Saving Another Catalina, An abandoned Catalina 36.
- Thread starter mikeracca
- Start date
Well I brought all of the boat’s equipment back to it, and removed all of my possessions from inside. The only thing left there that’s mine are the dock lines. I told the marina staff that the boat is complete again and that I would come down every few weeks to check on it, but until the owners of the marina get their heads out of their asses and get this figured out I’m stepping away. If they won’t honor the original agreement (which both of the marina staff heard me make with the owner) then I will recover my dock lines and walk away.
I really like this boat and I want to bring it back to life again, but I wont invest money into it unless I have the title in my hands. They keep asking me to pay the marina staff for the boat and we will get the title paperwork to you, but they won’t meet me at the marina with the paperwork so I can get the paperwork and pay them at the same time. Sorry, been burned too many times from that promise.
I will keep you all posted if anything changes.
I really like this boat and I want to bring it back to life again, but I wont invest money into it unless I have the title in my hands. They keep asking me to pay the marina staff for the boat and we will get the title paperwork to you, but they won’t meet me at the marina with the paperwork so I can get the paperwork and pay them at the same time. Sorry, been burned too many times from that promise.
I will keep you all posted if anything changes.
Hopefully the owner(s) and mediator come to their senses and honor the verbal agreement that you made as well as deliver the title to you. What else are they going to do with the boat? It's going to cost them quite a bit to have the boat hauled & demolished. Not likely to find another person, such as you, who can refurbish & become a valuable resource for the marina. Wise choice to hold off on any further work until they honor the agreement & provide the title. Good luck; hoping that everything works out!
Your plan sounds solid. Stick to it. Boat and title for any money. I would suspect they do not have clear title to the boat. From what you have said it sounds like the boat was abandoned and you came along to reverse the boats condition. Getting title for an abandoned boat means the marina must follow state law to acquire the title. Perhaps the marina staff have missed that detail.
You could look online at the State Motor vehicle office and see who is the owner of record. A state number or the boats HIN would help. If it is not the marina, it ownership may be the former boat owner. The marina would be seeking slip fees.
Good luck
You could look online at the State Motor vehicle office and see who is the owner of record. A state number or the boats HIN would help. If it is not the marina, it ownership may be the former boat owner. The marina would be seeking slip fees.
Good luck
I have seen the paperwork and it is all good as far as the abandoned boat thing goes. But I’m not gonna give anybody money until I see that the paperwork is properly signed and ready to be turned over to me, with a receipt so I pay the taxes on the purchase price and not what some clerk at the DMV says is market value for a vessel they have never seen… or in this case smelled.
The marina knows who the former owner is and will be going after them for slip fees, not me.
Good on you. I know this has to be frustrating because you would like to get on with the restoration. Only thing that I can say is keep after them and be patient; hopefully it will work out in your favor...eventually.
I hope that 2024 reveals another saved Catalina. You do such nice work.
Be very careful regarding the title. the only seller who can convey good title is the human or corporation whose name is on the most recent title filed with the in which boat is registered. if the marina owner has a lien or contract claim against boat owner, for slip fees etc. , and there is a lawsuit ongoing over slip fees etc. boat owner owes, you could be in the middle of their messy legal dispute. or worse, get stuck with any lien the marina placed on the boat itself, or judgment it got against boat owner.
I have bought a boat from them before in the same fashion as this, and I will get a clear title once everything is settled. Not sure when that will be, I just got laid off from work and no new work yet so there is another wrench thrown into the monkeys.