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Old 21-05-2019, 00:07   #1
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Virgin islands salvage vessels

Im back at looking at snagging a salvage vessel for explicitly repairing. They apparently still exist and several are quite within my initial cost range.

Warning. White flag. Please no need for crucifying or over allowance or input. I know what I'm getting into. I'm aware of everything attached.

I have a few questions.

Virgin Gorda. Tortola. These two places seem to be a happy place for me to pick out my new hull. That last bit was lol.

Does anyone have insight what the current situation is post irma? Is anyone currently in the area?

My goal, ultimately is to make said vessel float worthy, and ship it back to Florida (already had a few quotes). As efficiently and quickly as possible.

I'm considering one of the gazillion benetau or possibly a sailcat if the price and damage ratio works out

Anyone's gentle and generous input, withholding a barrage of bias is massively appreciated.
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Old 21-05-2019, 03:22   #2
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

Spent the last four months there.... they are still recovering but services are all restored. All marinas were open and functional, haul outs happening daily. Biggest issue we noticed while there is the general lack of parts in the chandlery. We couldn’t even find an anchor chain hook.

There is a lot of room at the Spanish Town yard for repairs, only about 6-8 boats in the yard there.

Do you have any specific information you’re looking for?
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Old 21-05-2019, 07:27   #3
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

That's awesome to hear Bob!

Are there still a noticable graveyard esque plethora of salvage vessels? or they are at the end of that now? I intend to fly over next month and secure a vessel, I guess I'm curious if the salvage rights are yard owned at this point or if anyone knows a specific yard with more for sale etc
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Old 21-05-2019, 08:29   #4
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

Maria was in October 2017. Are there really any salvageable boats left which haven't been cannibalized for parts? I would expect the only things left are parts boats and things that people have been passing on for over a year.

Over a year ago, the site was rife with amateur salvors with dreams of a cheap cost of entry with a lot of sweat equity. I feel like your really late to the party.
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Old 21-05-2019, 08:41   #5
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

Look at Panama City I lost my 300K cat there
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Old 21-05-2019, 08:55   #6
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

I agree with Shrew, I was there a month ago for just a few weeks, but man, everything that was still beached had serious chunks out of their hulls, and seemed picked over for whatever parts that could be removed. I understood that it costs $12K USD to bring a "crusher/shredder" to pulverize the carcasses, and then burn the debris (can we say environmental nightmare), but they weren't burning when I was there. Well, I know I've seen plenty of seaworthy "fixer upper" S/V in the 30-40' range on various coastal US locations, for very reasonable prices, albeit these are older. (check BoatTrader.com) But I really think you'd be better served with a S/V that at least floats when you start your renovation.
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Old 21-05-2019, 10:02   #7
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

KemoSabe,

Most Maria damaged boats from St. Marten were barged to Antigua and lifted ashore
They currently are piled up at Crabbs Marine in Antigua.
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Old 21-05-2019, 10:25   #8
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

For what it is worth, I live in the BVI, work in the marine industry, was here for the flood, Irma and Maria, and for all but a couple of weeks of the recovery. And, I am fairly well "connected".


I won't say there aren't ANY such boats, but I don't know of them. Doesn't it seem logical that in a small country, whose biggest employer is the tourist/yachting industry, that those of us in that industry would have been the first people to have been informed by salvors/owners/surveyors of any decent wrecks? That's the way it works, anywhere. Without lifting a finger, I could have been involved with five, myself. Lifting just one finger, probably a dozen more. Raising my hand? Countless! But they are gone, now, and have been for a long time. The previous comment about the BVI having been crawling with amateur salvors, a year ago, was true, and some of them were looking at really promising projects, whilst others were just picking at the bones.


Bearing in mind that you are "aware of everything attached", let me answer a few of your questions and edit a few of the answers you have already received:


1) We are very well along in our recovery, and most marinas are back in action, but certainly not all.



2) There is no graveyard with a plethora of abandoned boats. The Government took early action on that, passing a law that allowed them to tag apparently abandoned vessels, and then to claim them and dispose of them after six months. This has been an ongoing project. It took awhile to come online, and it's not over, but they have done fairly well. The stuff that is left is generally more difficult to access, or has not yet been reached.



3) We don't burn the boats here! Sheesh....we are concerned for own environment. We are more clever than that. We ship them, sometimes whole and sometimes crushed, to the US, where there are places that DO burn them, or whatever. So, no, boats were NOT being burned when any of the commentators were here.


Shrew is correct in that most boats had their usable parts removed for re-use. A company Harbor Shoppers (I think that's its name), was set up in St. Thomas to sell these. They might even have a boat or two!



Parts are in fairly good supply, but it is always possible that specific things are not. The chandleries are still stocking up, post Irma. You can import stuff, but it's not duty free and express services are very expensive. Regular freight is not, but it takes a week or so, if from the US, and a lot more from elsewhere.



Unless you are planning on doing all the work yourself (and you may have to get both boatyard and government permission to do so), some critical marine repair establishments are not short of work, although many have caught up from Irma's effects. But, as an example, I have some fairly detailed gelcoat work to be done this summer, by a yard (owned by friends), that will not be able to do it until June....and we have been discussing opportunities since early LAST summer.



All of which you need to research very carefully, since any delay will likely result in lay days of $100 to $200, per day!


With regard to ownership, typically that transferred to insurance companies following payouts for total losses. Some transfers were troubled, due to unclear chains of ownership, but mostly, the insurers owned the boats, not the yards. Since the insurers were on the hook for yard fees, they did their best to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Indeed, they dropped the threshold for declaring a boat a total loss, in order to avoid lengthy yard stays, and they approved of shipping quite a few boats elsewhere for speedier repairs....(not sure quite how well that worked out, however). Since the yards do a big business in hurricane season storage, they also had an incentive to clear things out, which they have done. It's nothing like the photos you probably saw and may still be looking at!


I think that Shrew is absolutely right about you being really late to the party. Irma was 20 months ago! But, if I were you, before I came here, I would contact the Nanny Cay Boatyard and the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour Boatyard to see if they know of anything..perhaps a boat that an amateur salvor has abandoned. I would call Commercial Divers and Husky Salvage, to ask the same question. I would call Caribbean Surveyors and West Indies surveyors and ask there....a lot of the insurance company owned boats were placed by these two. I would call the Moorings. Then, I would call a couple of the yacht brokerages, primarily BVI Yacht Sales, who moved a lot of Irma boats. With the exception of the surveyors and Nanny Cay, I would take everything with a least a grain of salt, and maybe a good big pinch, simply because it is very hard to really ascertain what you are looking at until really diving into the repair, which will obviously not have happened. It is human nature to be optimistic, and boats have a way of hiding some of their worst secrets!



If you don't find anything really promising, through those sources, I would give it a rest.
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Old 21-05-2019, 12:48   #9
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

Kemosabe, you can call the insurance companies and see if any thing is left but I am certain that you would do better with boat angel or some other donation company. Ive restored 3 hurricane boats and 2 boats that were under water when I purchased (I was very young and wanted a boat). In every case with me doing all of my own work it would have been cheaper for me to buy a complete useable boat. Good luck.
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Old 21-05-2019, 13:38   #10
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

There is no $$$ cheap way into boat ownership though selvage. even with vessels available on the shores of your local community. and very much less in far afield locations. There is only ONE reason to restore a classic vessel. and that decision has to be based solely on your personal emotional connection to to it, and what it means to you.



did you personally know the boat builder?
is the designer a personal friend of yours?
as part of its provenance story was it owned by a celebrity that you are a fan of?
was it owned by your grand father? or grand mother?
your father and mother,?
brother or sister.
did it win every yacht race> or at least a famous race?


So now if any of these apply and thus you have decide to save it. You have also decided that you do not mind how much it with cost you. because it WILL BE MORE THAN THE COST OF A NEW BOAT. and definitely far more that you can sell it for!


But you will be able to be welcomed to show it off at boat shows.
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Old 21-05-2019, 14:39   #11
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

There is a well known boating writer who loves to repeat how he and his wife lost the boat they had built to a Caribbean hurricane, and how they then bought a wreck for $3000 and sailed that boat around the world. I think that romantic tale has inspired many to take on losing causes, unfortunately, because if you dig deep into the author's writings, he concedes that the $3K was the purchase price of the wreck and NOT what it cost to refurb it, which was much, much more. Let the buyer beware!
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Old 21-05-2019, 16:06   #12
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

Was just in St. Martin and Anguilla last week. Didn't go boat shopping, but always am looking around. All of what I saw had major holes and were in terrible shape. I would bet the best ones are gone. Those that are left, are not financially feasible to restore.
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Old 21-05-2019, 16:48   #13
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

We are just finishing up the work on our boat, which was COSMETICALLY damaged in Hurricane Harvey. $235K in repairs. And the boat was worth $250K. Should have been totaled. Storage was over $35K... Remember, this was all cosmetic... It's what happens when your uninsured neighbor's rig comes through yours, and his rigging saws through your dock lines. That and 120mph for 2 hours.
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Old 21-05-2019, 17:06   #14
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

Typically, this thread has drifted into comments the OP specifically requested not be made. He doesn’t want sermons on the downfalls of boat restorations. We have had these countess times before.
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Old 21-05-2019, 19:20   #15
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Re: Virgin islands salvage vessels

Quote:
Originally Posted by captlloyd View Post
Typically, this thread has drifted into comments the OP specifically requested not be made. He doesn’t want sermons on the downfalls of boat restorations. We have had these countess times before.

Well, he also said he knew all the downfalls, which he doesn't, and he also is not up to date on the situation on the ground. So, I think the few folks that have commented are trying to help, and may have done so.
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