SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Are abandoned boats a big problem in the U.S?

6K views 31 replies 19 participants last post by  ltgoshen 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,
I am from Denmark (Europe) and over here, we are starting to see abandoned boats in our marinas.
Typically smaller (but up to around 30') GRP boats from the 70'es.
They leave the marina/Club with several problems, besides taking up Space and leaving a sad impression on the Whole harbour. :(

How is this in the U.S. is it a major problem, and if so, have you found any good ways to deal with it?
I guess that like here, it is not easy to just take ownership of someone elses boat, even though he/she is dead or just don't care about it anymore.
And if you get ownership, what do you do with it?
 
#2 ·
I have to snap some pictures in the boat yards full of sail and powerboats that have not moved in 15 to 20 years

And the gravel yards on town line road full of powerboats that will never see the water again as well as the ones in driveways here and there

The best time to see reality is late May early to early June at which point nothing else is getting launched :(

The problem with all the boats is the cost to bring it back to life exceeds the value by a large amount and the cost for a boatyard to take possession and pay for disposal is much higher than leaving them in a pile in the corner
 
#3 ·
I have to snap some pictures in the boat yards full of sail and powerboats that have not moved in 15 to 20 years

And the gravel yards on town line road full of powerboats that will never see the water again as well as the ones in driveways here and there

The best time to see reality is late May early to early June at which point nothing else is getting launched :(

The problem with all the boats is the cost to bring it back to life exceeds the value by a large amount and the cost for a boatyard to take possession and pay for disposal is much higher than leaving them in a pile in the corner
Exactly. They are no longer "boats" they are boat shaped rubbish.

I recently watched an episode of "Shipwreck Men" on TV which is yet another reality series. They followed a few different tow/salvage companies in FL. I watched what they went through to recover a 34-36' trawler than had been allowed to run aground and sit derilect for years. It was defintely an expensive proposition to haul the boat off the beach, tow it to be hauled out and trucked for demolition. However, I was surprised at how quickly it was then rendered into landfill sized pieces, by smashing it with a tractor blade in a purpose built bay to keep everything contained until time to scoop it in to a dumptruck for dispoasal. Much quicker than chainsawing into managable bits.

I think it would make sense to have some sort of facility to strip the salvageable parts and dispose of boat carcasses at some of the larger boat yards to reduce the logistical challenge and cost of disposing of boats that have outlived their usefullness. Some owners might be willing to foot the bill to eliminate the ongoing storage costs and it would reduce the cost of disposing of derelicts removed by marinas or state agencies.
 
#4 ·
Unfortunately it is. I doubt the economic situation in the last 5-8 years has really helped, either.

The yard we just got out of was filled with them and some of them are really large. I swear there was a 60 ft powerboat that looks like it had been sitting there for years without ever being touched. There were a number of smaller sailboats that are in the same situation and that's just in the yard, not the marina next door.

It's not JUST boats though. Walk around your local airport, car shop, a few back yards, and you'll find airplanes/cars/power boats/motorcycles/whatever that have been derelict for 20+ years and absolutely no hope of returning from their condition. I never came to a conclusion as to why people allowed it to happen to objects that were, in some cases, bought for serious money and left to rot. The best theory I've come to is that people become emotionally attached to the object or the idea of that object, buy it, then refuse to let go when they no longer care enough to maintain it or lose the ability to maintain it (finances, physically, etc). They keep holding onto the idea of getting back out there and sailing or restoring the boat, but never actually do it. As time goes on, it gets worse and all of a sudden the work and $$ involved just isn't worth it anymore and she lies forgotten in the yard.

Then there are folks that buy it for novelty and never really take care of it or know what they are getting into. I looked at one Albin Vega last year with real interest. The guy that owned it was a very nice gentleman, but he had let the boat go over the past few years. The forces of neglect showed hard, high moisture readings in the deck, hull delamination, cockpit sole had rotted, just about everything you wouldn't want to find on a boat you were buying. It became an instructional point for me actually being able to see these things in person rather than in pictures or descriptions. It's sad to say, but the boat needs to be scrapped.

It's a sad thing, but I've determined it's a result of human traits. The number of rotting/derelict boats in the marina is going to increase as time goes on, so at this point it becomes less about reducing the number and more about how do you get rid of them cheaply to free up space.
 
#6 ·
I've not evaluated this, but I often wonder if the cost of disposal would exceed the value of what I'd get off the boat.

There are a few yards around here that do salvage stuff and have a yard full of booms, railing, masts, and so forth from salvaged boats. I imagine the cost/value for an individual wouldn't be high, though.
 
#7 ·
Seems like the the biggest cost item would be transportation. A lot of stuff can be sold for scrap metal value if nothing else. An aluminum mast alone would bring a lot of coin, same with lead ballast. Cutting up fiberglass is quite easy.
 
#10 ·
The other issue for boatyards, is that some states make it harder than others to take ownership than others. Then you have all the various fees and expenses involved, in some places it can require a trip to the local courthouse and court fees.
 
#11 ·
One of the really surprising things about these wrecks which have not been touched in years in marinas and boatyards is that sometimes someone is still paying the monthly rental fee. I know of several in my neck of the Caribbean that are WAY past repairable but still some pays up, possibly to keep the dream alive.

SAD! in so many ways.
 
#12 ·
TQA,

Part of the problem is that it is often cheaper to pay the slippage fee than to pay the disposal costs.

As an example, I have some sailing buddies that owned a 65' racer that lost its keel in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. About a year later it showed back up, and the insurance company delivered it back to them. The restoration cost was higher than a new boat, so that was off the table. Demoing the thing was going to cost a good chunk of change, or they could put it back in the slip. A simple spreadsheet showed they could take half the disposal cost, put it into low return US Savings bonds, and pay the slip rental off of the interest. So that's what they did, with no expectation that the boat would ever be anything but a floating junk heap.

No dream here, just a honest calculation that letting it rot was significantly cheaper than disposal.


My thought is that marinas need a better way to get rid of these clunkers, so those rare slips can be put back on the market.
 
#27 ·
TQA,

....A simple spreadsheet showed they could take half the disposal cost, put it into low return US Savings bonds, and pay the slip rental off of the interest....

My thought is that marinas need a better way to get rid of these clunkers, so those rare slips can be put back on the market.
The marinas can raise the price of the slip so that the calculation doesn't work out anymore. Or the federal reserve could drive interest rates to zero....
 
#13 ·
Very good point Greg,
besides all of the other problems with this, these rottening boats are taking up space.
Both in the water and out of the water.

Wonder if anyone could actually make a living from scrapping these boats, and get funding from selling the metal and other good parts that are on the boats?

But maybe it is just too expensive to get rid of the glass?
 
#14 ·
Wonder if anyone could actually make a living from scrapping these boats, and get funding from selling the metal and other good parts that are on the boats?

But maybe it is just too expensive to get rid of the glass?
Crushed fiberglass can also be used as fuel in waste-to-energy power plants. If somebody was running a bigger operation scrapping boats that might be a cheaper (and more useful) option than sending it to a landfill. I used to work for a company converting industrial waste into fuel.
 
#15 ·
The problem is that when you add up all the money making parts (keel scrap, rigging scrap, ect...) and subtract the parts that cost you money (delivery, disposal, shipping thousands of tuns of fiberglass, ect) it is a break even at best proposition.

The only way to make any money is to sell the pieces for more than scrap value. Which means a very long inventory time, lots of overhead, high storage costs... Perhaps if you owned a used parts chandlery it could work, but otherwise you can't get rid of the pieces fast enough to keep in business.
 
#16 ·
not sure on the marinas around here (not too many "real marinas left.. most are condos with slips) but I know since Hurricane Sandy.. there are 4 small powerboats out in the marshes between Atlantic City and the Mainland that have just been left to die. There are probably a lot more, those are the ones I just see on my way to work
 
#17 ·
My marina pulls a couple power boats a year out of the water and cuts them up. I have no idea where the fiberglass goes but it disappears. I'm guessing the owner is way past due and the marina has no way they'll get rid of them if they don't cut them up. If I ever see a sailboat come out I'll probably talk to them about getting the mast, boom and other easy to move parts as usually they hold a much better than scrap value. I've bought and parted out small sailboats that were junk in the past.

There are a number of boats at my marina that are probably only there as the cost of disposal is higher than the slip fee. I have a friend trying to contact a guy about his custom 40 ish foot sailboat that hasn't moved in about. I'm guessing it's a wreck but might be decent.
 
#18 ·
This is not new, in the 70's and 80's the boat yards were full of wooden boats as they got past the point that they could financially be kept up. Thing is a rotting wooden boat basically falls apart, where a fiberglass boat sits there looking like it could be restored. It is a shame though, as if kept up a fiberglass boat can basically last forever, but once the deferred maintenance piles up it becomes cheaper to destroy.
 
#19 ·
Tumble

A 40 ft boat costs 6k$ US pa. I know of boats that have been sitting in 'no hopers' corner for 10 years with someone paying the freight every month.

There is one where there are holes in the deck and the boat has standing water inside. I am amazed that the owner just does not walk away.
 
#20 ·
I would think there are few people out there that look for fixer-uppers but they never get advertised anywhere, except maybe a local ad. But if they're not advertised as being available, they still never go anywhere.

If someone were to look for these type of boats, is it just a matter of going to random marinas or yards and asking if any are around?

I've thought about getting a project boat but a certain young lady is telling me otherwise. :D
 
#21 ·
I've thought about getting a project boat but a certain young lady is telling me otherwise. :D
This is my boat. I found it on a mooring ball. it had been there for 4.5 years with no one to mind her. the guy that owned her had Alzheimer's and had forgotten where is left it. After the 3 month chase just to find who owned it I was able to work with his family and legal team to pick up the boat for $2,500.00 dollars. After 5600 dollars I had it appraised for 31,000. that's $28'500.00 profit if I wanted to sell it. But I will not she is a fine boat. I will sail her until I can no more.
I had a plan to do just that, take it from someone that no longer wanted it. take it by legal force. But in my case I did not need to do that. in the due process phase of the process. I found the owner and the rest is history. Take a look and see what you think.
It will be nice if there were more people that wanted a free boat and would go thru the process to get one. I'm writhing a book to teach the process, in the hopes to clean up the waterways of the U.S

S/V East Coast Lady: Photos of the progress
 
#22 ·
We seem to get a Cat 3 hurricane here where I live about every five to ten years or so. Those are very good at taking care of the abandoned boat problem. :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rhapsody-NS27
#23 · (Edited)
I got my current boat from a marina that had taken it for unpaid fees.

When I viewed it in February (northern hemisphere) the bilge water was an inch from the cockpit sole and frozen solid. The boat has a cabin liner; if the water/ice had lifted the sole, the boat would have been trash.

I often wonder about boats & cars I see abandoned. When they parked it there, did they know it would never move again?

There is a 16' daysailer at the end of my street that looks better every year!

Ken
 
#25 ·
Many years ago, I published an article in Ira Black's Noreaster Magazine about derelict boats. I think I also posted it on this forum as well, but alas, I cannot remember when.

The U.S. has a huge problem with derelict boats, more than anyone can possibly imagine. Some states have as many as 10,000 derelicts, many of which are fine, servicible boats. Of course, there are lots more that are well beyond repair and need to be scrapped.

The cost of scrapping a boat is outrageously high, and the process of obtaining a title on a derelict is long and complex in 99 percent of the states - in some instances, as long as six months. I'll try to dig up the old article and post it again on this thread, but it may take a couple days to find it.

Cheers,

Gary :cool:
 
#26 ·
Thanks a lot for the information about this issue in the US.
I will be writing (well almost done) an article regarding this matter in Denmark, where we are just starting to see the problems.

If anyone has a picture that shows a bunch of aboned boats at your place, I would be happy to see it, and allow me to use it in the article.
 
#29 ·
They could just hang a sign on it saying" Free gear ,free boat , help yourself". A lot of it would dissappear .
They have invented machines to grind up fibreglass boats, to make an addative for concrete, which increases its strength drastically.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top