How dispose of sailboat?

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
21,196
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
While Hadley was on the hard waiting to get the motor reinstalled, I observed two boats being dealt with this past summer.

The first was a 27 foot sail boat that was placed on the hard by the marina yard. A couple of vans showed up with maybe 8 teens and two adult supervisors. With tools and paint in hand they seemed to attack the boat like hungry mosquitos at a picnic. Facinated, I left my boat problems and stepped up to one of the adults and asked "Excuse me. What is going on?"

I learned that the youth were Sea Scouts and they had just been given this boat. The boat was surveyed and found to be sound. The Scouts were working on the maintenance items found needing so that they can sail the boat on a planned summer cruise. I thought, What a great way to give a tired boat a new life.

The other event involved a boat that had sunk near the marina. It showed evidence of being submerged for a lengthy period. Sadly it sat on it's belly strapped to the trailer bed. The recycler used tools to quickly remove the tangle of spars and wires. Deck hardware was cut free and deposited in a bin labeled "resell". The fellow made quick brutal work of the dismantling. Metal would be sold for scrap, the hull would be shredded at a yard, and any useable hardware would be consigned for sale. Between the States contract payment for clearing away boats, and the available scrap sales the truck driver said he was making a good living.

When I got back to my boat, I told Hadley she had better get this motor issue squared away, or she was going to experience one of those two options. The next day the rebuilt engine arrived and the install went rather smoothly.

From the link shared by @tfox2069, it sounds like Florida has a similar program to Washington State in an attempt to address the issue of abandon boats. I hope you find an answer to your challenge. Perhaps there is a sea scout program in your area. A charitable donation would at the least provide you with a tax savings opportunity.
 

QCI

.
Jan 30, 2014
31
Hunter 25.5 Bradenton
I was going to pay to have the boat disposed of but someone wanted to have the boat. I ended up gifting the boat to an individual and transferred the title to him at the DMV. I was lucky that he really wanted it and was willing to do the transfer of ownership by the book. It was a real lesson for me. Thanks for all the advice.
 
Feb 8, 2017
108
MacGregor MacGregor 25 Middle River
A few years ago, following the passing of my parents, I had the family sailboat and a runabout to get rid of. They had been sitting in the yard of their river cottage in "unusable condition", with vines, bugs, etc. Tried all sorts of things, but didn't want to send to landfill. Called BoatUS, who suggested contacting Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, who use donated boats to help with their funding, by utilizing their robust and knowledgeable volunteer corps to rehab these boats and auction them off. Their crew came to me and we somehow finagled the boats out of the yard and they took 'em and did their thing. I felt so much better about that than anything else I could have done. Plus I got some help on their final taxes, since it was tax deductible. Win-win. Don't know if they go that far, but it would be worth a call. Even if they don't, they might be able to steer you towards a place closer to where your boat currently resides. Good luck!
 
  • Like
Likes: ggrizzard