Abandoned vessels, what's the solution?

[T-Schwan]

More and more boat owners, no longer able to afford (or care about) maintenance of their vessels, are grinding off hull ID numbers and intentionally sinking their boats or abandoning their carcasses on backwater beaches, hoping to evade moorage fees, insurance requirements and other costs of boat ownership.

What should be done about the many pandemic-inspired boats that are already sitting idle and ignored in marinas?

 

[Elbert]

It’s a terrible problem. Establish a tasks force to investigate the history of the boat. There were only so many of a particular band and model made. Find all of the owners and then see who still has their boat. Enforce the existing laws and make them pay.

Elbert

 

[Hot Ruddered Bum]

recycle them.. lead keels? deck hardware? standing rigging and other stainless hardware? Aluminum mast and boom.. that should cover the cost of taking to the landfill or pumping out the toxic liquids and taking it three miles out and marking it on a GPS and sinking it to attract fish..

 

[Head Sail]

In Washington State, boat owners get to pay a fee for the State to remove them.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Nothing fails like not recognizing a problem until it comes to scenes like the photograph shows. Tracking down former owners is futile. Why aren't there more readiliy available boat disposal facilities? I think lack of facilities, lack of information about facilities and the high cost of disposal is an issue. (Maybe there is a perception that disposal costs are so high?) Perhaps regulations that mandate disposal programs and requiring participation by marinas would be helpful. It's not just the backwaters that feature abandoned boats. There are abandoned wrecks that take up valuable space in marinas everywhere. Most marinas could qualify as eyesores. There needs to be much more active disposal activities and regulations need to push it ... with funding would be helpful.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Nothing fails like not recognizing a problem until it comes to scenes like the photograph shows. Tracking down former owners is futile. Why aren't there more readiliy available boat disposal facilities? I think lack of facilities, lack of information about facilities and the high cost of disposal is an issue. (Maybe there is a perception that disposal costs are so high?) Perhaps regulations that mandate disposal programs and requiring participation by marinas would be helpful. It's not just the backwaters that feature abandoned boats. There are abandoned wrecks that take up valuable space in marinas everywhere. Most marinas could qualify as eyesores. There needs to be much more active disposal activities and regulations need to push it ... with funding would be helpful.

To loosely reiterate your point, the yard I store at has about 20 boats in their grave yard. Nearly all are filled with water after sitting for a decade or more. The cost to file the paperwork, labor to move and prep for transportation, truck it, and dispose of it is far greater than letting it sit behind a building to rot

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The cost to file the paperwork, labor to move and prep for transportation, truck it, and dispose of it is far greater than letting it sit behind a building to rot

Exactly, my perception is that red tape is the biggest obstacle. Also, there is too much tolerance for marinas to look like junk yards.

 

[jviss]

There needs to be much more active disposal activities and regulations need to push it ... with funding would be helpful.

Scott, that sounds like "there oughta be a law!" Too socialist for me. I mean, who's going to pay? If you mean government, that's me and you - subsidizing irresponsible yacht owners! Really? Ha, ha.

Maybe we should require all pleasure craft to be made of wood. Abandoned wooden boats are more readily recycled than fiberglass. At least they are not so toxic when you burn them!

 

[jviss]

The cost to file the paperwork, labor to move and prep for transportation, truck it, and dispose of it is far greater than letting it sit behind a building to rot

The problem is that fiberglass hulls don't rot, they seem to last forever.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Also, there is too much tolerance for marinas to look like junk yards.

Now youre bordering on the "No boats older than 10 years" rules we've been hearing about lately

 

[jviss]

Exactly, my perception is that red tape is the biggest obstacle. Also, there is too much tolerance for marinas to look like junk yards.

If a boat is abandoned in a boat yard, the boat yard knows exactly who abandoned it. I imagine in many cases its a deceased party, and if the estate is broke, you can't collect a dime. Also, there's little motivation to pursue the estate or heirs. Maybe we should allow "bounty hunters" to go after them, on the premise that they will dispose of the wreck and keep some of what's collected.

 

[jviss]

Now youre bordering on the "No boats older than 10 years" rules we've been hearing about lately

I haven't heard that, what's it all about?

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I haven't heard that, what's it all about?

I've read that some of the higher end marinas do not allow boats older than X years. Presumably for the exact reasons we are discussing here

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Scott, that sounds like "there oughta be a law!" Too socialist for me. I mean, who's going to pay? If you mean government, that's me and you - subsidizing irresponsible yacht owners! Really? Ha, ha.

We could just ignore abandoned boats if we don't want to pay for them to be demolished. I guess I'm ok with that, too. I agree ... I don't want to subsidize irresponsible yacht owners. So how do we identify irresponsible yacht owners? Are we part of that community? (I don't know - maybe we are, we just don't want to point the finger at ourselves) Where do they come from? How do we identify them before they drop their boats off somewhere? We already know that enforcement after they disappear is a losing battle. I think marina businesses have to take a more active role in boat disposal ... and that means you and me pay higher fees for sure. If we don't want higher fees, we can go on ignoring the sight of abandoned boats.

 

[jviss]

I've read that some of the higher end marinas do not allow boats older than X years. Presumably for the exact reasons we are discussing here

Some of the most beautiful and valuable boats around here are much older than 10 years!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I've read that some of the higher end marinas do not allow boats older than X years. Presumably for the exact reasons we are discussing here

I get it ... For sure, the elites don't want to deal with anything that disturbs their fantasy world. They can just push off societal problems to be dealt with by less fortunate people. They have that sense of entitlement, which is their right when they pay for it. The problems just keep being pushed down the ladder until the problems just become unmanageable by people who don't have the resources. Somewhere in that hierarchy, some resources should be set up to deal with the disposal of wrecks, or we can just ignore them. I'll suggest that the marina industry should fund the disposal of wrecks and everybody in that hierarchy can contribute, starting at the apex of the pyramid.

 

[kappykaplan]

Some of the most beautiful and valuable boats around here are much older than 10 years!

 

[stickinthemud57]

recycle them.. lead keels? deck hardware? standing rigging and other stainless hardware? Aluminum mast and boom.. that should cover the cost of taking to the landfill or pumping out the toxic liquids and taking it three miles out and marking it on a GPS and sinking it to attract fish..

It would be nice if recycling boat hulls and parts was lucrative enough to make it worthwhile, but the status quo would suggest otherwise. This makes sense when you consider the fact that sailing is a hobby (as opposed to a necessity), not nearly as popular as others such as automobile restoration, powerboating, golfing, etc., and used sailboats are abundant and cheap. Also, the sheer number of different boats and the attendant hardware makes finding used parts especially difficult.

I'm not sure I would feel confident using used stays or shrouds, given the potential for catastrophe should they fail.

Case in point - My marina dumped an abandoned boat that they could not sell at a recent auction in a roll-away. I cut 2 Lewmar England 25 2 Speed winches off, cleaned them up, and put them up for auction on Ebay. I got $150 total for my trouble. I'm guessing the same would be true of other boat hardware.

Recreational boats are just not all that useful for other purposes, and, as pointed in this thread, fiberglass is forever. I suppose you could turn a large sailboat into a whimsical domicile, but it would simply be more practical to find a decent used travel trailer.

 

[SailMaster]

It is nice to know that if I ever need income, I can recycle old metal off of abandoned boats. That can pay for food and drink.

 

[PETER SCHMIDT]

I have a 30 ODAY listed here. The boat is in very good condition. Some interest but no takers for 2 years now.
It will cost me $3000 to get it hauled to our local boat dump.