Boat Held Hostage By Marine Transport Company

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Please keep this thread open. It is one of the most entertaining discussions I've ever read here although long since moved away from being constructive. It is always great reading comments from internet sailing experts about a topic they know virtually nothing about.

I plead guilty as charged.

[Christerart]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Please keep this thread open. It is one of the most entertaining discussions I've ever read here although long since moved away from being constructive. It is always great reading comments from internet sailing experts about a topic they know virtually nothing about.

Actually, there are a few in this thread who has actual *experience* as truckers/owner-operators/trucking company owners who have added their take to the discussion.

[Greatketch33]

Many folks contributing to this thread.

For the sake of a simple status: has the boat been returned? Or located?

Thank you,
Greatketch33

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Christerart

Actually, there are a few in this thread who has actual *experience* as truckers/owner-operators/trucking company owners who have added their take to the discussion.

Too few. The vast majority make it entertaining including the concept of entrusting a boat based on the exchange of email. Maybe we can start a corollary thread on particle physics and String Theory next.

[Dansante85]

Update for concerned parties. My mast and Creole-Belle's boat have not been delivered. Still being held at undisclosed location by Dan Steadley of Big Dog Marine, LLC.

[Christerart]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Too few. The vast majority make it entertaining including the concept of entrusting a boat based on the exchange of email. Maybe we can start a corollary thread on particle physics and String Theory next.

The majority in this thread have been in it trying to be supportive of the clearly defrauded boat owners - and not for the "entertainment" value.

If you are looking for "entertainment" I am sure there are quite a few places you can go to.

The nice thing would be to add something usable or helpful to the elderly owner who unfortunately still lives under the impression others are as moral as he seems to be.

I admit I've done exactly what he did - did "business" more or less on a handshake - and got screwed a couple of times.

On the other hand, those who did deal dishonestly with me never got my business again - or that of my friends.

For a number of people it is still important to deal with honor - and helping others when the need arises - and that's what it is all about.

[Longbow3]

Being a newbie here you are welcome to disregard any of my posts.

Here is a quote from Big Dog Marine web site, if it is one and the same as the offending transportation service of the identical name.

"Our professional, result-oriented drivers have the knowledge and driving skills to transport your boat safely. With experience in regulatory and oversized vessels, our drivers know how the boat must be balanced, supported, stabilized and secured. They know how to properly distribute the weight on both the boat, and the trailer axels and how to correctly secure the boat to the trailer.

All boat transporters associated with Big Dog Marine are appropriately insured, use escorts where required and operate the finest specialized boat transportation equipment in the country. We are a North American service and look forward to making your boating experience more enjoyable and a little easier."


Again, I have no "dog in the hunt" big or otherwise..

[sailorboy1]

so many boating and transportation internet legal experts.............and so little time to keep track of it all

what is one to do

PS - ths thread seems to be a magnetic for the newer CF members

[Dansante85]

The legal ins and outs posted by concerned members are numerous and thorough. ie, What constitutes a contract, how much did the boat weigh, when is conversion a crime, who did what when, etc, etc.

Let's return to the core issue for a moment. Dan Steadley was entrusted with my mast and Creole-Belle's boat for delivery to specified locations on specified dates. He did not deliver. He has not delivered. He wants to argue with Creole about damage to his truck. Fine, do it in court. We are the rightful owners of our property and we want it back. Performance of contract, damages, etc, can be decided at a later date, that is why we have courts instead of duels. But Mr. Steadley will not tell us where our property is located so that we can recover it at our own expense. Speculation on his motivation for this is rampant. But the fact remains he has over $150,000 of others people property and will not return it or allow its rightful owners to recover it. That is the problem.

[Longbow3]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

so many boating and transportation internet legal experts.............and so little time to keep track of it all

what is one to do

PS - ths thread seems to be a magnetic for the newer CF members

It was quite popular, with lots of recent comments and reads like a mystery novel.

[sabray]

I gave up and thought maybe I would call big dog marine to get their side. I could not find a phone number. They have a sketchy web site with some reference to storage facilities. Undisclosed storage facilities. Anyone have the phone number for big dog. I was on the 2 sides story but this looks sketchy. If it were my boat I might think it was stolen. So what's the phone number.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by sabray

I gave up and thought maybe I would call big dog marine to get their side. I could not find a phone number. They have a sketchy web site with some reference to storage facilities. Undisclosed storage facilities. Anyone have the phone number for big dog. I was on the 2 sides story but this looks sketchy. If it were my boat I might think it was stolen. So what's the phone number.

According to information on the DOT web site contact details:


MC or MX#: MC-425353 DUNS Number:
Address: 1643 Savannah Hwy
Charleston, SC 29407
Telephone843) 810-7900
Fax: (843) 573-2518

Email: danielsteadley@aol.com

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Christerart

The majority in this thread have been in it trying to be supportive of the clearly defrauded boat owners - and not for the "entertainment" value.

If you are looking for "entertainment" I am sure there are quite a few places you can go to.

I think you missed the point that most of the comments, however intended, are either uninformed, incorrect or misleading. Not dissimilar to many other comments here on this forums regarding boat design, construction or quality interestingly enough.

It appears many people have no reservation expressing their opinion in declarative statements as fact which is a disservice at minimum therefore providing nothing more than entertainment value.

All the while we are treated to only one side of the story which is generally not a sound basis to form a judgment although here that seems to have also gone by the wayside.

In the end, nothing is accomplished and nothing is resolved, no definitive solution is achieved and we are left with one person's perspective of what happened which seems to be self-inflicted.

[Celestialsailor]

I wonder if the issue of the mast and boat being store without disclosure could be taken to a judge to declare them stolen, allowing law enforcement to pursue finding stolen goods?

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Man!!!...Just because you use words like "the fact remains", doesn't mean its a fact at all. Holding property as ransom is stealing. Then your other comments using H.A.'s and other derogatory comments make you look like a complete fool here.

It does in fact mean its a fact!..... The HA remarks were stated by someone else first and it was rather odd to me that such well meaning and fine intelligent folks would, after talking about how they are moral and honest, start advocating for the HA to get involved in a dispute about a boat!! So it would seem that the fool would be you for not reading the whole thread before commenting!.... If it seems that I am advocating strongly for the trucker(I am not,im advocating for people to get there act together before handing over large sums of money to people, before they educate themselves about the possible ramifacations of doing so) it is because when I first saw this thread I thought " this old fellow is going to play hell getting his boat back without paying the driver what he is asking for ",wheather it is moral or a gray area be damned,the fact remains he gave the boat to the driver to haul with very little in the way of a good contract to protect himself with....I do not know this truck driver ,I have talked to him twice now and he has called me both times,he is not hard to get a hold of, he has a business with at least six trucks and trailers from what he tells me...he said that he has been in business for 12 yrs...He has asked me to ask Bob to call him so that they can dicuss the boat ,he said he has left at least 8 voice mails and they wont return the calls...Bob please call Dan @ he said the mast is in Texas and will be delivered thrusday!...He has also asked that I inform everyone that thought that he has commited a crime that he has now filed a lien against the boat with the US Coast Guard and that the US Marshall Service delivered a bright orange sticker and stuck it on the boat in LA....He said that the sticker reads that the boat shall not be moved or convaid(sp?) and that in 90 days his lawer said he could "sale the boat to get the money owed to him for delivering the boat to California" Bob please call or answer the phone when he calls, He seems to be a serious person and wants to settle the problem and said that he dosent want your boat...(This is why I was "Advocating" as I knew he could do this and someone would lose a boat if they took some of the lame ass advice that was being suggested here ,ie. call the law ,call a lawyer call the Hells Angels.. Hell call the trucker!Try to work it out anything except for what was suggested by a lot of you ...the law cant do anything , a lawyer cant do anything (except take your money and do what I said to do,work it out with the man,he has your boat and he did not steal it)( as some have said here) ...He said that he has taken in $30,000 dollars worth of work in the last few weeks and that several people have told him that they saw this mess on CF and placed no faith in it!! I know a lot of you were trying to help get his boat back but, the advice was terrible....I know I took it on as a "cause" but,some of the things that were said were just plain wrong on so many fronts and would not serve to get Bobs boat back...I meant nothing but good by offering the advice that I did and some of you saw fit to turn it into a personal attack upon my ethics and morals and at the same time compromise your own morals and ethics by suggesting he hire people to make a visit as in the old days ...thats the whole problem from what I can tell,someone thinking they can do business like in the "Old Days"! I repeat that I dont know this man or have any connection to him other than the phone number I found on his website...This man is not a bad fellow from what I can tell from talking to him on the phone ,he just wants his trailer fixed because he says that he was lied to about the weight of the boat and that he was sent to a place where he couldnt weigh the boat and when it was loaded he couldnt un- load ...He did take the boat to Calif. on another trailer so it shows intent to deliver,now the finances need to be re-negotiated as he fills he was deceived ...This is what I know and I know because I cared enough to find out what the other side of the story was before blindly dedicating myself to someone that came on here and said "I was robbed lets all attack the truck driver and I wont give you his name so that he can defend himself ,just blindly dedicate yourself to what I say " and thats what a lot of you did before you understood that there was nothing the law could do ,the FBI could do,it is a civil matter, and now the guy has gone and slapped a lien on the boat and said that he is charging Bob 50.00 a day storage...Instead of advising Bob to try and talk to the guy, some of you have caused the problem to worsen if Bob has taken your bad advice...THIS IS A CIVIL MATTER!