Red Cap Marine & Salvage

Red Cap Marine & Salvage We do sunk boat & vehicle salvage/recovery, on-water towing, fuel delivery, jumpstarts & moorings.

Was out on the lake this morning with Colchester Police Department to find & evaluate a sunk boat. Late last night the b...
06/28/2026

Was out on the lake this morning with Colchester Police Department to find & evaluate a sunk boat. Late last night the boaters were heading north from Burlington, got disoriented, curved in towards shore and smashed into one of the large half-submerged trees off the mouth of the Winooski River

The 8 people on the boat were thrown violently into the water but miraculously everyone was okay with bumps and bruises and they made their way to shore.

I'm booked up with emergency towing & can't do the salvage today, so I handed it off to my good friend and salvage partner Spike at Burlington Harbor Launch and Tow. Follow his account & check tomorrow for some more photos.

06/14/2026

SANDBAR DEPTH UPDATE: 2'6" deep going straight through.

It's still over 3' deep if you stay to the east or west of center by 150 yards & approach/leave the bridge on the Malletts Bay side close along the causeway, to avoid the shallow hump straight off the bridge.

Clear water right now so it looks shallower than it is. Saw a report on Fishing 802 that the depth is 1.5' & that's not accurate. Betting their depth gauge isn't adjusted for hull depth.

I just went through with my 24' deep V workboat & didn't have to go around the shallow hump yet. It's close, but especially if we get this inch of rain today that's in the forecast for the Champlain Valley, the lake should level out for at least a few days...

Also been seeing lots of pollen in the water. Was towing a new mooring block over to Georgia Shore & the surface was just about more pollen than water.

Out for the second tow of the day, for an engine/fuel problem. Nice evening. We need this on the weekends.
06/10/2026

Out for the second tow of the day, for an engine/fuel problem. Nice evening. We need this on the weekends.

First boat salvage of the year yesterday! Was a classic case of the owner launching their boat without the hull plug in ...
06/04/2026

First boat salvage of the year yesterday! Was a classic case of the owner launching their boat without the hull plug in place.

The owners had the extra misfortune of noticing (from shore) their boat sitting low in the water on their mooring, & watching it sink & capsize as they tried to get out & save it 😕

We rolled it back upright, pumped it out & it's off to get repaired. Good day with flat calm water working with my salvage partner Burlington Harbor Launch and Tow.

As a reminder to everyone who moors or docks their boat, make sure your bilge pump works on auto & can't be shut off by the battery switch. Boats come with bilge pumps wired incorrectly all the time. If you leave your boat unattended for any amount of time in the water -- on a mooring, on a dock etc -- make sure the bilge pump can turn on automatically if it needs to, all the time. It may run down the battery but will also save your boat from sinking for awhile & give you time to notice a constantly running bilge pump.

I did a salvage for a sunk bass boat last year that didn't have the bilge pump on auto. Since the owner always trailers his boat, he thought he didn't need it. His boat sunk at a dock while he was at lunch from minor waves splashing over the transom. The bilge pump on auto would have saved it...

05/26/2026

My hired help for boat lift assembly today is done & napping, & it's only noon! Say hi to Ozzy, our new Red Cap Marine dog.

Beautiful day for towing a new mooring block up the lake for a customer getting a Hazelett single elastic mooring. It's ...
05/22/2026

Beautiful day for towing a new mooring block up the lake for a customer getting a Hazelett single elastic mooring. It's a long slow 4-1/2 mile tow out of Converse Bay. I'm using lift bags rather than my mooring barge since this is pretty far south. Gas is expensive 😱

Gotta say I miss Charlotte Sailing Center. Andy O'Brien used to launch blocks for this area for me over the seawall with his crane. Was always fun catching up with Andy & watching thousands of pounds of concrete slung high in the air. This block got launched at a boat ramp. Still fun but not the same!

In lake news ... Lake level is still lower than normal, about 7" below the average for this time of year. Could be another low water year...

Broad lake water temp is still in the mid/high 40°s. I was diving to move moorings yesterday in Niquette Bay & water temp was a balmy (for a drysuit) 58°F. Still cold but getting there!

Happy Friday!

Selling my Miller Dynasty 210 welder, cooler & custom cart. Switched up to a larger unit for thick aluminum.https://www....
04/14/2026

Selling my Miller Dynasty 210 welder, cooler & custom cart. Switched up to a larger unit for thick aluminum.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1cg7LfyoRt/

It's in great condition, great machine, not even a scratch in the paint. Cart wheels match the Miller blue for extra style points! It's set up for 220V but can run on 110V too. Comes with corded foot pedal & a 200-amp air-cooled torch. Does not come with a water-cooled torch. A 250-amp Ragnor is $200 from Airgas.

Also note this is not the CPS model so the cooler is either on or off by a switch.

DM me if interested.

Address

South Hero, VT
05486

Telephone

+18023553148

Website

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