The long strange saga of the boat  that was abandoned in the Don Armeni Boat Launch parking lot has come to a close.

On Wednesday Nov. 5 Bankers Towing out of Renton came to lift the boat up with slings, and put it on a flatbed trailer to be taken away by Republic Services.

Briefly, the boat called the Gooey Duck, with only one working engine was originally purchased in Tacoma, and one of the men, Dan Hanes involved in the sale had intended to sail it to Lake Washington to work on it and bring it to full operational status. But fate had other plans. Stopping briefly off Me Kwa Mooks for an Orca pod, Hanes could not restart the engine. With no cell phone he waved at people on the beach who called the Seattle Fire Department. They showed up and towed him to a buoy. By then it was dark and he tried to get some rest. When he woke up the boat was taking on water. The Fire Dept was reached again and they pumped out the boat, and towed it to the Don Armeni Boat Launch. He had reached out to his friend Derrick who was in the hospital. The two met and traveled to Bellevue where they allegedly found a large boat trailer and stole it, bringing it to the boat launch. By then the boat had partially sunk again. They attempted to get it on the trailer and finally in the late evening hours got the boat out, in the process damaging the trailer. 

Coverage by Westside Seattle got shared on several boating forums and by chance the trailer owner was sent photos of the incident. Since the trailer had suffered significant damage it was impossible to take the boat any further on it so it sat. The trailer owner showed up and summarily pulled his trailer out from underneath the boat, leaving it on the pavement where it sat until Wednesday morning.

In the interim Hanes who had driven his truck to the scene was arrested by Seattle Police and later released but had his truck towed. That truck was allegedly not secured by the towing company and was stolen from their impound lot. Hanes has taken legal action against the towing company to recover the cost of his truck.

Now it's a question of how the derelict vessel is dealt with.

Derelict Vessel Recovery and Disposal Process

• Partnership with State Programs: In Washington, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) oversees the Derelict Vessel Removal Program (DVRP) and the Vessel Turn-In Program (VTiP). These programs aim to prevent environmental hazards by removing or dismantling abandoned or at-risk boats before they sink or leak pollutants.

• Assessment and Removal: When a derelict vessel is identified—either through public reporting or agency monitoring—it is assessed for environmental risk, navigational hazard, and ownership status. If deemed necessary, the vessel is removed from the water.

• Dismantling and Disposal: Once recovered, derelict boats are typically dismantled and disposed of at authorized facilities. Companies like Republic Services may be contracted to handle this phase. The process includes:

  • Draining hazardous fluids (fuel, oil, sewage)

  • Removing reusable or recyclable components

  • Cutting up the hull for landfill disposal or recycling, depending on material type (e.g., fiberglass, metal)

• Environmental Compliance: Disposal is done in accordance with environmental regulations to prevent contamination of land or water. This includes proper handling of asbestos, lead paint, and other hazardous materials.

• Public Access to Disposal: For boat owners, the VTiP allows voluntary surrender of vessels that are at risk of becoming derelict. This helps reduce the burden on public agencies and waste contractors like Republic Services