United States
United Kingdom
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
IrelandWrecker Rick takes his homemade barge to 33,000 pounds of Alaska equipment
Large Marge leaves Manley Hot Springs for the Tanana and the Yukon, while comments fill up with boatbuilders and engineers defending it.
MURPHYS DIESEL
Story of Why this story? One of the most watched videos since yesterday, with 1,017,215 views.
Rescuing 33,000 of Abandoned Equipment in Alaska With My Homemade Boat
Video summary
Press to jump
- 0:09Rick lays out the mission: 70 miles by water to 33,000 pounds of abandoned equipment.
- 1:23An animated map traces the drive from Fairbanks along the Elliott Highway to Manley Hot Springs.
- 2:32Rick responds to online doubts about whether his barge can do the job.
- 6:33The crew backs Large Marge into the water at the Manley Hot Springs launch.
- 8:20Spray pours over the sides as the barge speeds down the Tanana with guides Ryan and Robert.
- 15:56The crew reaches the Sisu, van and Fat Truck, and Rick soon jump-starts the Sisu.
"Three weeks ago, I built my first boat," Wrecker Rick says in the opening seconds. A few moments later he raises the stakes: "This will be the biggest recovery we've ever done."
The boat is Large Marge the Barge, the aluminum landing craft the MURPHYS DIESEL crew built for one job: reaching a tracked Sisu, a Dodge van and a Fat Truck that have sat in the Alaskan wilderness for six months, about 70 miles from the nearest road. The new episode, which drew about a million views since yesterday, finally puts it in the water.
Getting there takes a while. Rick fuels the Western Star semi, loads spare fuel barrels into the barge and hauls it from Fairbanks up the Elliott Highway to the launch at Manley Hot Springs. On the way he pauses to answer people online who doubted the barge would work at all.
The river answers for him. Guided by Ryan of In The Trough: An Alaskan Odyssey and a second local boatman, Robert, the barge runs down the Tanana toward the Yukon, throwing so much spray over its sides that the crew has to bag the cargo. "It's not a boat. It's a yacht," Rick decides. The description adds the pressure behind the trip: the river dropping several inches a day and the daylight getting shorter fast.
The comments pick up the same argument. Self-described boatbuilders and engineers explain why a barge this shape is a sensible choice, and others call the Alaska series the most intense run of videos the channel has made.
At the site, the mood turns practical. Rick jump-starts the Sisu, drives it out of the brush and starts stripping off spare tracks and gear. "We need this as light as possible." The description also promises that Murphy's Law shows up somewhere out there.
Published on Trari
Where next?
What viewers say
The entire Alaska Series has easily been some of the most epic and intense videos on YouTube.
@mwesstonSee it on YouTubeThat barge was an absolute UNIT! That thing was ripping!! Nice work Rick and crew!
@timmorin69See it on YouTubeThank you Wrecker Rick and fam for these videos. They seem to drop on the days I need em most. For the next hour and twenty, the junk in my head don’t exist.
@waywardwoodwardSee it on YouTube
6 more comments
Can't believe people are hating on this. A barge loaded doing 30 knots. I'm an engineer, that craft is perfect for the job it's designed for.
@jamescosstick2233See it on YouTubeThe levels of epic adventure keep increasing. Extremely impressive
@archiestantonSee it on YouTubeAwesome video thanks for taking us along with you and the family.
@KevinGreen-z4n3sSee it on YouTubeIt’s great to see someone enjoying their life and not wasting the daylight
@holcom465See it on YouTubeThat camp spot should be declared Camp Dodgewell from now on.
@BearBrunkinOutdoorsSee it on YouTubeLOL... this was AWESOME.
For those that haven't watched the channel, NEVER underestimate Rick Murphy. He puts flying to Alaska, building a barge, and rescuing 3 vehicles in the same category as brushing his teeth.
Love it!@AboveTheBigSkySee it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
Is this your channel?For the channel's owners and team: a ready picture and text for your audience
Share the story with your audience. Everything is ready:
For an Instagram story or a WhatsApp status
For a community post or your channel's description
- Channel
- MURPHYS DIESEL
- Subscribers
- 1,330,000 ▲ 20,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 7,268,228
- Channel views, pace per day
- 1,484,363 (on a normal day: 1,015,333)
- Video published
- October 24, 2026
- Video views so far
- 1,321,612 (2 days online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 1,016,960
The numbers
A long episode that drew about a million views in its first day, on a channel already used to big Alaska numbers.
💡 Test your knowledge
From which Alaska city does Rick's road trip to the launch begin?
The video's map starts the route in Fairbanks and follows the Elliott Highway to Manley Hot Springs.