Is it worth it to salvage adrift/derelict sailboats?
I've been thinking about the sailboats that are occasionally left adrift, like the one a few hundred miles north of Hawaii.
What happens if you go out and tow it back in? Has anyone every heard of anyone getting a check that made the effort worthwhile? Please PM me with details, if you have them.
I know a guy who salvages sunk sailboats and refurbishes them in his spare time. He does all the work himself and every two or three years he sells a nice boat for a nice profit. Its not for everyone though since most people arent able to do 100% of the work themselves or arent able to put in the time - This guy does it as much as a hobby as a business. You would have to enjoy the work to make it worthwhile.
For the bigger boats, I'm sure it'd be worth doing—but it woudl require an investment in capital, like a vessel capable of handling bad weather and towing said larger sailboat into harbor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bene505
I've been thinking about the sailboats that are occasionally left adrift, like the one a few hundred miles north of Hawaii.
What happens if you go out and tow it back in? Has anyone every heard of anyone getting a check that made the effort worthwhile? Please PM me with details, if you have them.
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Sailingdog Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
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I believe the rule of the water is something to the effect of.......
If the tower uses "there" line to tow, salvage or other wise a boat, they then have rights to ownership.
Don't quote me on that one, but, that is the generally speaking right one has. There are some exceptions, such as some country's governments will claim ownership of boats that have sunk. Hence Spain with some of the gallions sunk in the 1800's as an example. Even then, it is hard for them to figure out if you found one, and brought the gold etc up with out them knowing.
Marty
__________________
She drives me boat,
I drives me dinghy!
Assuming the boat is "abandoned" in "international waters".... I'd be in contact with the US Navy (if it were close) to ask them to check things out (or Coast Guard if close enough to US waters).
I have to ask... if someone asks for help and you "toss them a line" - how does one figure it's now your salvage, your boat, you are owed something?
Seems to me that good practice is to assist people, period.
__________________ Rick Donaldson, NØNJY
moˈloːn laˈbe!
It's better to be hated for who you are, than to be loved for who you're not.
Let those winds of change blow over my head,
I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead - Jimmy Buffet
If the boat was adrift and in reasonable danger of being hit and sunk, you are probably entitled to reasonable salvage costs for the vessel. As a general rule, the greater the risk to you and your vessel in "salvaging" the other boat, the greater the salvage costs you're entitled to. YMMV... IANAL.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AllThumbs
If you find and tow an abandoned (adrift) vessel to a marina, and the owner wants it back, whos is it?
__________________
Sailingdog Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
If you're new to the Sailnet Forums... please read this POST.
Never Forgotten
