Booty Salvage is ready for the 2012 treasure season!

Booty Salvage

Full Member
May 31, 2011
146
496
Ft Pierce Florida
Detector(s) used
3 Aqua pulse, 1 Excalibur
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
Hello.

My name is Eric Schmitt, I am the Captain and lead diver on the Salvage Vessel Aarrr Booty. We outfitted this boat ourselves; our crew completed all of the fabrication, engine repairs, winch systems, etc all of it was our design (with a little help from John Brandon and Les Savage). The Aarrr Booty's "mailboxes" are designed to dis-assemble into "diverters" which allow the vessel to dig in extremely shallow water. There are also 24" extensions that bolt on and allow the boat to dig in much deeper water. Most of the regular treasure salvers on the Treasure Coast will remember our 68' Salvage Vessel the Booty Quest; the Booty Quest was also designed and built ourselves, although we lost her in Hurricane Frances while my father was undergoing heart surgery. My fathers health is one of the main reasons we didn't buy and rebuild the Booty Quest.

I have been diving on Spanish shipwrecks since I was 11 years old! At age 14 I made my first significant find, an amazing silver plate/ platter found on a 1715 shipwreck located in Vero Beach with an Aqua Pulse metal detector (pictures below). We also found gold coins and other artifacts before we lost the Booty Quest during Hurricane Frances in 2004.


aaarrr.jpg


Captain Rick


My father and boat owner Richard Schmitt, was one of the original divers on the 1715 fleet when it was discovered in the late 1950's early 1960's by Kip Wagner. As a teenager my father worked with Kip Wagner and Real 8 as they found thousands of silver coins and was even there when they raised the intact chest of silver that most of you have seen in numerous treasure books. Richard Schmitt was diving for treasure before Mel Fisher decided to move to Florida from California. RIP Mel Fisher. If my father had never worked with Real 8 in the 1960's our current operation would not exist. Dad is the one who got everyone excited about treasure diving in 1998 and it lead to us building the Booty Quest. Captain Rick has a history of starting projects like treasure diving, that are designed to keep our friends and family close to us. We couldn't have a treasure boat without dad because his attention to detail and painstaking devoting to perfection keeps him working on the boat for months at a time.

Captain Dale

When something needs to be done on a treasure boat, most people say "I have someone that does that." However, Booty Salvage doesn't just have "someone" we have a Dale. Having a Dale means a lot to us. If it requires a power tool, or needs to be measure correctly, or needs to be fabricated, Dale Zeak can do it. Not only is Dale a handy man, he is also one hell of a Captain. Dale was the Captain of the Booty Quest and lead us to several successful seasons even though we were brand new to treasure diving at the time. Dale found our first gold coin in Vero Beach and was responsible for the Booty Quest making it safely back to the docks each and every day.



We follow the philosophy that most of the treasure that remains on the 1715 fleet is far north of the main ballast piles and requires extensive exploration to discover. During our 7 years with the Booty Quest we spent most of our time working in areas that no one has explored yet (or at least no work that was documented in those areas). We spend a lot of time digging empty holes and roaming vast wastelands without a single hit on the detector; however, the philosophy of Booty Salvage is to work places no man has worked before.



The Aarrr Booty is back on the treasure coast!. We are docked in Harbour Town Marina in Ft Pierce. Just waiting for the weather to settle down.

We already have some investors for the 2012 season but spots are still open if anyone is interested. Our operation may be a little nicer than most work boats, due in part to our treasure boat being a 50' trawler with A/C, 8k generator, full kitchen, and two staterooms for napping on long rides home from the crystal clear waters of Vero Beach.

Anyone interested in investing can contact me Eric Schmitt @ [email protected] or (407)-353-5668, or PM me.


-Eric Schmitt (President, Booty Salvage Inc.)
 

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Last edited:

Chagy

Bronze Member
Dec 20, 2005
2,226
121
Florida
Detector(s) used
JW Fishers Pulse 8X
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
Looking Good!! Good Luck!!!!
 

ScubaFinder

Bronze Member
Jul 11, 2006
2,220
528
Tampa, FL
Detector(s) used
AquaPulse AQ1B - AquaPulse DX-200 Magnetometer
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
Let me know if yu need any extra nappers for the state rooms. :icon_thumleft: Nice boat, and nice philosophy too, best of luck!
 

aquanut

Bronze Member
Jul 12, 2005
2,162
1,578
Sebastian, Florida
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ21, Tesoro Tiger Shark
Good Looking Operation Eric. Will miss you at the cookout, however I'll welcome your crew!
Aquanut
 

ropesfish

Bronze Member
Jun 3, 2007
1,185
1,977
Sebastian, Florida
Detector(s) used
A sharp eye, an AquaPulse and a finely tuned shrimp fork.
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
That is a fine looking boat!
Best of luck for the upcoming season. Let's hope for calm winds, flat seas and good viz all summer.
 

Au_Dreamers

Hero Member
Dec 15, 2010
988
668
back on the 1715!!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Flash back to 1999!! Now you're old enough to drink rum and tell tales on the Friday night treasure nights!

It's time we put Treasure back in the Treasure Coast!!

Wishing you and your family a great season!
 

OP
OP
Booty Salvage

Booty Salvage

Full Member
May 31, 2011
146
496
Ft Pierce Florida
Detector(s) used
3 Aqua pulse, 1 Excalibur
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
Love the response and all the PMs! Everyone is so nice!

Any questions or comments just call, e-mail, or PM me. We still have plenty of room left for the season. Cant get an excursion this cheep anywhere in Florida.
 

theseeker

Sr. Member
Mar 4, 2009
345
139
Detector(s) used
White's Surf PI Pro Dual Field/Minelab Sovereign Elite/Goldbug II/Goldbug Pro
Eric, looks like a well equipped vessel and well staffed operation! Good luck to you and your crew! Hope you find lots of treasure this year. Wish the same to all you treasure hunters out there !!!!
 

RiverRat3

Bronze Member
Apr 1, 2009
1,360
419
Maryland
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX3030
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Very cool. I look forward to reading about your future finds.
 

Southern_Digger

Hero Member
May 21, 2012
573
221
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer and Excalibur; Tesoro Tejon; Fisher 1265-X; Garrett Master Hunter; White's Coinmaster; In closet: Bounty Hunter and Relco
Primary Interest:
Other
I'm excited to see the season in full swing. I may take a drive up the coast for a day or two and witness the operations from the beach if time permits. Is the Treasure Expo, formerly ran by Pegleg still being held annually?
 

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