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BOAT SALVAGE & TOWING

Red Cap Marine has over 40,000 lbs of lift bag capacity (with more available) & has salvaged powerboats & sailboats up to 55' length in Lake Champlain. We have also salvaged vehicles from various lakes & rivers, including ice recovery.

Our 24' 300hp work boat is available for rapid-response emergency towing & salvage, as well as scheduled non-emergency towing.

We are a towing provider for GEICO/BoatUS, Progressive Insurance, & other insurance services.

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We have several hundred feet of containment boom available to deploy immediately & have worked with the VT Dept of Environmental Conservation on fuel & oil spill management.

Recent salvage/refloat jobs:

2024

  • Chaparral 204 SSI powerboat hard aground at Valcour Island NY

  • Four Winns 220 hard aground at South Cove, VT

  • Sea Ray Sundeck 210 partially sunk on mooring, Malletts Bay

  • 21' Sea Ray ski boat hard aground at Bartlett Bay, VT

  • 5000# RGC canopy collapsed/wrecked boat lift, Malletts Bay

  • Floe alumnium deck docks wrecked in Malletts Bay

  • MB 21 ski boat sunk to 75' depth, Harriman Reservoir, VT

  • 5000# Floe boat lift & 5 sections dock wrecked & sunk, Maquam Shore 

  • 4 sections heavy steel frame dock wrecked & sunk, South Hero broad lake 

  • Lanser 29 sailboat soft grounding, Burlington Bay

  • C&C 38 sailboat hard aground, Shelburne Bay

  • Four Winns 240 Horizon hard aground, Georgia Shore

  • Barletta Cabrio UC24 pontoon boat with wrecked sea legs, Georgia Shore

  • Four Winns 274 partially sunk on a wrecked boat lift, Corlear Bay NY

  • 1957 17' Chris Craft sunk at a dock, Lake Memphremagog Newport VT

  • 10 sections aluminum dock wrecked & sunk, South Hero 

  • North American C-19 turtled & partially sunk, South Hero west shore

  • Seabreeze 210 pontoon boat flipped upside down, Colchester Point

  • Glastron 17.5 hard aground, Isle La Motte east shore

  • Cobalt 220 bowrider swamped & partially sunk, Maquam Shore

  • Four Winns Horizon 180 swamped & partially sunk, North Hero east shoreline

  • Wellcraft 250 Sportsman hard aground, Cooper Bay Grand Isle

  • Grady-White Fisherman 236 hard aground, South Hero west shore

  • Four Winns 200 hard aground near Robinson Point, Outer Malletts Bay

  • C&C 27' sailboat hard aground north shoreline of Inner Malletts Bay

  • 36' Hunter sailboat hard aground at Shelburne Point Reef

  • Playbuoy Marquise 24' pontoon boat hard aground & partially sunk, Valcour Is.

  • Pro Line 21' hard top sunk at a mooring, Isle La Motte west shore

  • SeaDoo 180 Challenger aground at North Beach, Burlington VT

  • 25' O'Day sailboat soft grounding, Crescent Bay South Hero VT

  • 25' O'Day hard aground, Isle La Motte VT

  • 21' Tigé ski boat sunk in Lake Bomoseen, VT

  • 18' Four Winns Horizon hard aground, Milton VT

  • 21' Stratos XL bass boat capsized & mostly sunk, Chazy NY

  • 18' Lund fishing boat hard aground, Four Brothers Islands

2023

  • 26' Pearson sailboat hard aground, Shelburne Bay

  • 24' Stingray soft grounding & taking on water south of Clay Point

  • 32' Carver soft grounding at the Lamoille River mouth

  • 44' Sea Ray sinking with massive bow damage in Outer Malletts Bay

  • 48' custom sailboat turtled/swamped & missing keel in Shelburne Bay

  • 19' center console, swamped & turtled in Burlington Bay

  • 22' C-Hawk sunk at a dock, Cedar Island

  • 18' Sea Ray with severe hull damage, Maquam Shore

  • Cal 39 hard aground on Lone Rock Point / Appletree Bay

  • 21' Sea Ray Sundeck sunk at a dock, Shelburne Bay

  • 23' Seaswirl sunk on a mooring, Willsboro Point NY

  • 42' custom cruiser hard aground at Rouses Point pier, NY

  • 25' Donzi capsized & sunk at Spaulding E. Shore, Colchester

  • 20' Regal hard aground at Crescent Bay, South Hero

  • Sea-Doo jetskis (2) beached near Barney Point, Colchester

  • 23' Sea Ray sunk off Starr Farm, Colchester

  • 20' Sea-Doo Utopia jetboat sinking off Hyde Point, Grand Isle

  • 22' Gloucester sailboat hit by lightning & sunk in Bridport, VT

  • 38' Regal Grande Coupe beached at Crescent Bay South Hero

  • 20' Rinker sunk in Corlear Bay, NY

  • 41' Sea Ray hard aground at Burton Island Reef

  • 29' Sea Ray beached at Appletree Bay, Colchester

  • 24' Cape Dory sailboat beached off E Lakeshore Dr, Colchester

  • 19' Yamaha jetboat beached high & dry on Colchester Point

  • 22' Pro-Line partially sunk at a dock in Keelers Bay

  • 26' Sea Ray soft grounding near Thayer Beach, Colchester

  • 17' bass boat swamped at Rt 78 bridge access ramp, Swanton

  • 34' Sea Ray hard aground on the reef off Marble Island Marina

  • Honda CR-V sunk in the Winooski River

  • 19' powerboat swamped & wrecked against the Sandbar causeway

  • Polaris Ranger 1000 UTV through the ice in Swanton near Sandy Pt.

  • Polaris Ranger 1000 UTV through the ice in Keelers Bay

  • CanAm 650 ATV through the ice at Woods Is, west of St. Albans.

2022

  • 38' Hallberg-Rassy sailboat sunk & broke apart, Red Rocks Point

  • 21' MacGregor sailboat sunk on a mooring, Isle La Motte

  • 18' Boston Whaler Ventura hard aground, Outer Malletts Bay

  • 31' Four Winns aground at customer slip, Apple Island Marina

  • 31' Four Winns aground at Savage Island

  • 21' Sea-Doo Challenger beached at North Beach, Burlington

  • 27' Dufour sailboat soft grounding SW of the Cut, South Hero

  • 26' Pearson hard aground on Allen Point reef, South Hero

  • 24' sailboat hard aground on Allen Point reef, South Hero

  • 36' J/111 hard grounding on Crab Island reef, NY

  • 1960 Chris Craft sunk west shore of Grand Isle

  • 55' Carver Marquis hard aground on Rocky Point reef, NY

  • Beneteau 311 hard grounding on Jackson Point reef, South Hero

  • 39' Mainship hard aground with severe rudder damage, Otter Creek

  • 18' Bayliner Capris sunk in Paradise Bay Grand Isle

  • 21' Skeeter bass boat soft grounding at Mississquoi River mouth

  • 41' Gulfstar ketch soft grounding SW of the Cut, South Hero

  • 32' Catalina hard aground in Shelburne Bay

  • 21' bass boat soft grounding at Rt 2 Sandbar bridge shallows, South Hero

  • 32' Catalina hard aground in Shelburne Bay

  • 27' Ranger Tug aground at Crescent Bay, South Hero

  • 18' bass boat washed ashore in Alburgh

  • 20' Sun Chaser pontoon boat w/ sea legs, flipped upside down, Alburgh

  • 32' Beneteau with heavily compromised keel/hull joint, Otter Creek

  • Sea-Doo RXT jet ski sunk with cracked hull, Malletts Bay

  • 20' jet boat sinking at the Malletts Bay boat ramp

  • 19' Sea Pro sunk on a mooring in Corlear Bay, NY

  • 24' Regal Valanti sunk on a mooring in Turtle Bay, South Hero

  • J/24 sunk at 85' depth near Beer Can Island

  • Sport Craft 240 sunk on a mooring near Bayside Park, Colchester

  • Jeep Gladiator through the ice off Missisquoi River mouth

2021

  • 27' Pacific Seacraft Orion sailboat hard aground NW of Valcour Island

  • 36' Tartan sailboat hard aground on Colchester Shoal

  • 24' Cobalt bowrider sunk on a mooring in Shelburne Bay

  • 22' Cobalt bowrider sunk on a mooring in Appletree Bay

  • 34' Silverton Express beached in Cumberland Bay, NY

  • 21' bass boats stuck on Sandbar bridge shallows (4 of 'em & counting)

  • Sea-Doo sunk & pinned under dock, Grand Isle

  • Cal 39 sailboat aground, west shore of Schuyler Island

  • 19' bass boat swamped with hull damage, Grand Isle

  • 25' Chaparral w/ hull damaged by breakwater at McGregor Point, Alburgh

  • 19' Rhodes sailboat sunk in Converse Bay

  • 24' South Bay pontoon boat hard aground in South Hero

  • Cobalt 282, sunk at a marina dock in Keelers Bay

  • 34' Hunter hard aground on Colchester Shoal

  • 18' daysailor swamped/turtled & adrift in Willsboro Bay

  • Polaris Ranger side-by-side, through ice in Isle La Motte

  • 2018 Ram 1500 crew cab pickup, through ice near Malletts Bay Boat Ramp

  • Polaris RZR 1000 side-by-side through ice at Coates Island, Malletts Bay

  • Honda Pioneer 1000 side-by-side through ice, Nelson Pond, Woodbury VT

2020

  • 25' Bayfield sailboat sunk in Inner Malletts Bay

  • 34' Sea Ray hard aground, Outer Malletts Bay

  • 36' Regal Commodore soft grounding, Inner Malletts Bay

  • 18' Prindle turtled & partially sunk, Inner Malletts Bay

  • 37' C&C soft grounding NW of the Outer Malletts Bay Cut

  • 32' Westsail soft grounding SW of the Outer Malletts Bay Cut

  • 28' Albin hard grounding on Allen Point Reef

  • 20' Sport Fisherman capsized & sunk near North Harbor/Mile Point

  • 23' Wellcraft sunk in St. Albans Bay

  • 34' Sea Sprite hard aground in Shelburne Bay

  • 36' Hinckley Picnic Boat soft grounding at Winooski River mouth

  • 32' Catalina hard aground in Shelburne Bay

  • 38' C&C hard aground on Colchester Shoal

  • 21' Four Winns beached on west shore rock ledge, South Hero

  • 24' Sylvan pontoon boat wrecked against cliff near Appletree Point

2019

  • 36' houseboat sunk in Malletts Bay

  • 37' Tartan sailboat aground in Charlotte

  • 31' sailboat hard aground in Isle La Motte

  • 28' Bayliner beached on Colchester Point

  • 27' Pontoon boat, boat lift & dock in North Hero

  • 25' Bayliner sunk in 80' depth near Stave Island

  • 31' Bayliner swamped north of the Grand Isle Ferry

  • 27' O'Day sailboat, aground south of Burlington Harbor

  • 2008 Ford Ranger in Lake Memphremagog, Newport

  • 2010 Chevy Equinox in Missisquoi River, Swanton

  • 24' Hurricane bowrider sunk off South Hero

  • 2001 Dodge Dakota sunk in Orwell, VT

2018

  • 36' Beneteau sloop sunk in Rouses Point

  • 36' Bayliner powerboat hard aground on Allen Pt Reef

  • 36' Gibson houseboat sunk in Malletts Bay

  • 30' Carver powerboat sunk in Otter Creek

  • 44' Bluewater houseboat aground at North Beach

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We've also salvaged many smaller boats not listed, & can be somewhat flexible on price if you do not have boaters insurance -- please contact us for rates & details.

Please note that as of May 2018, Vermont passed a law that makes boat owners legally responsible to remove sunken vessels from the water, regardless of whether they are leaking fuel/oil.

Here is a timelapse of a 31' sailboat salvage. We used 10,000 lbs of lift bags to protect the hull & the boat was refloated successfully with no additional damage.

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