What Boats We Accept

Boat donations cover a wide spectrum. Powerboats, runabouts, fishing boats of every type, pontoons, sailboats, personal watercraft, cabin cruisers, deck boats, aluminum jon boats, and project boats that have been sitting for years are all workable donations. Condition ranges from actively used and lake-ready through project-condition and long-parked. This guide walks through the main categories and what to expect within each.

Powerboats and Runabouts

Powerboats and runabouts are among the most common boat donations. This includes bow riders, closed-bow runabouts, ski and wakeboard boats, and general-purpose family powerboats. Common brands include Sea Ray, Bayliner, Chaparral, Four Winns, Regal, Cobalt, Glastron, Larson, and Rinker. Watersports-specific boats from MasterCraft, Malibu, Nautique, Supra, and Moomba are welcome and have their own active buyer market.

Fishing Boats

The fishing category covers several distinct subtypes:

• Bass boats — Bass Tracker, Ranger, Nitro, Skeeter, Triton, Champion, Stratos, and similar tournament-oriented boats with front and rear casting decks
• Center consoles — Grady-White, Boston Whaler, Robalo, Contender, Regulator, Everglades, Pursuit, Yellowfin, Sea Hunt, and Cobia in coastal and inshore configurations
• Offshore fishing boats — Grady-White, Boston Whaler, Regulator, Contender, Viking, Hatteras, and Bertram in the larger offshore class
• Walleye and multi-species boats — Lund, Ranger, Alumacraft, Crestliner, and Warrior
• Flats and bay boats — Pathfinder, Hewes, Maverick, Hell's Bay, and similar shallow-draft designs

All fishing boat configurations are accepted, including boats with mounted electronics, live wells, trolling motors, and rod storage.

Pontoon Boats

Pontoon boats and tritoons — the flat-deck party and family boats that dominate lake use across the country — are accepted. Common brands include Bennington, Harris, Sun Tracker, Tahoe, Manitou, Premier, Sylvan, Avalon, Godfrey, and Crest. Pontoon length, tube configuration, and horsepower range across the full market. Older pontoons with worn upholstery, faded canopies, and aged tubes are workable — the pontoon buyer market handles boats across the full condition spectrum.

Sailboats

Sailboats are accepted across the range:

• Day sailers and small keelboats — Catalina 22 and Capri series, O'Day, Hunter, MacGregor, Precision, and various one-designs
• Coastal cruisers — Catalina 27/28/30/34/36, Hunter, Beneteau, Jeanneau, Sabre, Tartan, Pearson, Cape Dory, and Pacific Seacraft
• Bluewater cruisers — Island Packet, Valiant, Hallberg-Rassy, and other offshore-capable designs
• Performance and racing sailboats — J/Boats series and various one-design classes

Sailboats often come with additional gear — sails, running rigging, ground tackle, navigation instruments, dinghies and davits, and safety equipment. All of it is welcome with the donation.

Personal Watercraft

Personal watercraft — Yamaha WaveRunner, Sea-Doo, Kawasaki Jet Ski, and Honda AquaTrax — are accepted individually or in pairs on a shared trailer. Both stand-up and sit-down configurations, and both older two-stroke and newer four-stroke models, are workable.

Cabin Cruisers and Cuddy Cabins

Cabin cruisers, cuddy cabins, and small express cruisers with overnight accommodations are accepted. Common brands include Sea Ray, Bayliner Ciera, Chaparral Signature, Regal Commodore, Formula, and Cruisers Yachts. Larger cruisers may require haul-out from a marina rather than trailer pickup depending on location.

Deck Boats

Deck boats — the wide-beam runabouts positioned between traditional runabouts and pontoons — are accepted. Hurricane, Chaparral SunCoast, Sea Ray, Four Winns, and Tahoe are common in this category.

Aluminum Boats

Aluminum fishing boats, jon boats, and utility boats are one of the most common donation categories:

• Jon boats and utility aluminum — Alumacraft, Lowe, Tracker, G3, Starcraft, and Crestliner
• Deep-V aluminum fishing — Lund, Crestliner, Ranger Aluminum, Starcraft, and Alumacraft
• Aluminum bass boats and multi-species — Lund, Crestliner, and Alumacraft

Aluminum boats age differently from fiberglass and often remain workable long after the hulls of similar-vintage fiberglass boats would be problematic.

Project and Non-Running Boats

Boats that have been sitting for years, boats with mechanical problems, and boats mid-restoration are all workable. Common situations include:

• Boats with dead outboards or non-running inboards
• Boats with hull blisters, cosmetic damage, or aged gelcoat
• Boats with rotted transoms, soft floors, or stringer issues
• Long-parked boats where the trailer has weathered along with the boat
• Estate boats that have not been used in years
• Partially restored boats where the project stalled

Structural condition is the primary consideration. Boats with severe hull damage or major structural failure are evaluated case by case.

What Can Be Included in the Donation

The boat and its associated equipment can all be included in a single donation:

• The trailer, if you have one — accepted as part of the boat donation
• The engine, whether outboard, inboard, sterndrive, or jet — remains with the boat
• Marine electronics — GPS, fish finders, radar, VHF radios, chart plotters, sonar
• Safety gear — life jackets, throwables, flares, fire extinguishers
• Anchors, ground tackle, and dock lines
• Sails and rigging for sailboats
• Bimini tops, covers, and canvas
• Batteries, chargers, and shore power gear

If there is specific equipment you want to keep — a favorite handheld GPS, a fish finder you're moving to another boat — remove it before pickup and note what was removed.

Pickup Situations

Boat donations are picked up from a range of locations:

• On a trailer in a driveway or storage yard — the most common pickup situation; the boat leaves on its own trailer
• In dry storage at a marina — the boat is retrieved from dry storage and either loaded on a trailer or moved to a haul-out
• In a marina slip — the boat is either driven out or towed out and hauled out at a boatyard
• On a mooring or at anchor — the boat is retrieved and hauled out
• Boat on trailer without a working tow vehicle — the coordinator arranges towing

Access matters. A boat in a fenced storage lot with a locked gate, a slip at the end of a long dock, or a mooring that requires a launch to reach all need to be coordinated. Mention any access constraints early.

What Requires Extra Evaluation

A small number of situations fall outside the standard program:

• Boats with debt or liens that exceed the boat's value
• Boats with unresolved title or ownership disputes
• Boats with severe hull damage that cannot be safely moved
• Boats stored in locations that cannot be reached with the appropriate equipment

If your situation is unusual, describe it when reaching out. Many donations that look questionable on the surface turn out to be workable once the specifics are understood.

Ready to Donate

Learn more about the process and start a boat donation at /donate-boat.html. A coordinator will confirm what's accepted and walk through the specific steps for your boat.