I suppose if you are bidding, you might not like this post. As of this posting and with one week left for the auction, the high bid on 1912 74′ x 19′ x 12′ draft Grouper is $145. Period. That’s not $145k; it’s as much money as you might be carrying in your wallet right now.
These two photos by Jason LaDue and Troy Wilke date from 1989, a long time ago in boat years. Also, I realize that whoever has the winning bid next week either cuts it up and sells steel when it’s high, or begins a process that’ll cost more than $145k several times to move it out of the Canal and then restore it.
High bid right now for the Bushey 1938 76′ x 21′ Chancellor is $310. I took the photo below in September 2010. Since then, it sank briefly once in September 2017. If you want to see Chancellor pushing other boats around back in September 2010, click here; all the footage is great, but Chancellor comes in at 1:40.
High bid for the 1942 Quarters Barge, aka “houseboat sans propulsion” is $210; the one for sale is 63′ x 21′, has six bunk rooms, and a huge kitchen that can serve 20.
A good friend asked if I was bidding in hopes of creating a “tugster clubhouse . . .” Well, it’s an idea and with the bicentennial of the canal approaching, it would be a great way to see the waterways of upstate NY. You could experiment towing it with 1000 kayaks, or get a tugboat, maybe one of those for sale to move it around the state. As much as I like the idea, nope . . . it won’t be me. I don’t think the photo of a Quarters Barge #14 below is the same vessel. I took this photo in Little Falls NY in 2017.
The highest bid for the 1972 Higgins USACE Bridge Erection boat is $800; the one auctioned off is 27′ x 8′ and is twin screw. The vessel below is a smaller version and dates from 1952.
May the highest bidder win and . . live happily ever after.
All photos, WVD.
tugster: a waterblog 
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June 21, 2021 at 11:09 am
babsje
While I like the name Tugster Clubhouse I understand why that’s not on the table. Maybe someone could partially sink the canal boat in the top photo and turn it into a boat garden akin to the one at my lake that has been planted each year for more than a decade? Those bids are amazingly low! Best, Babsje
June 22, 2021 at 7:47 am
tugster
Hi babsje . . . as I said to Lee, in a week we’ll know. I lack the skills and funds to bid. I’ve heard other folks talk about the price to buy an old boat; what you pay is really an entrance fee into a many years and costly project….
June 21, 2021 at 12:59 pm
swattsx
Wow I would have loved Chancellor at that price when I was looking for a tug to convert! Groupers hull is very solid, she was right near us in Lyons on the wall for years. That barge might still be of interest though… lol If I could cut it in half to truck if it, even though we own a tug I don’t think we want to guarantee we have to push a barge down south lol.
Hopefully they all find great homes, regardless of what they go for!
June 21, 2021 at 5:48 pm
Lee Rust
Grouper’s biggest problem is that the tug draws about 11 feet of water. When she entered the Erie in 1998 and was sold to a new owner in Central NY, the Canal maintained a system-wide depth of 12 feet. Dredging has been neglected in recent years and the waterway is now often as shallow as 8 feet, so Grouper is literally stuck in Lyons.
Several of us puzzled over this predicament and postulated building a large float that could raise the stern of the vessel enough to pull her out of the Canal and into the deep water of the Hudson or Great Lakes. That operation alone would have cost an estimated 50-80 thousand dollars.
Then there’s the tow to a new home port and the restoration of hull, superstructure and 15-ton diesel engine to acceptable operating condition. Then there’s the ongoing maintenance and operational expenses. Then there’s the question of who or what is going to come up with the money and people to get those things done, which would be several multiples of $145 thousand. Then there’s the question of why.
Hence the current high bid of $145, likely made by a scrap steel dealer who’s already making plans to send another load of American history to China for speedy transformation into several 40 foot shipping containers full of barbecue grills.
Ultimately, this is the fate of most large metal things that have outlived their profitable utility. Isn’t recycling supposed to be good? So, unless a wealthy tug preservationist swoops in on June 28 we will probably have to bid Grouper adieu.
Tug Chancellor might be a better candidate for a new life in the Canal towing the Tugster Clubhouse, but I get the impression that her hull is nowhere near as sound as that of Grouper.
June 22, 2021 at 7:44 am
tugster
Thx, Lee. In a week, the die will have been cast.
June 29, 2021 at 11:21 am
swattsx
Trust me, I’m well aware of the depth issues in the canal. We had to get pulled through a spot near Illion NY 2 years ago bringing Ireland now Hoppiness up from Staten Island to Sodus.
June 29, 2021 at 12:31 pm
tugster
Wherever a stream flows into the Canal, particularly those streams that come down from the steep and gravely hills, silt flows in after every rain. Some distance west of Lock E-18, a “gravel bar” stretches at least half way across the canal, making a very narrow channel. Shallow spots happen in very predictable locations, same places each year…
October 12, 2021 at 9:40 pm
Jeff
Back up again for Auction Tug Grouper https://www.auctionsinternational.com/auction/26451/item/nys-canal-corp-ny-26451-162310
October 13, 2021 at 3:52 am
tugster
Jeff– Thx for sharing this. I would have missed it.