Abandoned boats on the rise

[ProDave]

There is an Abandoned boat" in our harbour. Actually the story is the owner died. The boat is still afloat, but moved to the least desirable spot in the harbour. But what gets me, is the forward hatch is slightly open, propped open by the anchor. That will surely let rainwater in, leading to what was a perfectly saleable boat becoming ever grotty classes of MAB or project boat, until it is all rotten inside.

I don't know what the rules are on the sale of an abandoned boat, if the owner has died and no relative seems to want it? but logic says it would be better to keep it dry and at least it might be saleable to recover the harbour dues? I just cannot see the logic in letting it go to ruin so it becomes a piece of worthless scrap that won't even sell for enough to cover the harbour dues?

I also know how quickly a boat can deteriorate. We have just bought one that was out of use we think for a year. It has taken quite a lot of work to get it from potentially being a MAB to being just an AWB.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

There is an Abandoned boat" in our harbour. Actually the story is the owner died. The boat is still afloat, but moved to the least desirable spot in the harbour. But what gets me, is the forward hatch is slightly open, propped open by the anchor. That will surely let rainwater in, leading to what was a perfectly saleable boat becoming ever grotty classes of MAB or project boat, until it is all rotten inside.

I don't know what the rules are on the sale of an abandoned boat, if the owner has died and no relative seems to want it? but logic says it would be better to keep it dry and at least it might be saleable to recover the harbour dues? I just cannot see the logic in letting it go to ruin so it becomes a piece of worthless scrap that won't even sell for enough to cover the harbour dues?

I also know how quickly a boat can deteriorate. We have just bought one that was out of use we think for a year. It has taken quite a lot of work to get it from potentially being a MAB to being just an AWB.

The rules are simple - the executor should either dispose of the boat according to the will of the deceased or should sell it so that its value (if any) can be realized for the beneficiaries of the will. If the owner died intestate, then the boat should be sold and the proceeds distributed to the next of kin - it's all laid down pretty clearly if you look up "Probate" on the uk.gov websites. The boat is no different to any other property owned by the deceased.

I've had to go through probate three times so far; it's actually not difficult.

Basically, a boat abandoned because the owner died is abandoned because either the executor doesn't know about it (unlikely) or hasn't realized that they have a legal duty to a) settle any outstanding debts that the deceased left behind and b) realize any assets for distribution according to the deceased's will or the intestacy rules.

Failing to settle harbour dues could come back and bite the beneficiaries (and the executor), as the legal duty is to settle the deceased's legitimate debts first before dividing the estate.

Intestacy is a can of worms, and all sane persons should make a will to avoid it!

 

[penfold]

There is an Abandoned boat" in our harbour. Actually the story is the owner died. The boat is still afloat, but moved to the least desirable spot in the harbour. But what gets me, is the forward hatch is slightly open, propped open by the anchor. That will surely let rainwater in, leading to what was a perfectly saleable boat becoming ever grotty classes of MAB or project boat, until it is all rotten inside.

I don't know what the rules are on the sale of an abandoned boat, if the owner has died and no relative seems to want it? but logic says it would be better to keep it dry and at least it might be saleable to recover the harbour dues? I just cannot see the logic in letting it go to ruin so it becomes a piece of worthless scrap that won't even sell for enough to cover the harbour dues?

I also know how quickly a boat can deteriorate. We have just bought one that was out of use we think for a year. It has taken quite a lot of work to get it from potentially being a MAB to being just an AWB.

If it's not actually sinking I'd suspect that it's being minded, the hatch propped open as the small amount of rain getting in is worth it for the through flow ventilation as many older boats have terrible or non-existent ventilation when closed up. If the owner dies it should be sold by the executor after probate is granted but the executor needs to know about it, people have secrets and some of them are boat-shaped, then there are executors who don't do as diligent a job as they should.

 

[ylop]

Sometimes the (smaller) yards etc don’t exactly make life easy for themselves. They’ll take anyone’s money without ever caring if that boat is ever going to be sailable, and with poor contact details for the owner and little in the way of a written contract that says what happens if you don’t pay / don’t remove the boat etc.