With 1 week to go, Deep Thought / Minnow / Milwaukee Boat auction is at $1,125

Will Milwaukee County recoup $20,000 on the removal of the famed Deep Thought / Minnow / Milwaukee Boat back in May? County officials rolled out a two-week public online auction last week to great fanfare, but with one week to go, the auction is at a mere $1,125.

“There’s been tremendous public interest about this boat,” said Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman, Chair of the County’s Parks & Culture Committee, last week. “Our goal is to raise $20,000 to cover our costs, and this auction gives residents the chance to own a unique piece of our lakefront story.”

As of this writing, there have been 32 bids on the boats. Thirty-one of those bids occurred on the first day of the auction, July 22. Bids can be made in $25 increments. There is no minimum bid. The auction ends August 5 at noon. A public inspection is scheduled for today, July 29, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., at All City Towing, 1213 W. Mallory Ave.

According to the GovDeals auction listing, the boat is being sold “as is, where located, with all faults.” Back in June, Milwaukee County officials said the boat would likely never sail again, and would be sold not as a functioning vessel, but as a “piece of art.” The winner will be responsible for moving the thing out of the All City Towing lot.

The Mississippi owners of the 43-foot Chris-Craft Roamer, Richard and Sherry Wells, ran the boat ashore between Bradford and McKinley beaches on October 13, 2024. The boat stayed there—accruing graffiti, fame, and failed salvage attempts—for nearly seven months. All City Towing finally towed the boat on May 6, 2025.

The cost of the operation? Fifty-thousand dollars—Milwaukee County’s “do-not-exceed” limit given to All City. Who’s on the hook for that $50,000? With the original owners out of the picture and the craft legally classified as abandoned, Milwaukee County is on the hook, and is the legal owner of the boat. The Daniel W. Hoan Foundation donated $10,000 to the cause, and an anonymous donor kicked in an additional $20,000. Milwaukee County is looking to recoup the remaining $20,000 with the auction.

Could the County still pursue legal action against the original Mississippi owners? Back in June, county officials said that a legal effort would be akin to “drilling a dry well,” and that “the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.” So there you go.

“We’ve gone from a curiosity on the shoreline to a full-blown public intrigue—now’s the time to act,” Wasserman added last week. “We’ve seen interest from multiple parties and determined that a summer auction, with the boat sold as a sculpture or conversation piece, is the right next step. At the end of the day, this vessel is no longer a working boat—it’s become part of Milwaukee’s story. We see this auction as an innovative way to close this chapter and open another as we return value to our community.”

So is the boat actually interesting now that it’s not stranded on the shores of Lake Michigan? Maybe. Or maybe not. Or maybe the auction will skyrocket in its final days and hours? Who knows. Either way, good luck, bidders! We miss you, boat!

<a href="https://theroaringdans.bandcamp.com/track/the-ss-milwaukee">The SS Milwaukee by The Roaring Dans</a>

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