at low tide especially for one person. Both the 8- and 10-foot models can be converted to sailboats with a special add-on kit.

I plan to check them out at West Marine in Bremerton later in the week.