Boat Removal in Punta Gorda, FL — Vessels 28ft and Over
Sailboats, motoryachts, sunken and derelict vessels removed from Punta Gorda and Charlotte County. Call 561-800-0744 for a free on-site assessment.
Punta Gorda removal facts
Canal-front access.
A canal address is not the same as open-water access. The question that decides this job is what sits between the vessel and open water - fixed bridges, their vertical clearance, and controlling depth in the canal at low tide. A boat can be floating at a private dock and still be physically unable to leave by water, in which case it comes out over the seawall on a crane and leaves by road. We establish that on the assessment call, before anyone quotes you a number.
Removing a large vessel in Charlotte County
Punta Gorda sits within the Charlotte County removal area, working Charlotte Harbor, the Peace and Myakka rivers, and Boca Grande and Gasparilla passes. Charlotte Harbor is the second-largest estuary in Florida and the county around it is built on canals - Punta Gorda Isles, Port Charlotte, Rotonda West and the Cape Haze peninsula are effectively continuous waterfront. Ian came ashore here in 2022 and the displaced-vessel population from that storm has still not been fully cleared. There remains a real backlog of hurricane-damaged 30-50ft boats in this county.
The local constraint. Storm history is the defining feature of Charlotte County removals. A lot of these hulls have been sitting damaged for years, which means structural integrity cannot be assumed at the lift - several of these boats will not survive being picked up, and the plan has to account for that.
Getting a boat out of Punta Gorda by water
The closest navigable Gulf access to Punta Gorda is Gasparilla Pass, approximately 17.7 miles away. On any in-water job that distance is the first thing we calculate, because it determines whether the vessel can be towed to a yard with adequate lift capacity on a single tide, whether a pump crew has to ride the tow, and whether fixed bridge clearance rules out a tall rig entirely.
At roughly 17.7 miles from Gasparilla Pass, a water route is a real transit rather than a short hop. On a marginal hull it is frequently cheaper and safer to lift the vessel where it sits and move it by road, even accounting for the over-dimensional permit. This is a routine run from St. Petersburg and mobilisation is not a significant cost line.
Under 28 feet? Still call. Smaller boats are an easy job for the same crew and we take them. But if other haulers in Punta Gorda have already declined your vessel because of its size, weight or condition, that is precisely what we built this company to handle.
What we remove in Punta Gorda
Sunken & Partially Submerged Vessel Recovery
A boat on the bottom is a pollution event with a deadline, not just a disposal job.
Read moreMotoryacht & Sportfish Removal
High-displacement vessels up to 60 ft, where the lift - not the length - is the constraint.
Read moreSailboat Removal & Disposal
Keel sailboats are the single hardest category of vessel to get rid of in Florida. Mast, rig and ballast all have to be handled separately. Any size, with 28ft+ our speciality.
Read moreHurricane & Storm-Damaged Vessel Removal
Post-storm displacement work: vessels on seawalls, in mangroves, stacked in marinas, or up on land.
Read moreHouseboat & Liveaboard Removal
Wide-beam, low-value, high-volume hulls that most haulers will not touch at any price.
Read moreEstate & Inherited Boat Disposal
For executors and families who have been left a large boat and no paperwork.
Read moreAll ten vessel types and situations →
Boat removal rates in Punta Gorda
Indicative rates. Every removal is quoted individually after an on-site assessment - the figures below are a guide, not a fixed price.
What moves your number in Punta Gorda specifically is whether the vessel floats, what she displaces rather than what she measures, whether equipment can physically reach her given the canal-front access conditions described above, and the 17.7-mile run to Gasparilla Pass if she moves by water — towing is billed hourly, so that distance goes straight onto the estimate. See the full rate card for worked examples, what the per-foot rate covers, and what is billed separately.
Complex situations in Punta Gorda: for a sunken, grounded or storm-damaged vessel we can have a crew on site to assess the same day you ask for a price. There is no charge for the visit, and on jobs like these a photograph is not enough to quote from honestly.
Questions about Punta Gorda
What size boats do you remove in Punta Gorda?
Any size, with vessels 28 feet and over our speciality. Our equipment, permits and yard relationships are built around the 28 to 60 foot range that other haulers in Punta Gorda tend to decline - but a smaller boat is a straightforward job for the same crew and we are happy to take it.
How does a boat get out of Punta Gorda by water?
The nearest navigable ocean or Gulf access to Punta Gorda is Gasparilla Pass, roughly 17.7 miles away. That transit distance, the controlling depth on the way, and any fixed bridges in between determine whether an in-water tow to a lift is practical or whether the vessel has to come out on a crane and leave by road.
What does boat removal cost in Punta Gorda?
Removal is banded by length overall: $50-80 per foot up to 25 ft, $80-100 for 25-28 ft, $100-150 for 28-32 ft, $150-200 for 32-36 ft, and from $200 per foot over 36 ft. Full-keel and deep-draft vessels are billed at 1.3 times the applicable rate. On-water towing is $300 per hour, raising a sunken vessel $600-4,000 and refloating a grounding $600-2,000. These are indicative figures - the final quote depends on the circumstances of the particular vessel and follows a free on-site assessment.
How quickly can you get to Punta Gorda?
Punta Gorda is approximately 69 miles from our Tampa Bay & Southwest Florida dispatch point in St. Petersburg. Assessment visits are normally scheduled within a few business days; the removal itself depends on lift availability, permits and paperwork rather than on travel time.
Nearby communities we cover
Get a quote for your boat in Punta Gorda.
Send photos, a location and whatever paperwork exists. We will tell you what it takes to make it go away — and if there is a cheaper legal route than hiring us, we will tell you that too.