Derelict boats

[john61ct]

Obviously any law / reg is useless without proper enforcement.

Good governance requires taxes.

[roverhi]

There was a 40' boat in a prime slip at my old marina. Former hotshot aluminum racer that had fallen on hard times. There was badly repaired damage to the bow and a number of unfinished projects on the boat. I was in the marina for four years and never saw any sign that anyone visited the boat. Asked the office and they said the boat had been there for a number of years in that condition and the slip bill was on autopay from a bank. Reported that the owner died a few years later. The heirs had it towed to a yard and recycled.

[swordds]

Thank you for starting this thread, it is a topic that needs some serious consideration. What should an old person do with an old boat?

A 32 ft Vindo in the adjacent slip on my port side is owned by an elderly lady who lives thousands of miles away. How and why she came to own it I do not know. She continues to pay the monthly slip fee but the boat is now derelict (beyond the point of any reasonable repair) and recently sank in its slip. It has been refloated at the marina owners expense and the local boat yard will charge $3,500 to dispose of it. Does having boat insurance automatically pay for refloating and/or disposal of a derelict boat? An S2 9.6 in the adjacent slip on my starboard side is quickly becoming derelict. It is owned by an elderly man whose wife has dementia and I have not seen him at the boat during the last three years. There is a slowly deteriorating Pearson Vanguard several slips over whose owner has recently had a stroke and is no longer able to use or care for the boat. And there are dozens of other boats in the local marinas that sit unused and neglected.

I am also an old person who owns an old boat, a 1973 Alberg 30 in good (but not pristine) condition. I have never considered my boat to be a financial asset, just an affordable enjoyment. But a recent broken engine mount resulting in a cracked stern tube has made me realize how quickly my boat could become a substantial financial liability when the first yard estimate for repairs was higher than the market value of the boat.

My boat is thanfully now repaired and I continue to sail almost daily; but without some action on my part the boat will ultimately become a liability for my heirs or the marina (or does having boat insurance guarantee that a boat won’t become some one else’s liability - I dont think so). The generation that loves their classic plastics is fading away so here are the options I am considering:
* Just continue to enjoy my boat as long as possible and let fate take it’s course when I can no longer care for it (the easy path to take).
* Sell my boat now and buy a small day sailer on a trailer which would be much less of a problem for others to deal with when I no longer can (I am thinking this is probably the most logical option but hard for me to take because I love my boat).
* Donate my boat now while I am still healthy and before it becomes derelict to some vagabond sailor with dreams of live aboard cruising or to a salvage site like Boat Angles or the Sea Scouts (suggestions, advice, experiences doing this?).
* Sail out into the deep water Gulf of Mexico with a tank of nitrogen or hellium hooked to a full face scuba mask and take the final exit while scuttling my boat (I am thinking age 79 would be a reasonable target age for doing this).

[Prairie Chicken]

I've often wondered what does happen to the hulls of GRP boats deemed scrap. Are there some big chipping facilities out there that chop them up? If not, what?

[fish53]

Originally Posted by Prairie Chicken

I've often wondered what does happen to the hulls of GRP boats deemed scrap. Are there some big chipping facilities out there that chop them up? If not, what?

There's a place in Portland, ME that recycles boats and I talked with the guy as they were taking a 42' sailboat out of where I store my boats. He said after they strip everything off they grind the fiberglass up and sell it to a concrete company where they mix it in the concrete. He said he did six hundred boats last year. I believe it's called Capt. Jim's Marine.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by SkipperJer

Long time lurker, first time poster here.
Can't the owners be tracked down using the hull numbers? Once found sued to remove the derelict?

The vast majority are judgement proof (ie: they have no money so it doesn't matter if you put in a judgement against them).

[hpeer]

They may have no money but don’t we still have to go through lengthy court process to ID the owner and have the appropriate jurisdiction take ownership for removal and disposal?

I’m betting the legal fees often exceed the removal and disposal fees.

[boatman61]

Simple to solve the abandoned/neglected boat issue..
Place a note on the mast giving 90 days to move or clean up..
If no action, its seized and disposed off by the state/marina and its designated salvage companies.
Simple local by-law.. also should be written into marina contracts.

[hpeer]

That would make sense, which means it ain’t never gonna happen.

[hpeer]

That would make sense, which means it ain’t never gonna happen.

Here in the USA we are too stuck on “blame”. We have to find someone to blame. Thus we let bad situations get worse instead of dealing with it.

There needs to be some method of payment. Perhaps a marine fuel tax so that the boating community pays for the service. Dye the diesel blue!

[ohgary]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Quite common, many do choose just to walk away and leave their mess for someone else to deal with.

Pretty simple answer, Its cheaper.
Sad but true

[ohgary]

Originally Posted by hpeer

They may have no money but don’t we still have to go through lengthy court process to ID the owner and have the appropriate jurisdiction take ownership for removal and disposal?

I’m betting the legal fees often exceed the removal and disposal fees.

But why cant this be handled the same way as abandoned cars are. Setting for X time, Its towed to an impound yard, Held for 30-60 days if no one claims its sold at auction. Doesnt have to be a big production. Re-title the boat and be done with it. Yes There are lots of differences and sunk/sinking boats off some additional challenges but if you dont let them set for years then the sinking part becomes less of an issue.

[robwilk37]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Simple to solve the abandoned/neglected boat issue..
Place a note on the mast giving 90 days to move or clean up..
If no action, its seized and disposed off by the state/marina and its designated salvage companies.
Simple local by-law.. also should be written into marina contracts.

400 years of treaty-bound admiralty law stands in your way. a documented vessel enjoys certain protections and without the legal owners cooperation its damn near impossible to legally dispose of a derelict documented vessel. least of all you are stuck in admiralty court, good luck seeing a judge for five years.

tried to buy (legally) 9 separate derelicts for my refit project and had all of them fall apart at the last minute due to the documentation. the tenth one was successful only because it was an un-finished first build project, on land and had never been in the water. (so technically not yet a boat and just personal property)

the things you learn messing around in boats...

[Seagirt]

There are probably better articles out there on this but this is a starting point. Canada is working on laws (bill c 64) to better prevent derelict boats but it'll take time. A big hiccup seems to be that not all vessels are registered to an owner.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...blem-1.4580761

[gamayun]

California is figuring it out but it requires a lot of taxpayer money. It also requires municipalities and harbor masters to be proactive about these vessels before they sink and costs for removal go up exponentially.

http://www.slc.ca.gov/Programs/Abandonded_Vessels.html