Decommissioning a boat

[fffrick]

I have subscribed to sailing magazines for over 15 years and have never seen this question answered, either from the perspective of Sailing Tradition or physical action:

How do you get rid of a boat when it is no longer of value?

From a traditional perspective, I understand that decommissioning involves champagne over the bow, or something like that to appease King Neptune, I also have heard of practical solutions of hauling a boat to a dump, chopping up the fiberglass, but then there's the lead ballast to deal with...
My neighbor has enthusiastically suggested sinking the vessel beyond 12 miles out and making a personal artificial reef. I like the thought of videotaping me in a white sportcoat, champange and cigar in hand, as the boat goes on to Davey Jones' Locker. Much more classic than going to Fiddler's Green with a chainsaw...Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

[Rockter]

Offer to give it away to someone, maybe?

Scuttling is not likely to be much fun, really.

[fffrick]

Originally Posted by Rockter

Offer to give it away to someone, maybe?

Scuttling is not likely to be much fun, really.

Is this from experience?

[teshannon]

Not the boat in your Avatar I hope! How about a donation to charity, that way you get the write off. Hey, welcome to Sailnet by the way.

[fffrick]

Originally Posted by teshannon

Not the boat in your Avatar I hope! How about a donation to charity, that way you get the write off. Hey, welcome to Sailnet by the way.

T,
Thanks for the welcome,
No, that's a charter Cat from Belize last month...
I have considered donating my 1976 Catalina 27. There is a worthy group in town that accepts them, refurbishes them and resells them. I would probably get about as much pleasure from scuttling my boat as I would by getting a write off...but the question is still left unanswered: What do most people do?

[SVDistantStar]

Well i can say that i will be doing a scuttling soon. Ive got a beat half sunk '75 Hunter 25 that im going to send to the deep. It was stripped before i got it and is in pretty poor shape. The decks are rotted out, most of the bulkheads are rotten and the rudder is gone. I havent figure out where im going to sink it at, but i was going to ask the CG how far out i would need to take it.

[capttb]

Let us know what the CG says please, since MARPOL regulations prohibit the dumping of plastics anywhere I assumed they would "frown" on an intentional scuttling of a fiberglass boat.

[hellosailor]

Fill the boat with seasoned dry hardwood and sell it to a Viking looking for a funeral boat. No worries about MARPOL or the EPA, since it is a religious ceremony.

Or cut it in half, and sell it to a couple of restaurants looking for big lawn ornaments?

[brak]

I've seen this done before at a local marina, with boats that were abandoned by their owners. It's simple really - all hardware that can be salvaged is stripped. Then it's two guys with chainsaws and a trash container. Trash haulers have specific guidelines as to how small pieces have to be before they will accept them. There is some cost to doing this - I am not sure how much but it is in the hundreds.

Very sad sight too, to see perfectly good hulls chopped into pieces.

[eMKay]

What do you mean by "no value"? I have been thinking of getting a project boat, Catalina 27's are on the list. Where is it?