Dumpster Diving Season is OPEN

[Chief Engineer]

What was your greatest/most unusual "score"
For me (being a yacht mechanic) is 30 amp power cords.
The female end (which is burned off) I put on a box with a GFCI outlet
for "heavy work at the dock.
I have 4 hot water heaters that had the elements burned out (elements are cheap)
2 long-shaft outboards (with varnished fuel) cleaned'em up gave to the Sea Scouts.
1 Atomic 4 and one Yanmar 1GM....needed some TLC

[Inthewind]

One man's junk is another mans treasure. I am done being a pack rat. You found some of my garbage.

[delmarrey]

Why put stuff in the land fills when it still can serve a purpose, even if it's industrial art.

A $1(000) saved is a $1(000) earned, OR $1(000) you didn't have to spend.

I'm with you C.E.
Now my Dutch is showing! ...................................._/)

[Alan Wheeler]

When I was a kid, I used to go to the local dump with my Grandfather. He would unload the rubbish (garbage I suppose) and we would then walk around picking up all sorts of cool junk. I used to collect old valve radios. We would get small motors an scrap steel that looked good sill and so on. Man I had some fond memories of doing that. Sadly today, dumps are off limits. You can't go scrounge anymore. You can't even get near the places. We have a local collection site, the garbage is sorted and the stuff that can not be recylced crushed and sent to the land fill.

[GordMay]

The closure of the dumps has been mitigated by the advent of the dumpster. I've recovered countless usefull treasures from dumpsters, including (working) Television sets, Refrigerators, Solid Teak Furniture, Lighting fixtures et al ...

Last night someone broke my car window, and "salvaged" a carton of cigarettes; ignoring my cell phone, Binoculars, and a baggie of cash etc.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Last night someone broke my car window, and "salvaged" a carton of cigarettes; ignoring my cell phone, Binoculars, and a baggie of cash etc.

Yeah! You gotta watch out for them addict's But at the price of cig's now it may be worth more then the rest.

[charley]

In my area the local dump also searves as a recycling center. They have seperate area for paint and house hold chemicals that you can just go and pick up a half gallon of paint or what have you. Also has seperate areas for household applinaces, TV, fridges, dishwashers, etc. It is nice to able to go "salvage" a small part if need be.
We also have a seperate area for used lumber which is always good if you need a 2 foot peice of 2x4.
I was at the dump one day helping freind unload some garbage, and found the reminats of on old dirt bike which was loaded onto the trailer after unloading the garbage and was taken home dismantled and sold on ebay for profit of about $400.
I live in a very "green" freindly community and they do use a lot of the stuff dumped for other things. They crush all the glass back to sand and use it for the road into the dump. They deffinatly do not mind when someone takes something form the dump to use, sell or packrat their own house with.
One mans trash is anothers treasure!!!

[rebel heart]

The dumpster at my marina is a gold mine. I found a fishing net (commercial grade, BIG) that I was able to strap to my truck, and I'm cutting that thing up for everything I need netting for now.

Honestly the marine swap meets are really good for me too.

[KaptainKen]

We spent the three months of the winter of 2002 on anchor in Boot Key Harbor in Marathon in the Florida Keys. One of the many great attractions there was the "Sombrero Resort" Dockside Lounge. In those days they had a food special every night; some nights were a taco night, some a burger night. Food and drinks were downright cheap like $2.00 Margaritas. Live entertainment almost every night. For a reasonable fee you could tie up your dink and, as a "regular", Sombrero would receive your mail and allow you to checkout/exchange books and videos from their cruiser's library. Water was available for five cents a gallon; cheap considering that you have to pay for water all through the keys. We "dinked" many a jerry can of water to where our boat was anchored.

But ... to the point of this post. Across the street behind the dumpster was the legendary Sombrero "Free Table". Cruisers would leave broken or un-wanted gear ... scroungers (like me) would pick up stuff. There was a sign posted on the wall to the effect "Anything on the table the day the trash hauler came would go into the dumpster". This Free Table was a gold mine!

There was a fairly beat up dink usually tied at the dock. I talked to the owner who said he got the dinghy free from a cruiser passing through. He got the mis-matched oars, a couple life jackets, a two horsepower kicker (that he fixed), a gas can, hose and squeeze-bulb all from the Free Table. Even half a can of pretty good marine enamel ... which he used to christen the dink with the name "Free Table."

During the time we were there I scrounged a nice bulkhead clock, a five inch fluid filled sailboat binnacle compass, three Jabsco reciprocating type bilge/water pumps (by mixing and matching working motors, un-cracked housings and working valves I wound up with two A-OK pumps), two extra life vests, a five gallon collapsible water container, some un-used paint brushes and paint, tools of all description, some buckets, enough new "Sunbrella" fabric to make a wheel cover, two winch covers and a propane grill cover ... Sunbrella fabric in the right shade! What are the odds? Kaylynne got a folding bicycle (lower hinge busted, but easily fixed with a "C"-clamp), "Corel" dishes, a complete service for six, in a matching style, some pots and pans, some new and almost new clothing ... size four ... her size! Again ... what are the odds? It was like Christmas every day! They don't make free tables like that any more.

I'd like to go back to Boot Key Harbor again. But unconfirmed rumor has it that Sombrero does not welcome cruisers the way they used too and it wouldn't be the same. Anyone been there recently?

[SkiprJohn]

It is really good to hear that I'm not the only scrounger in the boating world. I just wish there were good marine scrap yards near me.
I have to take mainland trips to find them.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[cooper]

The boat that l am building is getting there quite nicely thanks to "wot thems dont want". Beautifull solid timber doors, all sorts of stainless, massive brass bus bars, interior ply. The list is huge.
Its getting harder these days due to regulations (read-- that may be worth somthing) But in tha olden days my rule was "Im not allowed to bring back more than l dropped at the tip." The extremely valuable mantle piece clock sitting in pride of place at my mums house came (many years ago) from a rubbish throw out when we where kids. The people gave us the key and dad got it going.......a good habit still going strong.

[ENC_Sailor]

Dumpster diving is king!

Picked up some new fenders last season, still wrapped in plastic. Obviously someone didn't need or were misplaced.

Best find to date was a plastic container of miscellaneous screws, and parts. Under all that 'junk' was a plastic bag with $125.00 in it. Someones secret stash of mad money I guess.

If it looks interesting or salvageable, I may make the dive!

[ssullivan]

I got a pretty good one:

I found a complete Vigil radar system, identical to the one on my boat. Display, radar transmitter dome, "brain" unit, and all wiring. Unforunately, it had the same broken component as mine, so TWO useless systems! ha ha

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by ssullivan

I got a pretty good one:

I found a complete Vigil radar system, identical to the one on my boat. Display, radar transmitter dome, "brain" unit, and all wiring. Unforunately, it had the same broken component as mine, so TWO useless systems! ha ha

I had a Vigil on my old boat. What's the broken component?
(I'm a retired electronic tech.)

Steve B.

[Dunkers]

On a slightly different vein, I dropped a spanner overboard in Prickly Bay, Grenada one day. I put on my snorkelling gear and dived down to find it, in about 20 ft or so. Not only was the spanner there but it was right next to a full case of Carib beer, still in its cardboard container. I hauled up a couple of bottles, opened one to see if it was ok, which it was, and dived for the rest. Party on my boat that night!! Pity it wasn't a case of Mount Gay rum but it was very welcome nevertheless.