Curious, how are old boats disposed of that marinas refuse to haul out?

[sdowney717]

I am talking of sizes not trailer-able. Like 35 to 50 foot boats?
Boats all get old enough eventually they are no longer usable.

 

[Scott Danforth]

a salvage company comes, hauls them away, busts them up with an excavator and they charge the marina a huge fee, then the marina goes after the boat owner of record.

 

[sdowney717]

Everything has a lifespan, how much money to do that?
I have heard it is expensize.

A steel sailboat sunk in a deep slip of 25 feet or so, I think was Fort Monroe, VA, and 15 years ago the cost was $12000 to raise it and tow to a marina. I drove over there couple days ago and it took a few years but I saw it had been completely torched apart and the keel was laying on the ground.

That marina and others all have these old derelict boats on the hard. Some marinas are full of old dead boats.

 

[Scott Danforth]

published prices are $200 per foot to raise, $500 per hour barge fee, then $X/ft for equipment fees (depending on if its a forklift, excavator, etc.), and then there is the disposal fees, and any surcharge the salvage company wants to charge.

The law (at least in florida), if your boat is assumed abandoned, the state has the right to have it salvaged, and you as the boat owner, pay any and all fees.

Florida | Marine Debris Program

marinedebris.noaa.gov

However if you have an at-risk boat, and you contact the authorities that it is at-risk, obtain the appropriate permitting and can get it towed to an appropriate turn-in site, there is no cost to the owner of record. The state will then haul it out and dismantle it.

 

[BWR1953]

I had an acquaintance who acquired a sunken 54' Bluewater for only $4k which had sunk at a marina. He had it recovered, then brought to his place which was nearby the marina.

He had about 20 acres to work on it and over a couple years completely repaired and restored it to better than new condition.

He said in all, that he had about $30k in repair/refurbishment/fitment costs. Of course, his labor and that of his buddy, was free.

He used that beauty for several years, then sold it for about 5 times the amount he had in it, then moved out of state. Happy ending.

I miss being out on that boat.

 

[racerone]

For many folks ,big boats become a liability at one point.----Too big to trailer.----Too expensive to repair.----No insurance available.----Too expensive to dock for a season.----Nobody wants them.

 

[Scott Danforth]

as an FYI, the yearly maintenance on a 48' twin diesel cruiser is about 10k.

that is annual haul-out for bottom paint, drive paint, re-seal the bits that are leaking, the monthly diver to remove growth, the weekly clean-out of sea baskets, the miscellaneous items, etc.

boating is still an expensive hobby.

 

[sdowney717]

Something boat buyers don't really think of, the potential large liability cost of ownership when the boat ages, you can't sell it, no one wants it.

Larger boats apparently can have high end of life costs, just like people!

I used to have a trailer boat, when It got old and no one wanted it, thing sat in my driveway 10 years. Then I cut it up with a sawzall and hauled pieces to the dump. I still have the 4 bolt maon chevy 350 engine, as it was the only thing of any value. It had an old OMC stringer outdrive. I even cut up the rusty steel trailer and recycled the steel.

 

[sdowney717]

I was wondering if you have a larger old boat to dispose of, if you owned some land, a crane could pick it up, take it to your place, then you cut it up yourself. The way to deal with something big is one bite at a time. Might even be cheaper to buy some land and DIY the disposal, if it is possible.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I was wondering if you have a larger old boat to dispose of, if you owned some land, a crane could pick it up, take it to your place, then you cut it up yourself. The way to deal with something big is one bite at a time. Might even be cheaper to buy some land and DIY the disposal, if it is possible.

not sure that would be lower cost

 

[tphoyt]

My buddys dad backed filled his pool with 2 boats a car and tractor before it was cap with top soil and seeded over. It will be a surprise time capsule for someone some day.

 

[sdowney717]

not sure that would be lower cost

Would not be a total loss though, you would still own the land.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Would not be a total loss though, you would still own the land.

I was talking about the cost to hire a crane and have the boat hauled. me personally, I would turn in the boat, get the appropriate permits and tow it to the designated disposal slip and let them take it from there.

 

[sdowney717]

I was talking about the cost to hire a crane and have the boat hauled. me personally, I would turn in the boat, get the appropriate permits and tow it to the designated disposal slip and let them take it from there.

Only for Florida?
I am in Virginia, don't see this program

https://www.deq.virginia.gov/our-programs/coastal-zone-management/coastal-conservation/marine-debris/abandoned-and-derelict-vessels

 

[aspeck]

Locally in Central PA there are a couple of "scrappers" who for a few $100 plus dumpster fees will come in and strip down and remove anything you want removed. They keep the good scrap and get rid of the rest. It cost a friend $400 total to have a mobile home removed.

 

[jimmbo]

Works for me!

 

[Dubed]

Works for me!View attachment 400980

Should remove the reg# and hull# first

 

[four winns 214]

Speaking as someone who has served on a marina board, having the marina dispose of a derelict boat and then “going after the owner” for reimbursement is much easier said than done. Trust me on this.

 

[sdowney717]

What happens if the boat sinks like in the Chesapeake bay in 20 feet of water? Or deeper? Is there some point where it is just left where it sank.
Then marked on charts as a wreck?

I see wrecks marked on the NOAA charts. Is there a size where it is considered a shipwreck? Can't imagine a sunk 15 footer considered a shipwreck.

 

[sdowney717]

Speaking as someone who has served on a marina board, having the marina dispose of a derelict boat and then “going after the owner” for reimbursement is much easier said than done. Trust me on this.

Close to where I have my boat, talked to a marina owner who had a 50 years old boat mid 30 footer sinking in one of his slips. He hauled it out on a railway, old place, then decided it was too rotten to save so he destroyed the boat then charged the owner $8000. Of course boat owner was very unhappy with what happened. Marina owner took owner to court and was saving pieces of the boat to show the court how bad it was.