Hutchinson Wooden Boat Salvage

Quick video of a recovery of a classic Hutchinson Brothers Wooden boat built in Alexandria Bay, NY. We did not know why the boat sank but quickly figured it out...
FYI.. it was only down there 2 or 3 days.. watch the first dive without airbags on it and you can see the deck is super clean. Then look at the second dive (with airbags) and it starting to get cover in slime!!!!

[@mikemullay5622]

When that boat is restored it will be like that axe that has been in my family for three generations. It has only had two new heads and three new handles.

[@TheRandompaint]

The hammer of Theseus😂

[@citizen23606]

Sad to see a classic like this but good to see it salvaged to hopefully be restored

[@busking6292]

Waterline rot is the scourge of all wooden boats,wood that's always underwater no real problem,wood that's always dry the same,it's the constant soaking and drying that's the problem,this boat deserves to be repaired but only by an experienced professional builder of wooden boats,it will be expensive.

[@wayne-oo]

A little flex tape and she's good as new !!

[@alliechampagne1404]

Ha! I thought that too!

[@poptartmcjelly7054]

flex tape won't work this time because the boat wasn't sawed in half.

[@oldgregg845]

I spit my coffee out reading this comment, well done 👍

[@duke6844]

Me too. I would have commented had I not read 3 comments down to your comment. Hs hs

[@moose6676]

A great safe operation that’s for sure guys. Love to see that the boat lives to see more adventures, it’s a beautiful boat 👍🏻👍🏻Well done to all involved.

[@tomwalsh4761]

Great job Ed! Thanks for the good conversation this afternoon. Have a great day Sir!

[@edduda3]

thanks Tom

[@MukYJ]

Oh that poor old girl. Topsides look good, so someone has been neglecting below the waterline. A skilled boatwright could have her back up and running in no time, but it’ll cost big 💵

[@herbertgarrison6548]

in no time? you clearly aren't familiar with wooden boats.

[@MukYJ]

@@herbertgarrison6548 I’m very familiar with wooden boats, thanks. That was simply a figure of speech; it would take a team of skilled boatwrights quite a long while to repair, but I wasn’t kidding about costing big 💵.

[@UncaDave]

At least it wasn’t salt water!

[@phillipbray8647]

​@UncaDave actually if it was salt water it would have been fine. Most wooden boats on salt water rot from the top down, I.e. rainwater.

[@alliechampagne1404]

Really beautiful classic woody! Looks like she just rotted right out from within without anyone really seeing it. Probably didn't take much before she split up like that. I bet she went down FAST too.😳 Really cool recovery!👍

[@edduda3]

Thanks 😊

[@mrwolf9335]

Fresh water is the killer of many a handsome wooden vessel

[@karlbraun9564]

@@killyourtelllievision Salt water doesn't rot wood.

[@leejohnson6173]

@@killyourtelllievision not for wood..your sorley mistaken..

[@killyourtelllievision]

@@leejohnson6173 Thank you Sir. I stand corrected.

[@user-vx1rj8vu7o]

I use to live in Lake Placid NY and loved seeing these old wooden beauties blast up and down the lake. There was a business there that restored these boats. Hope this one was salvaged!

[@Adam-en4zm]

Very cool to watch, shame about the hull being so rotten below the waterline, this is why I'm glad I don't have a wood boat!

[@wileycoyotesr8623]

Awesome sound quality. I actually heard a few spoken words.

[@AmesiesCorner]

Commented like someone who has never contributed content... Make some KZbin videos and you will inevitably have this happen to you.

[@saidantonioli2303]

Go find a doctor

[@wileycoyotesr8623]

@@saidantonioli2303 Gotta love a good sense of humor.

[@jimmac1185]

@@AmesiesCorner Not everyone on KZbin is a "content creator". Some people are content consumers. As the consumer, we expect a level of quality put forth by the creator. If that level of quality is not met, it is our right to complain. After all without the consumer, creators will not have an audience.

[@AmesiesCorner]

@@jimmac1185 Spoken like someone who has never made any content. We don't always make our videos for you.

[@markindzeris369]

Started watching the video, then said to myself I'll be dipped, know that place, that's the St. Lawrence, then that's the Canadian channel near the Navy Fleet Islands. Great recovery!

[@edduda3]

Thanks.. definitely easier then the uncle sams boat two weeks ago!! Sadly she was very rotten but believe it still worth rebuilding.

[@gregorydahlen2103]

Nice job Ed... saving this beauty!

[@67FORDTRUCKF250]

Always something eerie about a sunk boat!

[@danielfreeman7894]

That my marina Bonnie Castle. Rock on!!! Heard about that wasn’t around to see it. Glad you filmed it

[@toddsamuel8532]

Do u know what happened to cause sinking?

[@danielfreeman7894]

T1000 is coming! Not sure really. Rumor it was done intentionally. No proof of that as of yet. From what I saw it wasn’t maintained very well

[@georgeirwin3511]

A new money pit brought ashore!

[@daDurvis]

maybe to you

[@jamesmcdonald5026]

Looks like a well loved boat

[@davidfoulk3078]

That’s Ben Gardners boat….That’s Ben Gardeners boat!

[@colingarner6175]

Nice to see it restored.

[@jmj002vp]

I can see the ad now - "mint condition, captain maintained since new, owner will consider offers!"

[@working2bselfsufficient724]

Freshly washed.

[@larrygreen8912]

jmj002vp just needs a coat of wax

[@edduda3]

I was thinking flex tape!! 😳

[@VenturiLife]

Slightly damp.

[@killyourtelllievision]

Skis optional

[@juliusgreen7495]

Very nice recovery guys very professional maybe some day we can install these babes on aircraft flotation

[@themainediverschannel4495]

GREAT VID!!!! AND AWESOME JOB!!!!

[@edduda3]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@webbtrekker534]

Looks like she hit a deadhead or log that holed the hull. The rest of the damage was nodoubt old age. Needs a chine and frames plus planks and a refasten at a minimum. 40 years ago I might have taken this on but not at my age now. Love to see her when you're done!

[@miguelsalami]

Nice recovery 👍👍 With the right skills & tools she can be repaired $$$ Oh yea & 💰 money.

[@Why_YouLooking]

Looks like he skinned against a rock, or something. That's crazy! Certainly hope its fixable! Great video!!!

[@steen8156]

Rotten.

[@billmcshea4641]

Nice little winter project for someone.

[@fredsmith5731]

There's also a wooden speed boat that has a wooden frame around the windshield in lake Mead still have the outboard attached to it from the 30s

[@rennkoopmans458]

nice job guys !!

[@mikemullay5622]

I can see the Craigslist ad now. "Ran when parked".

[@fryloc359]

parked underwater

[@waynep343]

if you do a lot of small boat recovery. you may want to invest in some 4 or 6" flex hose... and probably 10 feet of similar sized PCV or ABS pipe.. and a 90 ell and a 45 ell.. place a 2 foot piece of pipe between the 45 and 90.. the long piece of straight into the 90.. and the flex hose into the 45.. if you throw this siphon set up over the side of the cockpit or engine bay.. as long as you have installed it and purged it of air before you lift the boat slightly above water.. it will self start a siphon and really empty the hull fast.. you can put a clean out fitting in the 2 foot long piece between the elbows.. to allow you to purge the air.. you could do this with just a single 90 ell.. with the straight pipe dangling and the flex pipe into the bilge.. what to use for flex tubing.. 20 bucks at homedepot.. www.homedepot.com/p/FLEX-Drain-4-in-x-25-ft-Solid-Polypropylene-Pipe-52110D/202745403 how fast will a 4" hose siphon the water out of a bilge..

[@sunbeam8866]

Of course, this boat already had drainage!

[@cisvaughan6937]

First comment from someone who is thinking straight!

[@Anne6621]

easy repair and it will be as good as new , but they should do a total rebuild and it will become better than when it was built , so glad it was saved

[@py2rpjrubens450]

Great job! At 6:40 remember "Jaws"!

[@ktmbikes9227]

Is that ben gardeners boat ?

[@py2rpjrubens450]

@@ktmbikes9227 YES!!

[@Benjamin-ek4iu]

This was down the street from me! Sweet!!

[@edduda3]

nice!!

[@americanunderwaterservices]

WOW epic boat salvage! Look us up if your ever in Fort Worth Texas!

[@edduda3]

Thank you... and definitely

[@sunbeam8866]

The THREE happiest moments for a boat owner - when he buys it, when he sells it, when he gets the insurance check!

[@shornandkenny]

Only for people who have to pay someone else to maintain them. Boating isn't for everyone but real lovers never say that.

[@sunbeam8866]

@@shornandkenny These classic wooden boats are beautiful. But this is why I prefer aluminum. Even many fiberglass boats have a lot of wood in the structure. As a homeowner, and someone that has maintained rental property, I've battled water damaged wood for decades. For exterior trim and repairs, I now use synthetic materials as much as possible.

[@shornandkenny]

@@sunbeam8866 I have a gorgeous 1955 feathercraft vagabond Edit: it's all polished aluminum and will run all day on 25 bux worth of fuel. 😁

[@paulgrimm7842]

Beautiful Boat

[@williamthethespian]

Wow. Might take a bit but she's a beauty. Keep us posted, please. (Subscribed)

[@Kiwigd]

It appears to be lifted out of the water too quickly. While water is still pouring out the stern vents the crane operator is still lifting. Should have used pumps as soon as the tension came on the slings I think

[@benmac940]

Looking at how it split i would say that was only the final nail in the coffin. I'm guessing it already had serious issues.

[@edduda3]

It was held together by her hull paint. Needs a complete tear down to ribs and re-skinned. Welcome to wooden boats

[@joegriffith1954]

Ahhh but that 30 minutes when everything is perfect.........then the owner gets it. (sigh)

[@madmanmechanic8847]

That is what I was thinking to much stress on the frame and hull and busted out the bottom

[@greyone40]

I was wondering if they had hit a floating log to punch a hole in the bottom to sink it. After seeing how the planking burst at the chine, I imagine the original hole was just from slapping the water while motoring around, then sinking it. It's been three years now, so maybe they have restored it.

[@markdonovan2475]

I remember seeing this boat some 20 years ago in Alexandria Bay, New York. Thousand Islands region. It was built by the Hutchinson boat yard. Hence the name. (also it looked like furniture)

[@edduda3]

Wow, I bet she was a jewel! Sadly the bottom was completely rotten. Hopefully she is being rebuilt.

[@dalehaggart407]

My great grandpa built boats near the River edge well before it was made back when it was a pancake hose if i remember wright. I use to get rides in the Riot delivering news papers in the 60's. If i remember wright Hutchinson worked for the Duclon's in the early to mid 1900's.

[@jappecoco]

Great job

[@tomm_d]

Hey Ed, I think I dived with you on Lake George a few years ago, I hired you as a dive master for the day. Since all I had was warm salt water dive experience, we guessed on my weights and when I hit the thermocline I started sinking fast into the abyss, in The Narrows somewhere. Hope you’ve been well.

[@edduda3]

I have not been in Lake George but I have heard it does have a pretty good thermocline. The narrows?? now that sounds like the St. Lawrence... which I swim regularly. Hope your still getting wet!!

[@gaylespencer6188]

Huge amount of work = huge $$$ to get that back into serviceable use.

[@haraldpettersen3649]

A easy job Edit : very well raised and salvaged

[@nick4506]

all that work polishing those fixtures on top of a boat with rotten planks under the waterline.

[@4TheMotorist]

I would never have thought you can get firewood from the bottom of an ocean or lake. You learn something every day 😂

[@chrisguice139]

You should give Carter bags a try. Just a suggestion.

[@shaneharrison4775]

What a shame such a beautiful boat I do hope she's salvageable their some awesome boats if properly cared for.

[@jamesliebl1485]

That's so awesome

[@sprezzatura8755]

She's ready for a proper triple plank epoxy-mahogany bottom. Better than new.

[@robertmahaney2854]

Awesome how she sat perfectly flat on the bottom

[@65Pontiac389]

That is a cool old boat

[@Random-rt5ec]

Excellent video - Covid-19 Plandemic locked down here in Massachusetts this was fun to watch. What I see is an amazing looking boat that will take $100,000 worth of highly skilled labor to restore.

[@Slick1G3]

pffft no way

[@killyourtelllievision]

Take a zero off. THEN and only after would it ever dream of getting 100k at any auction. Certainly devalued having viewed the lake from the bottom

[@mr.l6615]

OUCH! That poor boat, I hope it got fixed up and back into the water!

[@brucesims3228]

So what happened to the boat? I have watched quite a few of these boat salvage videos and information always gets real sketchy about who owns what, who pays what and what becomes of these boats after the cameras are turned off.

[@clintmullins4406]

Stevie wonder could have done a boat survey and seen that coming. Looks like somebody slathered an epoxy coating over compromised wood.

[@stephenwinter8892]

Greetings from southern Ontario Canada how much would this recovery cost from start to finish and what paper work is required thanks for the presentation

[@Moondoggy1941]

That is where my wooden boat leak, yeah it sank, but the ropes saved it from the bottom.

[@pman1335]

So where does my boat sank fit into the old saying of “the best days of boat ownership are the day you buy it and the day you sell it”?

[@harveypost7799]

Went to high school with friend last name Hutchinson. Nick name , Hutch..52 years ago hope still afloat.

[@ibast1]

if it's just the bottom boards it's probably worth saving but if the ribs and the keel are gone then build another and use bits off this.

[@greglaroche1753]

Give us more details. Was the boat surveyed recently?

[@harbourdogNL]

10:08 Nothing like gaping holes in the hull to provide good drainage! Did you also pick up any of that garbage visible at 1:29?

[@BilgePump]

That shit’ll buff out.

[@PillSharks]

I’ve bodged bigger holes with a couple of tubes of Sikaflex!!!

[@samalsid966]

That’s so sad. That’s history right there sad to see it in that condition

[@davidpaton8026]

How long was it on the bottom for? Did you find it by chance or did it belong to a friend of yours? Do you have to jump through any hoops to keep it or is it straight up finders keepers.

[@edduda3]

Only a few days and it was salvage for the owners insurance company. No finders keepers on this. Thanks for the reply.

[@jasonweills8932]

Would like to see this one fixed

[@myleftthumb2294]

Can we get an update? Seeing this four years later.

[@edjones833]

You know why pirates are so mean? They just ARRRRRR.

[@richardthomas1566]

The bottom was all ready rotting between layers of the bottom wood owners got an Estimate to fix it found out cost more than the boat , then takes it out wide open bounces it a few times and instant hole and insurance check.

[@killyourtelllievision]

That's a perfectly logical explanation and the only realistic one I've heard yet cause somebody has to take the skipper home

[@sreed8570]

she's a beauty how in the hell did it wind up abandoned

[@gregbolitho9775]

couldn't here a thing, not sure why, thought I should let you know. nice job, gettin the boat though.

[@hackfabrication139]

Dang... Where'd that iceberg come from? Titanic size gash.

[@markthompsoncpa]

Was that green algae already there or did it come in with boat?

[@hardergamer]

No one checked to see if any rot had set in before taking her out... Looks like teak which is one of the best woods but you still need to check them every year.

[@JB91710]

To make it simple, tie a heavy rope around the base of the boat. Attach the 4 air bags directly to that rope so they stay as low as possible. The boat will rise up above the water line. Tow it to a boat ramp, pump the water out of the boat and pull it onto a trailer. That boat is in bad shape and has been down there awhile.

[@glynnwright1699]

I recall a Swedish sailor telling me that wooden boats were deliberately sunk in the fiords during winter to protect them. I don't know if it was true or he was just having fun with me, he was a nice guy, ex Swedish Navy captain.

[@DannyB-cs9vx]

Could be if they took the engines/ transmission/ electronics, off first. Ice can crush a boat so putting it under the ice would work.

[@glynnwright1699]

@@DannyB-cs9vx These were large fishing boats, 65 feet long if I recall correctly.

[@shootpse88]

That boat is toast

[@albertcyphers1532]

What caused it to sink? Was Captain Morgan at t helm?

[@stevendasilva9256]

Reckon the anti fouling bottom paint was the only thing holding the bilge of that boat together.

[@darolfitch8917]

What's the back story, how did it wind-up at the bottom of the bay?

[@Qubik911]

Lifting wooden boat, full of water, is really destroing the planking. No fastenings handle that pressure

[@leejohnson2550]

Destroying what planking..it's all rotten on the bottom quarter of the boat..😂

[@marauding4life]

Love all the comments of “easy repair”..

[@draven3838]

Turn up your volume so we can hear you better

[@stevenm6592]

Did it hit a iceberg?

[@busdriver1469]

What depth is IT there?

[@CGChiefBM]

Oh that just hurts to watch...

[@lancerudy9934]

When did it sink

[@KentuckyFriedFixes]

I wonder if some plywood screwed over the hole would have allowed you to pump out the boat while it was still on the water? Seems like you wouldn't wanna lift a boat when it's filled with water, the bottom may come out of any boat, much less one with rot. Select sizes of plywood with screws partially driven in, and a cordless drill that works under water........

[@mrwolf9335]

Such a beautifully built boat what happened to her

[@Reimu__Hakurei]

Has it been restored?

[@greggacek1655]

That's why most people only own a wooden boat once. Water had to be sitting in that hull for a very long time.

[@uppitywhiteman6797]

Wooden boats have to be taken care of, like a woman. She needs love. In this fiberglass age, people just leave them sitting. While on their cell phones swiping at Tinder.

[@greggacek1655]

@@uppitywhiteman6797 Agreed. It's amazing she didn't sink at the dock. That will be one expensive fix, hull planking rotten, ribs rotten and just finding someone who has the skill to do that work.

[@uppitywhiteman6797]

@@greggacek1655 He didn't look at the ribs too much. They looked fairly solid. (they didn't crumble when he touched them. But, he didn't poke them with a knife. So it hard to tell. It looked like he hit something and it tore at the rotten garboard side planking and holed the bottom. But your right it's going to be expensive to fix. Boatwrights are getting to be very expensive. It comes from letting the boat sit open and allowing fresh rainwater to sit in the boat. Like I said. a wooden boat is like a woman. If you don't show her love, she can cost you a fortune.

[@geoffroberts1126]

Fresh water is the enemy of a wooden boat. Salt water kills dry rot fungus. Why you see so many wooden boats in seawater that have ok hulls, but the decks go and let rainwater into the interior and it rots from the inside out. I've known some wooden boat owners that leave salt blocks in the bilge to make sure any rainwater that does get in instantly becomes saline.

[@sunbeam8866]

@@uppitywhiteman6797 Yeah. But then you'd be surprised how much wood is in the structure of many fiberglass boats!

[@sdfglkjhdfkjdhldskfj]

I think that split was caused by lifting it too fast and not supporting the bottom. The weight of the water just pushed the bottom away from the sides. You can tell the water was high up in the hull because it was pouring out of the vents at the rear. The wood might have been rotten too, which would not have helped.

[@tujuprojects]

So why did it sink then? That long hole sure was not there when they left. Did they hit something?

[@1967250s]

Any more video on her rebuild? Who is doing it?

[@privateer0561]

Well, it's been three years since this video was published. Was it salvaged or scrapped?

[@crubin64]

Hard to believe owner wasnt aware the waterline was in that condition.

[@davidbarnsley8486]

That boat is completely stuffed I bet it went down real quick 😳

[@southernprojectsyt6340]

2 reasons for sinking. 1 naturaly the holes in the hull. however, the main reason is zero foam for boyancy in case of hull breach.

[@SpectrumRob]

And don't forget the insurance money!

[@reedprice526]

Name another boat with foam in it built in the early 40’s?? It’s not a Boston whaler…

[@i.b.brandon4977]

looks like the varnish and bottom paint were the only thing holding that old tub together. Separate the metal and fire pit the rest.

[@edduda3]

Monk Denton the bottom is definitely rotten but it’s an a woody from Alexandria Bay.. so probably worth the $$$ to fix.

[@cheftomsd]

Snake Mt Boatworks in VT could rebuild her like new. Amazing craftsmen.

[@pauleohl]

@@edduda3 What were the economics of lifting the Hutch? Do you own it now? What will you do with it?

[@rupe53]

@@edduda3 ... likely worth bigger bucks when all done!

[@curtchase3730]

Jeeze....A someone who just squeaked by passing a course on wooden boats 101, a quick poke here and there with a pick awl would have kept that piece of rotten wood from seeing a drop of water! Water tight as a screen door!