How it Works
NEW – CBMM now has a Vehicle Donations program! Learn more
Donating your boat to CBMM is simple and straightforward. The Charity Boat Donation Program accepts and resells gently used boats year-round from people just like you. Our experienced staff handles all the paperwork and provides you with appropriate tax deduction forms once the boat sells. We can even pick up your boat for free!
Your Donation Makes
a Difference
From the Rising Tide Program that teaches hands-on skills to middle schoolers for free, to fun summer camp adventures, to workshops, family programs, and speakers—your boat donation provides support for programs that inspire, challenge, and enlighten about the Chesapeake’s unique people and places.
Tours & Programs
On-campus programs and tours bring the Chesapeake alive and offer an up-close and personal view of the Bay’s people, places, and creatures.
Hands-on Workshops
Highly engaging workshops blend STEM learning with Chesapeake history to create quality immersive experiences for students and families.
Engaging Speakers
Speaker series and special presentations bring industry experts, performances by local artists, film screenings and more, each lending something new to the conversation, and leaving you with a greater appreciation for the Bay.
Field Trips
CBMM is committed to equitable access to education programming. Your donation helps keep field trips and educational experiences affordable and available to all.
Donate Today
We accept many different kinds of boats! From small canoes and kayaks to large trawlers, and they can be in varying condition, project boats and pristine boats alike. If the boat is in the water, the only requirement is that it has to get here by its own power.
“… we believe the donation [of Altamira] to CBMM is the best way to insure that ownership is passed on to someone who might share that sense, and who will keep her seaworthy… more importantly, her sale will provide some modest additional funds for CBMM to use to help support and preserve programs now, and for the future…”
Joe Wharton DonorDonating a Boat FAQs
If the boat is required to have a title, we are not legally allowed to sell it without one. We are happy to assist in the process of getting replacement titles for any boats or trailers you may have. While we prefer for trailers to also be titled, we can take them without one. Email boatdonation@cbmm.org or call 410-745-4992 with any questions regarding titling.
You cannot claim the donation until the boat sells. This is because we cannot assign a value to the boat and donation beforehand. After the boat sells, we will send you an acknowledgement letter with a 1098-c for your tax records.
Yes, we do accept trailer donations! We also accept merchandise donations on a case-by-case basis for our tag sale at the Annual Charity Boat Auction. We can provide a generic tax form for these kinds of donations, but it will not be a 1098-c. Items of greater value can receive a different form for tax purposes if you would like one.
Starting soon we will be able to also accept cars as donations.
Thanks for your Support!
Whether you’re looking to buy or donate a boat, we appreciate your interest in the Charity Boat Donation Program. Thank you for supporting the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.