Economic pain hits home

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T37 Phil

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Jan 26, 2007
308
Norsea 27 Cleveland
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/business/01boats.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

I suppose the practice of dumping a boat (scuttling) isn't new, but it seems to be on the rise. Has anyone seen this happen in their area? At first I asked myself why people would (Ed. sp) dump good boats just to avoid maintenance costs. Why not just give the boat to someone who wants it, or sell it very cheap? It turns out the article is about insurance fraud, and how it's on the rise among boat owners. Maybe it's mostly power boaters giving up on gas prices ever coming down and staying down again.
 
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BobW

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Jul 21, 2005
456
Hunter 31 San Pedro, Ca
Thumbs up to California on this one....

for recognizing that the problem can't be solved by making it a crime to not be able to afford your boat anymore.

On the other end we find South Carolina imposing a 30 day jail sentence for abandoning a boat, but not providing an alternative.

So a boat owner, after being laid off, foreclosed on, bankrupted (but not allowed to declare bankruptcy), gets 30 days in jail if he doesn't keep his boat taken care of instead of feeding his familywith his meager funds.

Our marina (one of the group of California Yacht Marinas mentioned in the story) is dotted with boats for sale, mostly smaller sail and power boats. I'm not sure what the marina does if a boat is abandoned, other than do the legal paperwork and keep the For Sale sign on it. As long as the marina has empty slips, it doesn't cost them a whole lot to let the boat sit.

I suspect this problem is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Cheers,

BobW
 
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MoonSailer

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Jun 7, 2007
875
Pearson- 323- Mobile,Al
Chain saw!!!! I saw a marina workman chain saw several smaller sailboats . They could sell the masts and keel for scrap metal and then put the chain sawed fiberglass and wood into the dumpster. The marina owner said that it happened too often to him that an owner abandoned a boat and then the boat was not worth the slip fees owed. Then he had to get rid of the boat. By that time they usually had sat so long unused that they were worthless.
 
Brian D

Brian D

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Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
Oceanside Harbor takes abandoned boats and hauls them off to the military base where they are destroyed. What happens after that, I don't know. Lots of slip space in San Diego becoming available, but still very expensive.
 
Ctskip

Ctskip

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Sep 21, 2005
732
other 12 wet water
So Brian,
Are you telling me that California marinas are taking their problem/abandoned boats and turning them over to the Feds? Thats one way of doing business, I guess. Isn't that like shifting the burden to all taxpayers?

Keep it up,
Ctskip
 
Brian D

Brian D

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Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
First off, I have cleaned up this thread. I will not allow it to get politicized in any way. I if you want to get political, then step into the war room and duke it out there!

Ctskip, I don't know what they do with the boats. I believe the harbor has an agreement with the base and they have a means of disposing of them. Now, is that on the taxpayer? I don't know. It is also possible that the individual who told me this may not have been informed and was just speculating.
 
Phil Herring

Phil Herring

Alien
Mar 25, 1997
4,924
- - Bainbridge Island
If custodianship of the boats is assumed by a government, wouldn't they be auctioned?

There's a business lurking just below this problem!
 
dvideohd

dvideohd

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Jul 24, 2005
261
MacGregor Mac26D Richardson, TX; Dana Point, CA
recycle...

there are a lot of good items on boats to recycle!!!!

parts to sell... like winches... (WINCHES... not Wenches!!!!)

wiring, SSteel, Al, and a more!!!!

why not recycle?

--jerry
 
dvideohd

dvideohd

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Jul 24, 2005
261
MacGregor Mac26D Richardson, TX; Dana Point, CA
Slip wait time is DOWN at Dana Point.. some slips are almost immediate... Big Slips are still at 20years+ though...

If you have a 25-30' boat - now is a good time to look...

--jr
 
Ctskip

Ctskip

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Sep 21, 2005
732
other 12 wet water
One would think with all these boats being abandoned, the used parts will becoming on the market soon. The more parts, the less they cost. I still ask myself what ever happened to all the parts from Katrina that seemed to just vanish.
Brian,
You must be from the left coast too, eh?

Keep it up,
Ctskip
 
sailaway78

sailaway78

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May 11, 2005
3,431
Seidelman S37 Slidell, La.
Katrina boats

After Katrina, it was a total mess down here. Literally thousands of boats, literally torn to shreds. Thousands more badly damaged. I know of one guy who was trying to salvage parts and resell them. As I understand it, he was doing this legally, with boats purchased from insurance salvage. Didn't last long, as he couldn't make enough money, for the labor involved. In another instance I was told there were any kind of parts you might want free for the taking over in what is called West End. Know of several people who did go and help themselves. This was a year after the storm, and boats still stacked up like cord wood. I really wanted a couple of big self tailing winches, and asked my neighbor who is a cop, about the legality of this. He told me could very easily end up in jail, unless you could get a release from the legal owner. I never pursued it past this. But, from talking to they guy who was trying to make a living selling legal salvage parts, it don't work.
 
Ross

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Re: Katrina boats

Everybody wants to get rich and everybody else wants a bargain. You got it cheap why should I pay what it is worth?
 
G

Guest

Boats

The Everett Marina includes as part of their slip rental agreement the right to confiscate a boat from the owner in order to pay for delinquent slip fees. The first step after their notices is to place a lock on the boat to prevent the owner from skipping town with it. The next step is to place the boat in a public auction, the proceeds of which cover the Marina's expenses including any liens. Seems to work and a great place for prospective sailors to pick up a good deal.

Terry Cox
 
Ross

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Guest said:
The Everett Marina includes as part of their slip rental agreement the right to confiscate a boat from the owner in order to pay for delinquent slip fees. The first step after their notices is to place a lock on the boat to prevent the owner from skipping town with it. The next step is to place the boat in a public auction, the proceeds of which cover the Marina's expenses including any liens. Seems to work and a great place for prospective sailors to pick up a good deal.

Terry Cox
Click to expand
Such a step is unnecessary and perhaps illegal. The marina has the right to petition the courts for a judgement and a lien. The sheriff can then arrest the boat and secure it. The owner has already been advised of this by a summons and after a prescribed period of time the property may be sold.
 
Andy1237

Andy1237

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Jun 30, 2004
446
Hunter 340 St Andrews Bay
Nice & Easy, here is an idea for you. Run a scrap yard like this- Buy a piece of land, buy the boats for scrap (or better yet have the insurance pay you for taking them!). Then set up a pay to hunt program. Someone pays you $X.xx per hour plus $x.xx per pound to get all they want/can take using their time and tools. Other persons like you would gladly pay $20 just to walk through and see if theres something you need.
 
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