UPDATE at 5:54 pm on 5/6/25: All-City Towing has successfully removed “Deep Thought” from the shore entirely. The boat is now loaded onto the back of a truck parked on Lincoln Memorial Drive.
UPDATE at 11:45am at 5/6/2025: All-City Towing has the “Deep Thought” officially out of Lake Michigan.
We officially are on land.
— Adam Roberts (@AdamRobertsMKE) May 6, 2025
All-City will now begin readying for the eventual liftoff.@620wtmj pic.twitter.com/0ubKncywFH
The next step for All-City Towing is to tip the boat on an angle to get it over the rock and eventually onto a flatbed truck.
MILWAUKEE — After six previous failed attempts to remove the abandoned boat “Deep Thought” from the Milwaukee lakefront between Bradford and McKinley Beaches, a seventh attempt is underway.
All-City Towing has been tasked by Milwaukee County to remove the 33-foot Chris Craft Roamer, which has been stuck in the sand since October 13th, 2024.
“Safety first today, we don’t want to hurt anyone on the rocks or cause any issues,” owner Jeff Piller tells WTMJ. He estimates the cost to remove the boat will be around $50,000, and says the process could take much of Tuesday.
Piller says the ability to lay out a plan with his crew well in advance of Tuesday’s removal increases his confidence they’ll get the job done.
“I never say no. I’m going to be there for the County. My staff feels proud to be doing this,” says Piller.
By 9:30am, a sizeable crowd had gathered along the rocks watching the 12-member crew working. A portion of a pontoon barge used during a previous removal attempt by Jerry’s Silo Marina was the first piece to be removed.
The first onlookers came before the arrival of All-City; including photographer Jake Lynch and ballerina Alyssa Schilke for an impromptu shoot aboard the vessel:
“It’s become a cultural landmark, especially for artists in the area…so I wanted to capture it before it gets towed away,” said Lynch Tuesday.
“I think it’s really cool how so may people have added their own little personal touches to it,” adds Schilke.
You can watch a livestream of the boat’s removal courtesy of our news partners at TMJ4 here.
