How to dispose responsibly of an old boat?

Dispose Responsibly of Your Boat

It is a rare club meeting or marina encounter where you wouldn't hear complaints about the built quality of the modern 'mass-market' sailing boats. The GRP layup is thin, the boats are benty, and keels drop off. 

In 'our times' the boats were stronger, sailors more experienced and only true adventurers were out at sea. Most of it is very true indeed, and the sun was brighter in those days as well, of course. 

Boats are money pits, we all know, but they also impose responsibilities, which we only too often forget about.

But speaking seriously, some of us did thank not once the old heavy built boats in adverse conditions where our lives were at stake: waves crashing on the deck, or the keel hitting a rock, or just somebody speedy smashing in our port side. We cared for the boats for years and years on. However even those quality GRP boats of the 60s, 70s and early 80s do come eventually to the end of their life. Not because they are not safe anymore to sail, not because of their diminishing seaworthiness, but for purely economical reasons: the market offers similar boats in a better condition for less of monies than we would spend restoring our beloved old friend. 

And however sad the moment is, many do face the necessity of disposing of the old boat. How to dispose of a vessel responsibly and economically?

The seamingly easiest option is to find an enthusiast who would undertake the care and restoration of the boat. There are still people out there enjoying and being capable of good craftmanship, and having time for that. We can help you already at this stage, providing a kind of specialised brokerage services looking for a new owner through our vast connections with boat lovers.

The second simplest (or is this the first?) way is just to leave the boat on a mooring, just lying there... The time will come and the council will remove it, maybe. Since the ownership registration is not mandatory in the UK, nobody will ever find you. However simple, this method is not exactly what we would call a responsible one.

Finally, if the two previous ones didn't work, you can turn to professional help for disposal of your boat. Unlike many other companies offering their help, MaRec Boat Disposal offers you the greenest possible way of parting with your craft. We operate Zero to Landfill policy, not sending GRP or any other remnants of a vessel to landfills. Instead we first try to find for your vessel a new owner through our net of boatlovers. If that does not help, we strip the boat of all the reusable items helping to cut the final cost, and prepare the hull and decks for usage in Waste to Energy plants to produce green energy.

We also promise to match the price of any other established boat breaker. See our dedicated website Responsible Boat Disposal.