Salvaging modern day anchors

[olivuur]

Hi all.

What are your thoughts on salvaging modern day ship anchors and chain purely for cash?
Should one sell them as scrap metal or try to re-sell them to ship owners/companies?

Is it even worth the effort?

Regards

 

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[allen_idaho]

If they are modern and still in good condition, I would try to resell them after a quick cleanup. You would probably get more for them that way.

If they have extreme amounts of rust, pitting, damage, etc. I would just scrap them. Chances are nobody would buy them or they wouldn't pass inspection.

 

[wrecker]

I found and salvaged quite a few small anchors of boats and yachts for which I had no problem finding boat owners willing to buy from me. Got good money for them. With really big, ships anchors I don't know. I read posts on a scuba diving forum from a guy who salvaged some huge anchors in a river and I think to remember that he sold them for big $$.

 

[Sandman]

I've brought up a few anchors but only one large one. That one I did mainly because I was bored. You get the least amount of money for scrap anchors. Boat yards are always good for selling them as displays. If they are huge it takes a lot of air bags to float it up where cables can hoist it aboard so it is not for the average weekend diver. There is always a market for the smaller anchors and chains.

 

[Bum Luck]

One of my diving buds around here sold small ones for air $ and di9d all right. Fishermen are cheap, and will always beat a path to your door for $.

Don't know about larger ones, but a sand blaster will clean them up nicely, but shipyards have them.

 

[southern maine diver]

Hi Olivuur and welcome to the Treaurenet.forum...

I have salvaged a couple of big ones and made some money on it. Didn't get rich, but it paid for my time. One anchor was a 5,000lb lost by an ocean going tug. This paid 5,000.00 but included the search as well. The others were relatively old and were sold to local seafood resturaunts for displays.

I would say go to any of your local marine surplus stores, botyards or nautical interests to see if there is anything similar to what you have found and then inquire about the value. That way you can tell if it is worth your time.

Wayne

 

[seadoodiver]

Yes. There can be a market for this. I have salvaged many anchors over the years for profit. We have a local manmade reef which eats anchors. If they are in good shape, sell them at your local marine flea market or an ad placed on craigs list. Its alot of work, but it can pay for boat fuel, more dive equipment, ect. Good luck and remember dont hang underthem when you float them up...they do come down quick!
Jeff
Cape Coral FL

 

[Salvor6]

Ya I got some nice Delta plough anchors with stainless clevis and chain but its small change!

 

[aquanut]

So far, I've given away all the anchors I've found. But I was flush at the time!
Aquanut

 

[olivuur]

Thanx for all the replies, guys.

 

[Lucky Eddie]

Not worth the trouble!

Cheers

 

[FISHEYE]

Eddie,

Thats a couple of nice anchors for a yard ornament.Just get a big winch and winch it into your truck or flatbed trailer.Something like that wouldnt last long on a beach around here.I have a winch,crane and liftgate on my truck.Anything up to 10,000lbs i can get it.

 

[aquanut]

Fisheye,
Eddie is in AUSTRALIA! for God's sake. What they have over there either poisons you or eats you!
John

 

[FISHEYE]

Aquanut,

Yeah i know.I dove in the pacific for 12 years.Ive seen tigers and great whites and hammerhead sharks the size of school buses.And man-o-wars the size of footballs.I got stung so many times that now im immune to them.I really miss hawaii.When i was there,there was only 1 game warden.I never saw the guy the whole time i was there.Pulling over 50 lobsters out of 1 hole was not uncommon.And no limit on spearfishing.One of my neighbors was a airline capt for continental airlines.His flight routes were to micronesia,so he used to dive truk lagoon all the time.One time he rented a 2 man 20 foot dry sub and had brought another guy with him that had a 16mm film camera.A great white attacked the sub that was bigger than the sub.I saw the film of the white biting the prop and holding on to it while the sub spun around.The white finally let go and took off.My friend never dove truk lagoon again after that.I read on some site that marine scientists tagged some 15 foot great whites with radios in boston and one of them was picked up on radio 30 miles off jacksonville 1 month later.I guess they do travel far,lets hope the oil slicks and depleted o2 levels keep them away.

 

[maipenrai]

Try to sell them on Craigslist, or other online site, before you scrap them out! Remeber, there is sometimes a lot of chain attached, and that can sell at a good price too, if its high quality. I had a hundred meters of good anchor chain, and sold it to a guy that had some kind of steam shovel, not sure what, but he bought two 10 meter sections first, then came back and bought the rest, and said it was the hardest chain he had ever seen. Old anchors of course are nice decorations but newer ones can also be sold at a good price.

 

[AUVnav]

There is a market for large anchor that have just been lost. Many times, when a vessel pulls into port, they set the anchor block from the charts. Many, many times, they mix up the units the charts shows, and the chain breaks at the block.
The Coast Guard has certain minimum requirements, and if the ship doesnt meet them, they arent going anywhere.
Usually you run the area with the sidescan, then drag an anchor hock to try to grab onto the length of chain (if there is one).
Then you have to crane it up, so the chain can be re-attached. Its about a half to full day of work, depending on the urgency, from $10K to $15K to do it.
Hang around a container port for a while, and you will get one or 2 a week.

 

[jeff08xx]

There are over 800 WWII shipwrecks in the Philippines. I often wondered about salvaging the brass props off of them.