Forgotten Boats

[Gerry]

   While walking on the street in Palm Harbor, Fl near Tarpon Lake (we are snowbirds).  I wandered upon an empty lot with several old boats in storage.  Alas, among then was a grungy old Com-pac 16.  It was all green with mildew and had the mast and boom laying in the cockpit.  At least the boat and trailer were turned up so rain could run out the scuppers.  The hatch was covered as well but no telling what the inside or the sails (if they are inside) are like.  I couldn't get a close look or copy down the hull number because of the "no trespassing" sign.
   The poor thing was begging me "help, rescue me, rehab me, I will be your friend and give you countless hours of fun."  Alas, I am just a visitor, 1600 miles from home, garage, tools, cleaning materials and time.  Perhaps someone closer to Palm Harbor would like an old boat to adopt.  You have a hull number and expired Florida registration numbers...
   Is there a Com-pac rescue groups out there?  Can numbers be traced to the present owner?  I bet for a few bucks he would be willing to part with his neglected boat and give the poor thing a new home with a loving owner.

[Cats Paw]

An obvious orphan that needs help.

[archimedes]

I often wonder why owners allow their boats to get to this state.  I'm sure there are a myriad of reasons,  but it is sad to see.  There are many derelict boats in the marine near my home that seem to have been abandoned for years - way beyond my interest in reviving.  But I wonder how they remain.  Someone must be paying the fees necessary to keep the boat in place or the marine would have removed the boat I would think.

[JBC]

I too have wondered the same thing about derelict boats. Over the years, I have slipped several boats in marinas that had their fair share of these creatures. At one marina, a Catalina 27 in the slip next to me never moved in nine years.  Occasionally, I would retie the rotting dock lines; the marina didn't seen concerned. The only life we saw on it was a duck who found a snug place under the wheel in the cockpit to lay her eggs.  Who knows who and what were inside.  Alas.

[Tom L.]

Florida is full of abandoned and derelict boats. The state even gives a special antique registration that is much less expensive than the standard. All in an effort to encourage some one to take care of abandoned boats.  Sooo come on down there everywhere.

Tom L.

[Bob23]

If I was a member of a Compac rescue effort, my wife would divorce me and murder me, not necessarily in that order. I've been wanting to buy a similarly neglected 16 here in NJ. She sits on her trailer, sad as hell and just looking for a good home. I've even tracked down the owners home address, sent a note but no reply.
Bob23

[AislinGirlII]

Bob23,
My wife has me enrolled in a 12 step program; she says if I go within 12 steps of another boat she will beat me with a tiller..and it works..

[crazycarl]

i too hate to see a boat left go to waste.

back in the '80s i noticed quite a few old aluminum row boats 12-14' without trailers and canoes laying about yards. 
a friend and i put what little cash we had together and knocked on doors offering to purchase the boats.
most people were more than happy to sell them at ridiculously low prices just to see them removed.
we found a source for cheap chinese bolt together trailers and rebuilt outboards. 
we'd match them together and resell them in the same area we purchased them.
we'd invest $500 to $700 for boat, trailer, and motor, and sell the units for not less than $1500.  not bad for a weekend of work.


then when it came time to buy my 1st sailboat, a friend told me of one that was rotting away in a storage yard where he just bought
a derelict powerboat.

for $75 i bought an old macgregor 21 with trailer.  the boat was filled with ice and dirt.  after cleaning it up, i wrote the illinois dept. of natural resources and asked for the address of the p.o., having them look it up through the boats registration #.

i then wrote the p.o. and asked them to call.  it turned out the man who sold me the boat had done so illegally.  he had purchased all the boats and campers from a storage yard that was closing, and instead of contacting the owners, sold most of the inventory as "unclaimed".

the p.o. offered me $300 for my trouble as he had been searching for his boat for some time.  i asked only for the $75 back and wished him well.

now whenever i see a boat laying to waste i wonder, does the rightful owner know of this?

CC

[kickingbug1]

   i have a plan for you bob. contact jason and make a offer on that 16 they had at the marina, i will put in the time to clean her up and when you come to the clr you will have a com-pac to sail. sweet idea what?

[Bob23]

Kick:
   I think I have a problem. Your idea actually makes sense to me.
Aislin:
   Can you send me info on the 12 step program? Maybe there's still some hope for me!
Bob23

[MacGyver]

From a marina operators standpoint:

We dont want the boats, we prefer the bills are paid and the boat upkept, but a lot of folks just walk away, and dont try to work out a deal.... Hell, if a owner came to me and said "listen, I am done, here is the title, sell it and keep waht you get" I would be a lot happier. Well that doesnt happen, and even when it does, getting the title shit straight seems to be a real issue for us. It takes months to get title work done, and get the boat in our possession. After this is accomplished, we still have to list and try to sell, show it, etc. And when folks abandone boats, they typically have years of debt racked up because we cannot take a boat unless it is derelict for so long, and or the owner has abandoned it physically for so long but their brain continues to hold hope.

Or lastly, the worst, the boat goes to auction with a debt, that the owner makes a small payment on as required by law, then it comes out of auction, and the fees build, till auction time, which then the owner yet again makes a small payment, and our of auction, and this vicious cycle continues on and on, till the debt over powers the value of the boat, and the boat is so derelict that literally as we put it amongst ourselves, "Only a idiot would buy that now! It needs so much work!"

Marinas dont want boats. It is a huge loss for us. and typically we are unable to get them out of our hands after all the government red tape, not to mention all the bullshit people do underhandedly selling from one to another to avoid taxes or fees. I cant tell you how many boats we find out have 3 owners or more. And we are supposed to know this stuff, and track each one down, and have em sign things, etc. It is CRAZY.

As far as the CP16 at my marina, it would make a good project boat. Once the marina owns it, it would be listed and if I can I will post it here. It had enough to sail it when purchased for sure. Might need new lines, but otherwise it would be usable for sure. BUT, that said, the state is jacking us around so badly, that we dont own it yet, as well as 3 or 4 other boats, that we have been trying to takeover.

One note for everyone interested in these derelict boats you see and feel sorry for..... IF you buy one without title, etc, YOU will be sorry you did when all said and done, the work you do to the boat could end up being wasted, and you might very well be on the wrong end of a policeman's ticket book if the owner decided to go that route. It is horrible, but it is the truth and just the way this side of the market works.

Good luck everyone, and never forget the baggage some of the old girls come with.

Mac

[kickingbug1]

   jason, give klasing license service in Trenton a call. linda knows all the ins and outs of title and license transfer. its worth a try. and give us a call when you want to go out to eat.

[archimedes]

So what happens when the boat owner (who is in deep debt to the marina) sells the boat to an unsuspecting buyer?  That debt stays with the PO not the boat, right?   

So the marina would be out the back fees?

[MacGyver]

The debt for us is on the boat, but in the PO name.
We typically wont allow a boat to leave without it being clear of debt. Luckily for us, we havent had that issue. And really, I have no clue how we would stop them........

We have had owners owe us money and leave..... and they are on a list. LOL

Also, by us not getting the money for services rendered, we are the ones hurt the most, especially when left with boats, and the employees as well, as ultimately it ends up costing a job down the line due to funds not coming in especially in this market. It would be nice if government laws understood business, and the laws supported it to keep it fair. Instead laws seem to make it super hard in business to get things accomplished like takeovers, etc.

(The comment above about government/laws is not meant to start a argument on the subject. Just a statement as to how it works for our side to enlighten those who want to know. If a government debate starts here, I will delete it.)

The really odd one is that if a previous owner sold a boat, no title, and there was a debt, wouldn't transfer to us, the boat or item literally sits in limbo for what could be a eternity.......

What I am interested in is how it works for people to sell to one another with no title and such, that blows my mind...... how could anyone feel like they own something then? Or use it without getting into trouble somehow......

Mac

[HideAway]

Mac is right on this.  In these parts an an owner who can't afford the slip rent will anchor his boat on Boca Ciega Bay.  Eventually it will either wind up in someones front yard after a storm or sink in the shallow bay leaving only part of the mast visible.   It takes years for the city to get ownership of it.  Then the good citizens of Gulfport are on the hook for the expense of raising the boat and cutting it up for the dump.  Its a common occurrence.  There is one out there now that sunk last year.  Our club members have marked it and published the gps location.  As far as the city marina is concerned if the owner is paying his rent they overlook the condition of the boat - its a bit harder for others since they have to put up with the smell.  It is difficult to obtain  ownership just because of what happened to Carl.  And can you imagine the law suit if the city cut up your boat?  A sad state of affairs for everyone.  M