Hundreds of damaged boats up for auction at salvage yard along Burnt Store Road

Hundreds of boats are lined up, all damaged by Ian, off of Burnt Store Road in Charlotte County. The boats are all up for sale, and people are waiting to buy them.

Cooper Capital Speciality Salvage, on behalf of a couple of insurance companies, is facilitating the sale of the boats. It is like a boat show for people who like do-it-yourself projects.

There are hundreds of boats up for auction.

This view of the boats from the road and all the possibilities caught Christopher Beucher’s attention.

“Every time we drove by, there’s more and more boats out here, more and more boats,” said Beucher.

One day, he stopped instead of driving by and quickly decided there were some fixer-uppers he could buy cheap.

“I’ve picked up a few tricks on, you know, how to save money, basically, so I learned how to fiberglass boats by doing it myself and small engines and motors through my father,” Beucher said.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and there are many boats to choose from.

WINK News asked Beucher what kind of boat he was hoping to get. “I want a Carolina Skiff. That is definitely the one I want, like a 15-footer or more. Like I said, something that could support both of us and maybe take our kids out too,” said Beucher. “It’s a stress reliever for me you know I love to fish I love wildlife. And you know, it gives us something to do too together “

Beucher said he’s doing most of his perusing online.

“I’ve noticed, and a lot of these boats don’t have trailers, and I’d read online you got to have a trailer and pick it up within five days, but, you know, at the prices they’re trying to get rid of these for, I just you know I could rent a trailer or something so yeah, it’s definitely worth it,” said Beucher.

The salvage yard’s hours, where the boats are held, are Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Geico and Progressive insurance companies hope you’ll check the boats out in person or online and buy one of them.

If you would like to bid on a boat, you can learn more about the closed-bid auction by clicking here.