Tennessee has 259,000 registered boats spread across one of the most extraordinary lake systems in the US. The TVA — Tennessee Valley Authority — built 49 major reservoirs across the state between 1933 and 1979, covering approximately 600,000 acres of surface water. Watts Bar, Chickamauga, Kentucky Lake, Norris, Cherokee, Douglas, Percy Priest, and Old Hickory are among the most active boating lakes in the southeastern US, and the parts market that has grown up around them reflects decades of use.
Every body of water in Tennessee is freshwater. Parts pulled from Tennessee yards carry the same low-corrosion advantage as Michigan, Missouri, and Minnesota — mechanical and electrical components from Tennessee donor boats are in significantly better condition than equivalent parts from coastal states. You can also browse the Boat Salvage Yards Directory to find marine recyclers across the United States.
Tennessee Boat Salvage Yards — Quick List
| Yard | Location | Phone | Specialty | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Marine Salvage | Madisonville | 865-210-8125 | Insurance claim boats, used parts, certified surveyors | Insurance boatyard + parts |
| Bunch Marine | Harriman | 865-376-7227 | Mercury, Yamaha, TVA lake coverage since 1962 | Dealer + parts department |
| Ship Shape Marine | Smyrna | 615-459-7202 | Inboard/outboard repair, parts, eBay sales | Repair shop + parts |
| Parker’s Marine | Paris | 731-642-6569 | Physical salvage yard, Kentucky Lake area | Salvage yard |
1. Tennessee Marine Salvage — Madisonville, TN
Location: 4022 New Hwy 68, Madisonville, TN 37354
Phone: 865-210-8125
Website: tennesseemarinesalvage.com
Hours: Tue–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm; Sat 8:00am–12:00pm; Mon/Sun closed
Tennessee Marine Salvage is the most distinctive parts operation in the state — an insurance claims boatyard in Madisonville that holds salvage vessels pending claim evaluation and repair, staffed by licensed Certified Marine Surveyors certified to US Coast Guard and American Boat and Yacht Council standards. The surveyor capability is unusual for a small regional parts yard and reflects a genuinely professional operation rather than an informal salvage lot.
The boatyard holds a constantly rotating supply of insurance write-off boats across a wide range of makes and models. Used boat parts and new marine parts are sold alongside the insurance claim and survey work. Madisonville sits in Monroe County between Knoxville and Chattanooga, close to Watts Bar Lake and Fort Loudoun Lake — two of the most heavily used TVA reservoirs in East Tennessee.
Call 865-210-8125 before visiting to confirm current parts availability and get directions to the yard. The Tuesday through Saturday schedule is reliable per the April 2026 Yelp update.
2. Bunch Marine — Harriman, TN
Address: 1640 Roane State Hwy, Harriman, TN 37748
Phone: 865-376-7227
Website: bunchmarine.com
Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm; Sat 8:30am–2:00pm; Sun closed
Founded: 1962
Bunch Marine is the oldest and largest independent boat dealer in Tennessee, family-owned across four generations since Roy Bunch opened the business in 1962. The operation is based in Harriman, 40 miles west of Knoxville on the Watts Bar Lake reservoir, and serves the full TVA East Tennessee lake system — Watts Bar, Fort Loudoun, Tellico, Cherokee, Douglas, Norris, Melton Hill, and Chickamauga lakes are all within the service area.
The parts department carries Mercury, Yamaha, Evinrude, Motorguide, and MinnKota components at explicitly wholesale-competitive pricing. Outboard motor parts, sterndrive parts, boat accessories, and marine electronics are stocked alongside new boat sales. Special order with direct shipping is available nationally for parts not in stock.
For East Tennessee boaters on the TVA lake system, Bunch Marine is the most established single source for dealer-level parts at below-chandlery prices. The 64-year operating history means the staff knowledge of what fits what across decades of TVA lake boats is genuinely deep.
3. Ship Shape Marine — Smyrna, TN
Address: 1323 S Lowry St (Murfreesboro Rd), Smyrna, TN 37167
Phone: 615-459-7202
Email: [email protected]
Website: shipshapetn.com
eBay store: ebay.com/usr/shipshapeparts
Hours: Mon–Fri 9:00am–5:00pm
Ship Shape Marine is the oldest marine repair facility in Rutherford County, operating from Smyrna since 2000 and serving the Nashville metro boating community on Percy Priest Lake and Old Hickory Lake. Owner Larry explicitly buys boats to part out and sell components, and the shop carries a wide array of new and used parts for sale alongside inboard and outboard repair services.
The eBay store (seller: shipshapeparts) has 288 completed transactions at 5.0 stars, with recent 2025 reviews confirming active shipping and accurate descriptions. Parts covered span both inboard and outboard makes. The shop has a partnership with Sew Unique upholstery for interior work alongside mechanical repairs, and maintains an inventory of used boats, trailers, and motors alongside parts.
Smyrna is 25 miles southeast of Nashville on Murfreesboro Road — practical for Middle Tennessee boaters who need a part without the drive to East Tennessee. Call ahead to confirm availability on specific components before visiting.
4. Parker’s Marine — Paris, TN
Address: 2649 Highway 218 Byp, Paris, TN 38242
Phone: 731-642-6569
Hours: Call to confirm
Founded: 1988
Parker’s Marine is a long-established boat dealer and salvage operation in Paris, Henry County, on the eastern shore of Kentucky Lake — one of the largest and most heavily boated TVA reservoirs. Forum posts from Tennessee boating communities describe the yard as having a substantial physical lot of donor boats available for parts, with centre consoles, fibreglass runabouts, and aluminium fishing boats among the typical inventory.
Kentucky Lake and adjacent Lake Barkley together form the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area corridor — one of the most intensively boated freshwater regions in the southeastern US. The northwest Tennessee lake country generates steady supply of end-of-life vessels into the Paris area market. Call 731-642-6569 to confirm current lot availability and what specific types of boats are on hand before making the drive.
Types of Boat Salvage Sources in Tennessee
Insurance boatyards with parts sales — Operations that hold insurance claim vessels pending evaluation and repair, generating a rotating supply of used components. Tennessee Marine Salvage in Madisonville is Tennessee’s primary example, with the additional distinction of licensed marine surveyors on staff.
Dealers with comprehensive parts departments — Established boat dealers that stock parts at competitive pricing across multiple brands. Bunch Marine in Harriman is Tennessee’s clearest example — 64 years operating, Mercury and Yamaha specialist, serving the full TVA East Tennessee lake system.
Repair shops with used parts and eBay sales — Service facilities that buy boats to part out and sell components through local and online channels. Ship Shape Marine in Smyrna operates this model for the Nashville metro market.
Physical salvage yards — Operations that maintain a lot of donor boats for walk-in or phone-based parts sourcing. Parker’s Marine in Paris covers the Kentucky Lake and northwest Tennessee market.
Boat removal and disposal contractors — Covered separately in the boat removal section below.
Best Areas in Tennessee to Find Used Boat Parts
East Tennessee — Knoxville / TVA lakes corridor — The highest concentration of active salvage sources in the state. Tennessee Marine Salvage in Madisonville serves the Monroe County and Watts Bar/Fort Loudoun corridor. Bunch Marine in Harriman covers the broader East Tennessee TVA lake system from a single comprehensive parts department. The Knox and Monroe county area has the densest TVA lake boating activity in the state.
Middle Tennessee — Nashville metro — Ship Shape Marine in Smyrna (25 miles southeast of Nashville) is the primary resource for Percy Priest Lake and Old Hickory Lake boaters. No dedicated walk-in salvage yard was found within Nashville proper — Smyrna is the nearest verified parts source for the city’s boating community.
Northwest Tennessee — Kentucky Lake / Paris — Parker’s Marine in Paris covers the Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley corridor — one of the most active boating regions in the southeastern US. Henry County and the surrounding counties generate significant demand for fishing boat parts from the Land Between the Lakes boating community.
West Tennessee / Memphis — No verified dedicated marine salvage or parts yard was found in the Memphis area or west Tennessee at the time of research. West Tennessee boaters are best directed to Parker’s Marine in Paris for the lake country, or to cross-state options in Mississippi and Arkansas.
Chattanooga / Chickamauga Lake — No dedicated salvage yard confirmed for the Chattanooga area. Bunch Marine in Harriman is the closest established parts source for the Chickamauga Lake boating community, approximately 60 miles north.
When to Use a Tennessee Boat Salvage Source
- When sourcing used Mercury, Yamaha, or Evinrude outboard parts at below-dealer pricing across the TVA lake system
- When an insurance write-off boat has components worth recovering before disposal
- When a repower project needs sterndrive or outdrive components from a TVA lake donor boat
- When sourcing MinnKota, Motorguide, or trolling motor parts for a Tennessee fishing boat
- When a Nashville-area boat needs inboard or outboard components without driving to East Tennessee
- When a derelict or unwanted boat needs to be removed from a TVA reservoir marina or private dock responsibly
Tips for Buying Used Boat Parts in Tennessee
- All Tennessee parts are freshwater — The TVA lake system is entirely freshwater. Corrosion on mechanical and electrical components is minimal. Inspect carefully but expect significantly better condition than coastal states.
- Call Tennessee Marine Salvage for directions — No street address is publicly listed. Call 865-210-8125 and ask for directions to the yard. The insurance claim model means rotating inventory — ask specifically what types of boats are currently on site.
- Bunch Marine for dealer-level parts — The 64-year operating history means deep parts knowledge. Call 865-376-7227 with exact motor model, year, and horsepower. Special order ships directly if stock is not on hand.
- Ship Shape Marine eBay store — Search ebay.com/usr/shipshapeparts before calling. The 5.0-star rating across 288 transactions reflects consistent accurate descriptions and fast shipping for Nashville-area parts.
- Parker’s Marine for Kentucky Lake hardware — The Paris yard is the northwest Tennessee option for physical lot browsing. Call 731-642-6569 to confirm current inventory before making the drive from further afield.
- Bring part numbers and serial numbers — All four Tennessee operations work faster with exact motor model, year, horsepower, and serial number rather than a general description.
Yards No Longer Operating in Tennessee
Tennessee’s salvage market has followed the pattern seen across the southeast — smaller informal yards have closed as environmental compliance costs and land values increased, while the operations that survived did so by adding insurance work, dealer franchises, or online sales to their revenue base.
The boating communities around Reelfoot Lake in northwest Tennessee, the Ocoee River area, and the Memphis-area lakes have historically had informal parts sources — small repair shops with donor boats parked behind the building — that no longer appear in any current directory. The formalisation of the Tennessee salvage market into the four verifiable operations above reflects the same contraction that eliminated walk-in yards in Indiana and Illinois.
Boat Removal Services in Tennessee
If you need a boat removed rather than parts sourced, Boats with Causes accepts Tennessee vessels statewide with free pickup and offers donors a potential tax deduction: 888-228-7320 / boatswithcauses.org
Nearby States with More Boat Salvage Yards
If you can’t find what you need in Tennessee, neighbouring states offer additional options. Georgia has Lanier Marine Liquidators near Lake Lanier — one of the largest inland salvage operations in the southeast. Missouri has D&F Marine in Saint James with 8,300+ eBay outboard parts transactions shipping nationally. For the deepest freshwater sterndrive inventory in the country, Michigan has Checker Marine’s 12-acre self-serve lot and Pine Lake Parts’ 17,000+ online listings.
