Didn't Get the Fireboat You Wanted for Christmas?

Well, cross it off your list. Boston posted a 72.5-foot retired MV Firefighter on municibid.com earlier this week — and bidding starts at $10,000. The Pottstown, Pennsylvania-based online auction site is like an eBay for surplus government equipment, except that it doesn’t charge a seller fee (the winning bidder does pay a fee, which is 5 percent of the final sale price).

Photo via municibid.com.

Founder and CEO Greg Berry called the fireboat “one of the more unique items” to come up for bid, and said that about 50 Massachusetts cities and towns use the site. Some places have really profited from it: Mansfield, for one, recently sold off 75 items — snowplows, bikes, tools, and more — to the tune of $160,000. The only other local offerings currently for sale are a scrap trailer from Boston and an old Wurlitzer Spinet piano from Norwood. However, if you’re willing to travel to the Quaker State, you can score a police cruiser, Crayola washable paint, or traffic light signals.

Getting back to the fireboat: The auction closes at 1 p.m. on January 30. There are public viewings between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at the Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina.

You may want to check with your local marina about slip availability before throwing your (captain’s) hat in the ring.