Abandoned Yacht

[Tranona]

That is a typical clause in harbour by-laws which lay down specific conditions which do not need to get a court order. They are usually preceded by a process aimed at getting the owner to take responsibility and this is the last resort. Obviously there are some owners who take advantage of this rather than exercise their right of ownership. Other providers such as clubs and boatyards do not have the same sort of powers so find it more difficult as they ned to go to court. Also many seemingly abandoned craft are still having their moorings or storage paid even though they have little or no value.

As already suggested if you fancy taking on a seemingly abandoned boat you need to do a lot of research to find out if you can actually acquire it legally.

Most of the boats that end up on harbour authorities clearance lists are not worth having, but the odd one is and in that case they are likely to hold an individual auction.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Examples for the education of the O/P please?

Well, except for harbour areas the relevant regulations will be the national removal of wreck and environmental legislation quoted previously. Getting involved in that certainly looks like being at the very least problematic, and such places vastly outnumber regulated harbour areas. I am sure that most established harbours will have equivalent by-laws, but these will vary in their specific details. Further, even in a regulated harbour area, environmental legislation may come into play (for example, the Walton Backwaters are part of the Harwich Harbour Authority area, but are also a nature reserve; moving an old wreck that has become part of the ecology of an area could be "interesting" in a legislative sense if someone decides to cut up rough because removing the boat has disturbed the nesting site of something rare. Again, it will be different for derelicts left in boatyards; the boatyard may well have a lien on the boat and anyone claiming ownership could find themselves liable for a hefty sum in back fees!

Anyway, as you noted, in regulated areas there are often established mechanisms for the transfer of ownership; that's probably the most painless way to buy such a wreck. But outside regulated areas, establishing the owner of the derelict and buying it from the owner for a nominal sum (ideally with the existing owner covering all outstanding fees) is probably the only safe way to do it.

Long story short - it's a major can of worms and I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

 

[Refueler]

In Farlington Marsh area at Havant end ... were two yachts ... a Snapdragon 26 and a Water Witch. Abandoned up a little creek near the Incinerator. My Snap 23 was moored between them.
I asked around about both ... as they were still redeemable .....

The Snap 26 was subject to credit that guy had trouble paying and despite the abandoned condition - cash register bells rang when asked if he would sell on ... price he wanted was same as a going concern 26 in good nick.

The Water Witch ... owner denied it was his !! But finally admitted that he had overstepped his finances. It was a plywood sheet version and needed a quick decision but he was so slow and couldn't decide ..... in the end she was pushed right up the creek on a high-high tide well out of the way and left to rot.
Last I saw - people were trying to refloat her and do something - but I believe the lower hull had finally given in to the water ... she was moved - but I never saw her in commission.

 

[peter gibbs]

So, near my sailing ground in an estuary there are a few seemingly abandoned yachts, they look like they have been broken into and no equipment like vhf, charts! Galley apparatus, safety equipment or anything you would use remains. They have been here for a year or two without moving but the fibreglass hulls seem sound, even the sails are good. I don't know if I can just take one as have been looking for restoration project and these seem in tolerable condition. Is there a way to find past/present owners? Should I contact anyone before taking? How can I tell if they're even abandoned? Thanks

There are innumerable boats that don’t move for any number of reasons. Seems like an invitation to rescue and put to better use, as many of us would say. Clear assented ownership is important for reasons that underpin insurance, use of a marina, peace if mind, and safety, even if the new possesser (not documented owner) were not so fastidious as to seek hull registration. Any formal investigation arising from a third party claim would not go well if ownership were disputed.

Boats appear simple structures, but floating is the least of their attributes. Resisting weather-driven elements, protecting the crew, maintaining steerage, the list goes on. And the elements are merciless in rendering boats vulnerable. A vessel well cared for, even if a number of years young, is hugely preferable to acquiring an abandoned wreck because it seems an inviting challenge to the amateur's restorative skills.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Fortunately not from personal experience, but I can assure anyone who thinks a small neglected boat is a bad idea, that a very large one is worse by far, probably in proportion to enclosed volume. A neighbour is a serial acquirer of tatty wrecks, you’d think he would learn. But no, he has a new project, a famous one. ‘Just a bit of varnish’ he says. Er, no! It’s going to make painful watching. He’s entered her in the Richard Mille regatta, but hasn’t started the restoration yet.

 

[Stemar]

There's a reason Leo Samson was able to buy Tally Ho for $1...

I reckon he'll have spent far more than she'll be worth, but he can get away with it because he makes a good YT video. He calls himself a boat builder with a YT channel, but I think that if he looks at the time he spends, he's become a Youtuber with a boat to build.

Some boats are special enough to be worth saving, and some people have that curious mix of insanity and determination to save them. Others are daft enough to take on an ordinary boat and make it something special, at least to them. They're mad, but more power to them. I find that a boat in more or less working order is quite enough work, and more or less in working order is as good as most boats more than a few years old ever get in my experience.

 

[Refueler]

I have seen too many classic boats saved ... and TBH - the saving has often meant a near complete rebuild with very little of the old classic left.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I have seen too many classic boats saved ... and TBH - the saving has often meant a near complete rebuild with very little of the old classic left.

That's exactly what Leo is doing with Tally Ho, of course. And I note that Leo is often replacing the old with far better quality replacements!

The basic problem is that wooden boats have a natural lifespan, depending on the materials used in the initial build and subsequent maintenance. In the heyday of wooden ships, 30 years was reckoned to be a good working life for a commercial vessel, so they were built so as to ensure a commercial return within that period - what happened after that was of little importance. Leisure craft tended to be built to a somewhat higher standard of finish - but they were built using the same techniques and materials as commercial craft, often in the same yards. So, we can (at a rough approximation) assume that a 30 year old wooden boat is going to require major structural maintenance unless she was built from the keel up with longevity in mind, and maintained on a routine basis to maintain longevity. Few boats fulfill the first condition, and even fewer the second, especially as the yacht ages.

Part of the problem is that GRP has changed the mindset of yacht owners. GRP does not degrade as wood does, nor are there hundreds of joints and fastenings. So a GRP boat is, for practical purposes, indefinitely maintainable and can be restored effectively almost no matter how bad its condition. Whether that is an economic proposition is another question, but the basic structure will be sound. So yacht owners have got into the mindset that a yacht can be kept going indefinitely.

But wood, once it starts to degrade will continue to degrade, often in places out of sight and difficult to access. Most wooden boat "restoration" projects start with a boat that externally looks sort of OK, but when work starts, serious problems are found in areas that are invisible, such as beam shelves and so on. Rigorous, time-consuming and expensive maintenance can prolong the life of a wooden boat, but ultimately wood WILL degrade, fastenings WILL degrade and at that point, it is either rebuild or scrap.

 

[Refueler]

There are various points about a GRP boat that gets overlooked and we all tend to say GRP boats last 'forever' ... which is not actually true.

I was checking over a well known boat on shore other day and noted that yard her her cradled with fin keel not touching bottom of cradle. She was totally held in specially made wood curved beams set onto the cradles hull uprights.
This I knew was a situation this particular yacht series was prone to in later life ... as are many others ...

Basically the GRP taking up moisture and over time becoming 'soft' .. a poor term to use - but it conveys the idea. Basically ion later life when such boats are put ashore - as they are lowered into the cradles with keel taking its share of weight - you see the hull actually indent up.

Go to any old yard and see abandoned GRP boats that have delaminated - leaving a horrible carcass of matt with resin / gel missing ...

 

[wonkywinch]

Boats left abandoned by owners in harbour to be sold or scrapped by Cornwall Council

 

[fisherman]

I often look at GRP restoration projects, one is on sale, one is giving away and could be worth £2k in sparkling condition. You have to love GRP dust for a start, I don’t. Then you have to rebuild usually from the hull up, and GRP has no chemical bond after 3 months from manufacture, more dust as you grind back for a bond.
Just buy something ready to wear, branded in demand name, use it, polish it, sell it, even make a Bob on it.