The Southborough Fire Department is seeking to sell off an inflatable boat, complete with trailer and motor. To inspect the item before placing a bid, book an appointment through the SFD by calling 508-485-3235.
Below are the details:
The Town of Southborough is disposing of a boat, trailer and motor:
- The boat is a 2014 12-foot North Atlantic Inflatable Model 380AL; it has minor seam leaks.
- The trailer is a 2015 Sealion boat trailer Model SK-10-1200
- The motor is a 2015 20-horsepower Mercury outboard motor model 1F20301EK
- This is a package deal; sale is for all pieces. . .
- Bids can be submitted through Municibid: [Click here]
- Bidding ends January 12, 2022 at 12:00PM. Successful bidder can pick up the item at the Southborough Public Safety Building, 32 Cordaville Road, Southborough. Payment is cashier’s check only; made payable to The Town of Southborough.
The SFD uses boats for water and ice rescues, and sometimes to reach areas otherwise inaccessible. (In 2016, they used a boat to respond to a brush fire behind Pinecone Lane.) The one up for bid was purchased in 2015. (You can see images of staff training with it below and here.)
This summer, the department informed the Capital and Advisory committees that the boat had needed repair five times since 2017 for damage and air leaks at the seams. This spring, it had begun showing signs of another slow leak. At first they were re-inflating it once a week. That was upped to every 24-48 hours in June. They questioned its readiness and reliability for emergency response.
The replacement the SFD requested has a “Ridged Hull” rather than membrane. It was pitched as providing “enhanced durability and protection when operating near shore or around underwater structures; minimizing punctures”. The new boat is also larger to provide greater stability and allow more weight. It therefore requires a larger motor and trailer.
A Reserve Fund transfer was approved in July to allow purchase of a replacement. (I presume that purchase has been completed.) The department had planned to seek a trade-in deal to reduce the cost of the new equipment. It looks like that didn’t pan out.
Instead, the used boat can now be purchased by anyone who has time to re-inflate it before taking it out on the water. (That is, anyone who places the highest bid by noon of next Wednesday.) As of this posting there were 7 bids and the price was at $2,800.
