What Happens to Broken Boats ?

[callmecrazy]

Every few years, NOAA attempts new programs for marine debris awareness and removal. Abandoned and derelict boats are included as marine debris. Many states sign up for the efforts, but awareness by the public is completely lacking (and probably some funding issues as well).

Google your state marine debris program, or look at the NOAA site for more information.

As for boats that just die... Most of them sit in a boat yard until the boatyard (after many years of attempting to sell) finally runs out of room and decides to send it to the dump. They probably sell the metals, but the fiberglass is most likely going to a landfill.

There's quite a few boats on yachtworld that have been listed for many years now. They are being sold by the boatyards attempting to recoup back-fees and free up some space. But nobody is buying since better condition boats are easily available and less costly. They'll eventually land in the fill, but as long as the yard has enough space to keep their customers happy, they have little incentive to remove the old boats since the prospect of some project-hunter is always on the back of their mind.

There's 1000's (I've seen hundreds myself) of boats from katrina that were hauled away and stored at fema/state expense. Boatyards all over the south were paid to store them, but they are still sitting, untouched, ever since. They're not advertised for sale, and if they were, it'd be extremely rare to sell one given their condition. But the boatyards are small enough, yet have enough land, to continue to store them (IE: haven't run out of room yet). So they just sit... I suspect (but have no proof) there's continuing tax relief for them, or possibly even storage fee's being paid by the gov.

[Lagoon4us]

My experience is in Australia only and i've never seen a single boat wrecked out or cut up, here there is always someone with a dream to fit their budget i guess....

Probably relates to our "Island/Isolated lifestyle"...

I have bought wrecks that were salvaged, stripped them out and i've always found someone willing to glass up a Volkswagen size hole in the side andnfollow their dream......

[holmek]

While each of us may debate and critisise and pontificate about disposal of old derelict boats, we must face the reality that the boat that we are now spending our last penny on will one day too join these unwanted constructions. Boats/cars/worn out tyres/shopping bags/we're a garbage generating society. Too many people wanting too much consuming too much. I'm not about to regress back to the cave, but we must try to make as small a footprint as we can during our flash in the pan existance. I think I'm trying to say that none of us is worth a 5h1t so don't think that what you do is worth anything to another or to the planet. What you hold dear is only of any value to you, everybody else is holding their own stuff dear and eternity doesn't give a . . . . . . . .

[micah719]

Thousands of boats wreked in Katrina....stored at taxpayer's expense (gubby dun't make no money, they just takes it)...

Where are the owners? Did they all simply abandon their boats?

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by micah719

Thousands of boats wreked in Katrina....stored at taxpayer's expense (gubby dun't make no money, they just takes it)...

Where are the owners? Did they all simply abandon their boats?

I think most of the ones I'm talking about were simply abandoned. Just like they abandoned their homes, their cars, and everything else after the insurance companies decided not to pay.

I don't know if boats that were insured and "totalled" were included with these, but I know many were simply abandoned. In many cases, fema paid out better than the insurance, so the insurance claims were never processed (and the fema processing was being rushed through). Probably a few who claimed their boats "missing" and collected both And I'm sure there were many that had no insurance at all... Boats where everywhere, all over the roads, between homes, in the trees, on top of businesses. But the owners where nowhere to be found. The government had to take the initiative and get rid of the 'debris' so the people that came back could begin rebuilding.

[callmecrazy]

Here's a few that I found in a boatyard in MS. There were probably 100 wrecked boats in this boatyard at the time, all from Katrina. If you look closely you can see the sticker on the hull from when they were removed. These were not brought by the owners... I only took photos of these 3 because I was considering them as projects. As far as I know, All I would have to do was apply for a salvage title to become the new owner.

Alberg 35, Ohlson 30, and a Vega

[CnC40sailor]

That's really quite sad. Most boats entail so much passion and hardship that it becomes part of the person. I could imagine if the owner was watching it, he would feel as if he is also losing part of himself.

[micah719]

All those spare parts and pre-owned gear.....drooool.

How come the owners don't claim them back?

Any organisations recycling all that gear for places like Haiti?

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by CnC40sailor

That's really quite sad. Most boats entail so much passion and hardship that it becomes part of the person. I could imagine if the owner was watching it, he would feel as if he is also losing part of himself.

I think you're missing the point. When a boat gets to the stage where it needs to be cut up and dumped, it is almost always specifically because the owner no longer cares what happens to it AT ALL! The owner has already, long ago, given up on the boat and only hopes that no one will try to make him pay for disposing of the trash that he has left behind.

These people don't care about what is going to happen to their boat anymore than the guy who tosses a cigarette butt out of his car window cares about what is going to happen to the butt. The only difference is that cleaning up a cigarette butt on the side of the road is a lot easier job.

Now, it may be that a PREVIOUS owner of the boat would feel sad to see it get to that point...

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by CnC40sailor

I've always wondered about this, and sadly never know. But what happens to 40ft boats that have met their expiration date?(so to speak).

I sold mine to a salvager who cut it up for the usable part. It was tied up at a dock directly across from where the one I'm living on is. Came home from chorus rehearsal and he'd taken the mast down. I saw my beloved old boat with no mast and I just cried, but ... its live was done.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by CnC40sailor

Well I certainly hoped it was something more graceful than that.

Do people really waste good wine on the bow to only later lose the boat to a chain saw and a dumpster?

What else would you suggest?

My old boat absolutely was not worth saving. What else could I have done?

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by micah719

What happens to the useable internal organs?

That's what I'm saying. I sold mine to a friend who does salvaging for the parts.

Someone offered to tow it out to the Gulf and sink it, but I got more money by salvaging it.

[John A]

Re the thread:
Bahamas Boat Ramming

I donated my boat to an IRS approved organization in the Lake Worth, Fl. area. Notarized documents of the transaction were used when filing my Federal taxes.

[CnC40sailor]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

Now, it may be that a PREVIOUS owner of the boat would feel sad to see it get to that point...

I suppose that's more realistic. Just from my experience, I find that to be an impossible situation.

[Capt Phil]

I cut my marine molars aboard old wooden seine boats in the PNW. One boat I worked aboard was about 40-50 years when I worked on her back in the 50's and 60's.
Lo and behold, 2 years ago there she was, sitting at a government dock north of Pender Harbor, looking like she did when I left her in the mid 60's. She now must be well over 100 years old!
Old boats don't have to die through sinking or chainsaws, all it takes is one to care enough to keep them up and/or bring them back to life.
I have a lot of admiration for folks willing to undertake the task of bringing these old girls back to life. Capt Phil