Too big to recover

[adshepard]

While bottle diving the last few weeks in Maine I came upon an item that is too big to recever easily.

At about 50 feet in a flat, gravel area I spotted a 40" diameter mill stone. Ships used to use these as ballast and dumped them from time to time. It has the typical square center hole and is covered in pink and purple coralline algae. Supposedly there is a field of these things just off shore.

Anyway after the dive I went to an an old traditional mustard mill in town that still uses the old granite mill stones and asked them how much the item might weigh. Their response was close to a ton. I guess I'm not pulling that off the bottom anytime soon.

I checked on-line and old mill stone that size goes for about $4,500!

I know where a smaller on lies that might be a bit easier to retrieve.

Alan

 

[towhead]

Maybe this guy can help you: http://mainegraniteking.com/ -Julie

 

[adshepard]

ORIGINAL: towhead

Maybe this guy can help you: http://mainegraniteking.com/ -Julie

Thanks for the info. He's about three hours from me but maybe he can offer some help.

 

[TJSJHART]

BOY OH BOY THAT IS ONE NICE ROCK COLLECTION THAT GUY'S GOT THERE... A FEW OF THE PICS LOOK LIKE A GRAVE YARD,,, AND THOSE OLD WATER TUBS OR SINKS KOOL

 

[epackage]

Sounds like you need some diver lift bags.....I'd look into it if I were you...3000lb. bag goes for about $1000

 

[riverdiver]

Hey Alan,

Try sending a pm to southernmainediver, he is a local commercial diver and might be able to rent you a commercial lift bag if he has one. You can also try the local dive shops, some of them rent the commercial pillow bags that are needed for that type of recovery. You can als send an inquiry to Portsmouth Dive Services LLC, they have a 4,000 lb bag.

 

[carobran]

GET THAT THING OUTTA THERE!!!!..........how,i dont know,dont suppose you could get a rope around it,and pull it out with a tractor or bulldozer?i dont kow if id sell it though,would look good sitting in a flower bed etc.[][8|][sm=tongue.gif]

 

[blobbottlebob]

Hey Alan,

Good luck with that. Hope you get it out and then sell it for a huge profit.

I have messed with large objects but never tackled anything that big. Once I found a metal gear that must have weighed two hundred pounds. No way I could get it to the surface, but I was able to gradually roll it to shore. Once there, two of us picked it up and loaded it in the boat. Once again, best of luck . . .

 

[ktbi]

Alan. Check the local dive shops that offer diving classes. One that offers classes in salvage diving might lift it for you for free, as part of one of their classes. Maybe offer them part of the profit and the dive shop owner would be more than interested. Failing that, they probably have bags you can use. I took those classes and even after the classes were through, we would lift engine blocks, things like that for people and we always used the bags from the dive shop (for free)....Good luck...Go get it!!!! Ron

 

[downsouthdiggers]

I don't think id put a $4500 rock in my flower bed. . .i'd sell it and make it someone elses $4500 rock!