Boats & marine
Boat Refloating
Grounded or swamped, back on the water without a wrecker.
Grounded or swamped, back on the water without a wrecker. Not every boat in trouble needs to be scrapped. Refloating gets a grounded, swamped, or listing boat stable and floating again so it can be moved to a lift or a repair yard. Pumps, lift bags, and careful hull handling.
This page covers everything that goes into boat refloating: what we handle, how a job runs, what it takes, and the honest limits. Pick your state at the bottom for local rules and city pages, or send photos now and skip straight to the on-site estimate.
- Licensed & insured
- Free on-site estimate
- Same-week scheduling
- Donate & recycle first
- Boats, RVs & oversized loads
- 20 states covered
What people search
"Boat refloating near me" and the other ways people find us
Whether you searched "boat refloating your city", "refloat a boat", "grounded boat recovery" and "swamped boat pump out", you ended up here because the job is bigger than a trip to the dump. That is exactly what we are built for.
What we handle
Boat Refloating in your area: what we take
Boat refloating in your area covers more than most people expect. If it is on this list, we have done it, and if it is not, ask anyway.
- 01
Grounded boats after storms or low tide
Boats pushed onto sandbars, shorelines, and seawalls by storms or low water.
- 02
Swamped hulls at the dock
Rain-filled or leaking hulls that are sitting low but not on the bottom.
- 03
Listing boats with water intrusion
Boats taking on water that need pumping and a tow before they go under.
- 04
Tow to ramp, lift, or repair yard
Delivery to wherever it needs to go next.
- 05
Post-storm recovery for marinas
Multiple-vessel refloating for marinas after a storm.
How it works
How boat refloating works in your area
From "can you take this?" to "it's gone" is usually one visit. This is the order it happens in.
- 01
Assess
Location, water depth, hull condition, and tide. We decide between pumps, lift bags, or a straight pull.
- 02
Stabilize
Lines set, water pumped, hull patched or bagged where needed.
- 03
Refloat
Controlled, on the right tide, without dragging the hull over the bottom.
- 04
Deliver
Towed to the ramp, the lift, or the yard, or removed entirely if that is the plan.
Why now
Why your area stops putting it off
Nobody schedules boat refloating for fun. These are the reasons your area homeowners finally pick up the phone.
- A boat taking on water today is a sunken boat recovery tomorrow.
- Grounded hulls grind against the bottom with every wave.
- Insurance claims go smoother when the boat is recovered quickly and documented.
- Demand peaks in spring and after storms, and the calendar fills fastest in the weeks around them.
From the truck
Real jobs, real crews.
- Stabilized and floating
Lifted for transport
Swamped at the dock
Barge and excavator salvage
Cabin cruiser loaded and leaving
Driveway pickup, trailer included
Straight talk
What boat refloating does not include
A few things we will tell you up front, because you would rather hear them now than on the day.
- We refloat and move boats. We do not repair them.
- Some hulls are too far gone to save, and we will tell you that on site rather than charge you for a refloat that does not hold.
Sound familiar?
Common boat refloating situations in your area
If one of these sounds like your your area situation, you are in the right place. If it does not, we still want to hear about it.
- 01
Aground after the storm
The surge put the boat on the seawall or the neighbor's lawn, and it needs to go back in the water without cracking the hull.
- 02
Sitting low at the dock
Rain-filled and listing, but not under yet. A pump-out and a tow to the lift solves it today.
- 03
Low water stranding
The lake dropped and the boat is on the bottom at the dock. It needs to be floated and moved to deeper water.
- 04
Post-storm marina cleanup
Several boats pushed onto the shore and stacked against each other, each needing a controlled refloat.
Afterward
Where boat refloating material from your area ends up
"Where does it go?" is the right question to ask any removal company. This is our answer for your area.
- 01
Fuel, oil, and batteries
Fluids are drained and batteries removed before the hull moves, and both go to certified facilities.
- 02
Motors and hardware
Outboards, stern drives, winches, and stainless hardware are recovered for salvage or scrap.
- 03
Hull breakdown
Fiberglass hulls are cut down and disposed of at a facility that accepts them. Aluminum hulls are recycled as scrap.
- 04
Trailers
Working trailers are reused or resold; rusted-out frames go to scrap.
Choosing a company
What to ask any boat refloating company
Ask us these. Ask the other companies too. The answers separate a licensed removal company from an unlicensed one.
- 01
Do they own a boat trailer rated for your hull?
A landscaper's trailer and a ratchet strap is how boats end up on the highway shoulder. Ask what they are bringing.
- 02
Do they handle the title paperwork?
Untitled and abandoned vessels need a state release. If they have not done one, you will be doing it yourself.
- 03
What happens to fuel, oil, and batteries?
The honest answer involves a certified facility. Any other answer is a red flag.
- 04
Can they work at a marina?
Dockmasters have rules and insurance requirements. Ask whether they have worked one before.
Equipment
What boat refloating in your area takes
The reason this job gets turned down by other companies is usually equipment. This is what we bring to your area.
- 01
Marine-rated straps
Hulls are strapped, not chained, and supported where the hull is meant to be supported.
- 02
Trailers rated for the load
Bunk, roller, and keel-capable trailers for boats of different hull types and sizes.
- 03
Winches, pumps, and lift bags
For boats with no trailer, boats in the water, and boats that are half under it.
How long it takes
How long boat refloating takes in your area
The on-site part is shorter than the months spent putting it off. Rough times for a typical job:
- 01
Boat on a trailer
Hitch and go. Under an hour once the paperwork is in hand.
- 02
Boat with no trailer
A few hours to winch and secure, longer if the yard is tight.
- 03
Boat in the water
Half a day for a ramp pull or lift, more for a swamped or sunk hull.
Before we arrive
How to prepare for boat refloating in your area
You do not need to do much before a boat refloating crew arrives in your area, but three small things make the day go faster.
- Note the tide or water level trend so we can time the job.
- Do not run the engine or try to pull it with a vehicle; hulls crack that way.
- Tell us where it should go afterward: ramp, lift, or repair yard.
Where we do this
Boat Refloating by state
Local rules, disposal facilities, and paperwork differ by state. Each state page explains them, lists every city we serve there, and links to a boat refloating page for each of those cities.
- Boat refloating in Washington →
- Boat refloating in Oregon →
- Boat refloating in California →
- Boat refloating in Texas →
- Boat refloating in Minnesota →
- Boat refloating in Louisiana →
- Boat refloating in Tennessee →
- Boat refloating in Georgia →
- Boat refloating in Florida →
- Boat refloating in South Carolina →
- Boat refloating in North Carolina →
- Boat refloating in Virginia →
- Boat refloating in Ohio →
- Boat refloating in Pennsylvania →
- Boat refloating in New York →
- Boat refloating in Massachusetts →
- Boat refloating in Maryland →
Questions we get
Boat Refloating: straight answers
Is refloating cheaper than removal?
Usually, when the hull is sound. We assess on site and tell you honestly which makes sense.
Do you repair boats?
No. We get it floating and moved. Your yard handles repairs.
Do you offer same-day boat refloating?
Often. Call early in the day for the best chance at a same-day window, and ask for the first open window if today is full. Next-day is almost always available.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. General liability and auto coverage on every job, and a certificate of insurance emailed on request before the crew arrives.
Do I need to be home?
Only for the estimate, and even that can happen by phone or text with photos from the crew. Property managers and out-of-town owners do it this way every week.
Can you get it out of a tight spot?
Usually. Boats boxed in by fences, docks, or other boats are winched or lifted rather than dragged. Send a photo of the access and we plan it before the day.
What if the weather is bad on the day?
Rain does not stop most jobs. Lightning, ice, and high wind do, especially for boat lifts and tow work. If we have to move your window we tell you as early as we can and reschedule at no charge.
How do I set up boat refloating?
Send a few photos through the estimate form or by text, with your zip code. We confirm what we can take, schedule the free on-site estimate, and nothing is loaded until you say yes.
Next step
Set up boat refloating
Photos plus a zip code is all it takes. We reply within business hours, and nothing moves until you approve it on site.
Internal links
Boat refloating, city by city
Free estimate
Need boat refloating?
Send a few details and we come back with the first open window. No obligation, and nothing moves until you say yes on site.
Monday to Saturday: 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM · Sunday: By appointment