Own a Piece of Milwaukee History - Abandoned Boat 'Deep Thought' Up for Auction
- Scott Way
- Jul 18
- 3 min read
And so the saga of Deep Thought drags on into the depths.
In a case study about the awkwardness of abandoned boats, the unofficial landmark on Milwaukee's Bradford Beach is in the public eye once again -- but this time it's on the auction block.
The beaten up, sunken, graffiti-covered Chris-Craft Roamer is being auctioned off by Milwaukee County officials in hopes to recoup the costs associated with its never-ending pitstop on the city's shoreline.
As the story goes, Deep Thought was purchased in nearby Manitowoc in the fall of 2024 by a couple from Mississippi. Their plan was to drive it back to their home state before winter.
On a stormy night in October, the 40-year-old boat ran out of fuel and was pushed ashore onto Bradford Beach.
The couple couldn't get the boat off the sandy shoreline, and after months of trying to determine what to do, none of the parties involve had an answer. The dialogue between the owners, a nearby marina, and a salvage company eventually broke down, just like the boat, and so it remained on the beach racking up an expensive salvage bill. As the days got shorter and the temperature dropped, Deep Thought became locked into the ice for winter -- a blight on the cityscape that Milwaukee officials seemingly couldn't get sorted.
Locals decorated it for Christmas. It was spraypainted, and then spraypainted again. All of the electronics and valuables were stripped away. It became a running joke around town. Or, in this case, a not running joke.
The Deep Thought had become the physical embodiment of the deep thought needed to remove it.
Salvage crews were back at it in April, this time with some financial support from an anonymous donor.
But thanks to the sharp Wisconsin winter on Lake Michigan, the boat was sunk three feet into the sand. It simply didn't want to leave.
In early May, the dedicated group of salvagers got the boat floating and used a crane to push it onto the lakeshore. She bore all the signs of a harsh seven month sabbatical, albeit with an impressive paint job (on one side, anyway). To end the Deep Thought drama, city officials are now putting it up for a 14-day auction open to the public. The bidding site has not been activated yet.
“It could be a real money-making opportunity for someone,” Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on July 15th. “There's a lot of excitement surrounding this boat.”
Wasserman, who leads the county’s parks and culture committee, says the online auction will begin July 22nd and run for 14 days. The vessel is being sold as-is.
According to the Sentinel, the county's goal is to recover the costs of hiring salvagers and the towing company that extracted it.
“If we can make a profit that would be even better,” added Wasserman.
The total cost thus far is believed to be about $50,000. Of that amount, $30,000 has been covered thanks to an anonymous donor plus a generous donation from the Hoan Foundation -- a Milwaukee non-profit. “We want bids, we definitely want to sell it for the right price,” said Wasserman, adding anyone who can buy the piece of Wisconsin lore “would make Milwaukee County proud.”
“It could be a real money-making opportunity for someone,” Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman. Cold day in hell. We have a wack job also named Wasserman here in Florida.