Derelict boats

[BugzyCan]

Do people ever abandon boats? Maybe they pay for several years mooring and then abandon them due to health reasons or other priorities.


Do the pier operators keep track of who comes and goes?


We have a neighbor down the street with a small sailboat parked outside in the driveway. It has not been used for many years, can tell by looking at it. I was wondering if the same thing happens with moored boats.

[robwilk37]

all the time, everywhere. the real problem is if the boat is abandoned and documented - very difficult to dispose of legally. state registered is a bit easier, at least in california.

[CSY Man]

Several derelict boats in the Fort Lauderdale residential canals.
Here is a prime example I finally got read of.

[landsend]

Seems to be more abandoned boats on Lake Surprise in Key Largo. After a while they are hugging the mangroves. Can't figure out how they are still floating,wouldn't they sink after a few months of neglect?

[hpeer]

St Martin, full of derilict, sunken, half sunken, mastless, etc boats. Clearly many were from before the hurricane last year. What a mess.

Folks complain about how the USA treated Puerto Rico, but in Salinas the derilict boats had all been identified by the USCG, and bar one, they were gone.

It’s a peeve of mine, shitting in our own bed.

[BugzyCan]

Is there some rule for salvage of all of these boats? I imagine a good number of them would contain valuable parts, motors, electronics, metal bits and pieces, maybe sails etc. Or do these get stripped before being abandoned?

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by landsend

Seems to be more abandoned boats on Lake Surprise in Key Largo. After a while they are hugging the mangroves. Can't figure out how they are still floating,wouldn't they sink after a few months of neglect?

I could walk away from our boat right now and I have a hunch it would float without attendance for several years.

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by BugzyCan

Is there some rule for salvage of all of these boats? I imagine a good number of them would contain valuable parts, motors, electronics, metal bits and pieces, maybe sails etc. Or do these get stripped before being abandoned?

Anything useful or valuable was sold for drugs by thieves long ago. It costs a community hundreds of dollars to remove, haul, chop and move to a landfill. It’s not like an abandoned car or pickup: there is no recyclable value in fiberglass.

[David M]

The harbormaster where I am requires a deposit large enough to haul wood boats out of the water, cut them up with a chainsaw and deposit them in a dumpster. For him, it is wood boats that are abandoned the most often and have the least value on average. Without a deposit, he won't accept wood boats into the marina. They also sink the most often which becomes another expensive problem when the owner does not care.

[landsend]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

I could walk away from our boat right now and I have a hunch it would float without attendance for several years.

Think mine would sink in a month without charging batteries.There are some good size abandoned motor vessels that have been floating around the mangroves,changing positions with every storm. No dripping packing glands I guess.

[belizesailor]

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

[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?

[belizesailor]

Sure, if they have any assets, but a lot of folks who abandon boats dont...cant get blood from a stone.

[john61ct]

Requiring insurance in order to stay in a jurisdiction's waters is the only solution afaict.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Requiring insurance in order to stay in a jurisdiction's waters is the only solution afaict.

They are already required to be registered, but aren’t. So I doubt requiring Insurence would do anything, cause they offenders won’t buy it, but the law abiding person is saddled with yet another bill.