[xort]

Cruisers are under attack by local governments trying to limit their stay.

One part of the arguement is the bum boats that become derelicts are a problem. I understand that Florida has quite a few derelicts. Abandonded boats cost a fair amount of money to remove, so they sit.

We don't have derelicts in my area but we do have 'stuff' that gets washed up along the shoreline. So a local dive shop has organized an annual spring shoreline cleanup. They recruit volunteers to pick up, dig up and haul out any and all junk, debris, trash, etc. They have removed countless tires plus batteries, car bumpers, coolers, even a couple of cars. Several communities have joined in by supplying a trash truck to come around and pick up the stuff on the designated Saturday.

My proposal is that cruisers could band together locally to work with the community and organize a cleanup of some of the abandoned boats. The local govt would first need to go through the permit process and declare the boats legally salvagable. Then the task would be to get out there with whatever can be had to remove as much as is feasable. Some boats will require much more than just a band of helping hands but there are many smaller boats that can be cut up and hauled off...by volunteers.

The under attack cruisers can make new friends with the communities they hang out with. And help the environment.

Heck, everybody is unemployed now, so what else have you got to do?

Just a thought...

 

[buckeyesailor]

Great Thought!.....I only wish I lived near the coast to pitch in....

 

[PorFin]

xort -- good thought.

I think some will resist the idea, and forecast that these marine volunteers will simply strip the abandoned vessels, and then leave the too-hard-to-recover bits for the authorities to deal with. Any concrete plan proposed should address this concern. If if the proceeds from everything of value taken from the vessels were to be given to a local charity (preferably marine related), that could go a long way towards selling the project.

The real genius of this effort will be to motivate the actual owners of marginal (but not hopeless) to deal with their issues BEFORE they become the eyesores and hazards that lie at the root of the problem. After several well-publicized recoveries, those owners will hopefully realize that the boat they are ignoring could well become only a distant memory.

You, sir, are an idea man!

 

[quidam1947]

Xtort,

We have an annual Ohio River Sweep day w/all volunteers (6/16/09 this year) that gets a fairly good turnout. And there are lots of these sort of efforts all over the country.

My dad taught us kids (9 of us) to pick up the crap others dumped behind and other hazards. AND He practiced what he preached.

I used to get home from school and after dumping my books, I'd jump in our rowboat or go sailing in my snark or dad's home-built daysailer -- if I personally saw stuff floating by, I'd snag it, toss it in the bottom of the boat (if I could handle it size-wise) or tie my painter to it (eg. logs, etc.) and make a quick trip to shore to beach it or when I was done having fun, toss it in our garbage cans before heading into the house for dinner.

I do this in parking lots today as well (pick up somebody else's trash and toss it in the appropriate receptical). It really agravates me to watch people liter by land or sea.

It would be nice if people didn't liter and if people took a few minutes to redirect the trash they come across along their paths.

 

[bluwateronly]

Sounds like a great idea, count me in. Here in the SF bay, Susalito has a few I have heard ,but not a big problem here.

 

[quidam1947]

After the hurricanes in South Florida there were an overwhelming number of boats (mostly tagged with spraypainted numbers for removal ID purposes). It was hearbreaking to think of the losses -- and I can appreciate the government's dilema in trying to handle so many damages on top of the damages to businesses and private property, as well.

 

[xort]

por

I suspect these abandonded boats are already stripped of anything of value.

The real problem would probably be fuel & oil. The tanks need to be pumped out.

It would not be anywhere as easy as a coastal cleanup picking up debris but it can be done.

 

[PorFin]

xort,

I suspect you're right about the really serious vessels being stripped already. I've often been amazed that some of the ones I've seen are still afloat.

 

[CaptainForce]

It's probably important to note that the specific problems in Florida are not often arising from cruisers, but people using boats of marginal seaworthiness as low income housing. The harsh winters further north don't allow for this practice, but it has been common in Florida for years. It is diffricult to block this opportunity from the otherwise homeless, but at the same time it might be wise to distinguish them from the boating community. 'take care and joy, Aythya crew

 

[xort]

CForce

WE know that, but THEY don't know or don't care. We get lumped in to the same group.

 

[xsboats]

It really boils down to enforcing existing laws , not making new ones. You would not get away with parking an unregistered vehicle on a public street. It would be towed, fined , and put in a lot. Most of our derelics here go from a marina to anchored out when an owner no longer uses the boat and is trying keep costs down. They think the boat is worth what they have invested,so it sits while the lowball offers come in for it's sale. By the time they come to grips with the true value , the boat is worth nothing. The boat gets passed from one owner to another[read homeless] until ther is no paper trail of ownership.The powers that be will not go after the owner of record because they have record showing it sold. Controlling the problem starts with existing laws but should include a law requiring registration to be part of a sale. If you can't put it on the water legally , it shouldn't be there. The issue should not be where you can have your boat or how long but WHAT you can put on OUR water. The homeless don't inhabit old aircraft fuselages at the airport,aviators don't leave their discards where there is access. The powers that be need to not make it so impossible for us to discard old hulls properly so they don't fall into the hands of those who are giving us such a bad reputation and cause such restriction to our freedom on the water.

 

[sailingdog]

Of course, a lot of the trash is due to terrestrial garbage dumpers, and has nothing to do with boaters...Car bumpers, cars, car tires are all likely from terrestrial sources, not sailors. However, the idea of cleaning up our coast lines and water ways is an excellent one.

 

[OrioninHawaii]

There are two issues here. Trash dumped by those both on land and sea- we have regular community shore clean ups for that- As for derelicts and low income housing- it used to be a bigger problem here in Hawaii but now they are requiring yearly buoy runs and inspections. As far as abandoned boats- the state has started working on getting rid of them-
I can see that the huge coast line in Florida makes this problematic.
The perception of people when they hear I live on a boat is either I'm a wealthy "yachty"or "trailer trash"
Nothing in between...

 

[CaptKermie]

It is reported in our local newspaper that cigarette stubbs are the worst culprit, along with plastic bags and containers. Our little community of Ladner has kicked off a campaign to clean up our inner harbour and make it more business freindly which not only includes the removal of derelict boats but derelict sheds and wharfs too. Looking forward to a more touristy environment.
The False Creek area of Vancouver Harbour has also enacted laws to deter derelect boats and impose time limits. This clears the harbour for anchoring space to accommodate real sailors who are visiting Vancouver, previously new arrivals could not find a clear space to anchor with all the derelict boats hanging about. Long overdue laws. I cringe whenever I arrive at a new harbour only to find it overpopulated with junk heaps, makes it difficult for myself and others like me to find a decent anchorage. I have even arrived only to find the marina itself in near derelict shape, Port Browning comes to mind, a diamond in the rough, if only a pair of deep pockets could come along and make it a class act. Great harbours/marinas attract great tourist money, why deter the tourist $$ with derelict blights. Get rid of them.

 

[TSOJOURNER]

The real problem would probably be fuel & oil. The tanks need to be pumped out.

yea but fiberglass is listed as a hazardous material that is the real problem.

 

[TSOJOURNER]

cruise ships and the city of new york dump their trash in the ocean I have often wondered how much of the trash on the beach is the result of this.

I have tried to get some of these boats and asked for help finding them to fix them up and was chastised beyond belief for wanting to do so. In fact I am still looking for a 32' range project.