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Houseboat sinks at anchor Daytona
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Nor did the guy who was busted in Daytona a few weeks back for using his anchored sailboat as a meth lab...
Meth lab on boat leads to Daytona arrests | News-JournalOnline.com
What do you expect from overworked and underpaid water cops? A BS anchor light infraction if they could locate the boat resident or an MSD violation that's easy to circumvent? The problem isn't legitimate cruisers, its irresponsible derelicts squatting on the waters of the state. Most of these types remove the engine so the vessel doesn't even have to be registered so good luck proving ownership.
I retired from the old Florida Marine Patrol and can assure you that FWC is very underpaid. The registration law applies to all motor powered vessels no matter the size. If you slap a trolling motor on an 8' dink, it is required to be registered. If you rip your seized up old yanmar out of your 27' sailboat, it doesn't have to be registered. The fix would be to require all vessels to be registered powered or not. Also, many judges don't believe that all waters are navigable so they throw out many anchor light cases.
You are correct sir, they have since added the 16 foot provision. I've also been a taxpayer my entire life. My kids qualified for free lunches and I didn't get a raise nor cost of living adjustment for the 7 years prior to retirement. Then when you retire, you get 75% of your massive salary and then pay $1200 per month for health insurance. Well paid I suppose in some eyes.
No worries, I would recommend *FWC or contact the local FWC office. I was routinely frustrated with derelict vessels. They make all legitimate cruisers look bad and suffer from oppressive laws. I could write a book about the issues with the boating public and impossible to enforce laws. Best of luck.
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Why not write it? I'd read it. I'm sure you must have some eye opening or entertaining stories.
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Why the fuss about derelict vessels? Aren't they just like that cattle rancher who's been grazing his cattle on federal land for the past 20 years and refusing to pay for it? Do derelict vessel owners really have to follow the law, same as the rest of us? Don't they have every right to use our nation's waterways however they see fit, just like the rancher does with our land (according to some sources)? If the FWC or other enforcement agency is called in about these derelicts, what does that say about our democracy? That no one should be above the law? Hmmmm. 
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Point well taken; it's just interesting to note the parallels. There do need to be standards that people can agree to so that we can all live together. It's called a Social Contract, and it's why we have a government. Our town has a blight ordinance that calls for homeowners to maintain their structures to a certain degree. It isn't easy or fun to enforce, but townspeople think it can be an important way to protect their investments. Perhaps the problem with derelict vessels is that lawmakers take the easy road out by restricting anchoring. This makes the problem move somewhere else, but doesn't fix it. If owners had to upgrade their vessels to a level acceptable to the neighbors (as a blight ordinance does for houses) the neighbors would have nothing to complain about and the problem would be fixed. It might not be easy to enforce, but that's part of the cost of doing business as a society.
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You've hit the nub. Enforcement is not fun or easy. The overlapping jurisdictions make it very complicated. Perhaps a better-worded definition of "liveaboard" would help draw a more obvious line between people who are not hurting anybody (or themselves) and those who are.
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It seems no matter where you are, the problem with these trash vessels is that everyone is afraid of being sued for taking possession and just crunching them up into a dumpster with a big loader. That's what used to happen before we tuned into a nation of people terrorized by lawyers and a Byzantine system of laws and courts. Common sense says, just attach a cable, drag them up on the beach and crunch 'em up. It ain't rocket science. Oh, but I forgot, the EPA would probably prohibit anything as sensible as that and want an environmental impact statement for every extraction. It just gets sillier and sillier. We seem to have devolved into a nation of hand-sitters, incapable of addressing the most basic problems.
amen bud, amen!
crap used to be taken care of and more responsibility was put on common folk and citizens...
now everything has a bypass and needs to go by an agency or agencies, or laws or whatever in order for the simplest of things to happen
for example here, a sub developed nation even the most basic things take way too long or dont happen
for example making lines in banks, or having to get a number to be attended to or grocery stores only doing one transaction per person or whatever it may be
the fact that common sense and SIMPLICITY are long gone and forgotten and instead laws, agencies, special enforcers, people in odd jobs etc just making it all worthless
ever go into a cell pohone provider or internet provider down here in central america to do the most basic thing like ask a question it takes 3 hours...
yet there are a million people in specialty lab coats offering help on the newest iphone stupidtity yet to pay your bill there is a line out the door into te streets because thats how its done these days
common sense and simplicity out the door forgotten, instead the age of dumb and overly complicated and useless jobs and "services"
regarding derelcits to me its simple
if its not used and abandoned you are warned if you dont do anything about it boom your boat goes to the wreckers and the keel and all metal is sold off and recycled...simple
there was a big hooplah in san francisco and other california marinas that made it a point to pass a law on useage...for example there is a big issue of not enough slips for the boats in the bay area so they were trying to pass laws on useage...
if you dont use it you lose it...same thing applies to mooring balls, or anchorages I think...
those that do indeed use the waterways and their vehicles and boats in a respectfull and legal way should have precedence over those that dont
but so many times people start arguing about the rights of all citizens and how they are being trampled on and opressed when in reality they are being applauded for and supprted for being nuissances
anywhoo
crap used to be taken care of and more responsibility was put on common folk and citizens...
now everything has a bypass and needs to go by an agency or agencies, or laws or whatever in order for the simplest of things to happen
for example here, a sub developed nation even the most basic things take way too long or dont happen
for example making lines in banks, or having to get a number to be attended to or grocery stores only doing one transaction per person or whatever it may be
the fact that common sense and SIMPLICITY are long gone and forgotten and instead laws, agencies, special enforcers, people in odd jobs etc just making it all worthless
ever go into a cell pohone provider or internet provider down here in central america to do the most basic thing like ask a question it takes 3 hours...
yet there are a million people in specialty lab coats offering help on the newest iphone stupidtity yet to pay your bill there is a line out the door into te streets because thats how its done these days
common sense and simplicity out the door forgotten, instead the age of dumb and overly complicated and useless jobs and "services"
regarding derelcits to me its simple
if its not used and abandoned you are warned if you dont do anything about it boom your boat goes to the wreckers and the keel and all metal is sold off and recycled...simple
there was a big hooplah in san francisco and other california marinas that made it a point to pass a law on useage...for example there is a big issue of not enough slips for the boats in the bay area so they were trying to pass laws on useage...
if you dont use it you lose it...same thing applies to mooring balls, or anchorages I think...
those that do indeed use the waterways and their vehicles and boats in a respectfull and legal way should have precedence over those that dont
but so many times people start arguing about the rights of all citizens and how they are being trampled on and opressed when in reality they are being applauded for and supprted for being nuissances
anywhoo
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It's not only municipalities that get screwed by irresponsible boat owners. Boatyards have a heck of a time getting rid of dead-beat customers who just abandon their boats. The hulls just take up space that could be rented to paying customers. Sometimes it takes years to finally get rid of them or else they become permanent eyesores.
A little anecdote: I owned a 1936 42' Wheeler Playmate for many years. When I sold it (40 years ago) the a.h. who bought it let it sink out on the mooring. A few weeks later the town hauled it up on the beach, crunched it up with a loader and put it in one of the town's big sand/plow type 10 wheelers. No problems, no issues, just a couple of hours of work for town employees and a trip over to the dump. Some cost to taxpayers but really not a whole lot and a potential artificial reef and nuisance was eliminated. It's when a lot of these sunken boats are allowed to collect in an area that a major problem arises.
A little anecdote: I owned a 1936 42' Wheeler Playmate for many years. When I sold it (40 years ago) the a.h. who bought it let it sink out on the mooring. A few weeks later the town hauled it up on the beach, crunched it up with a loader and put it in one of the town's big sand/plow type 10 wheelers. No problems, no issues, just a couple of hours of work for town employees and a trip over to the dump. Some cost to taxpayers but really not a whole lot and a potential artificial reef and nuisance was eliminated. It's when a lot of these sunken boats are allowed to collect in an area that a major problem arises.
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For the pontoon boat, it sounds like the Harbormaster needs to wake up and clear space at the dock for other people to use. They could be scaring off others by their reputation or by their behavior: not cool. They don't have to be tied up to the dock to drink beer. Maybe if they drink enough beer at anchor, Darwin will show up and help solve the problem by seeing if any of them can swim after falling in.
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How can we tell without pics?
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Joe is right, Daytona actually does have quite a bit to recommend it, and can be a very pleasant stop if you have to run that stretch inside...
However, what you really want to avoid, is having to run that section of the ICW between St Augustine and Ponce Inlet, to begin with...
)Well till the last bit, I thought you were encouraging people to visit! :laugher:laugher:laugher
Next time you come through NY I will buy you a beer.
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