Abandoned yachts?

Tribute said:
Afternoon,
I was wondering if anyone knows of any abandoned vessels in the Southampton area, or any which are no longer required. Looking for something on the cheap to tinker with and possibly make into a liveaboard. Any ideas of where to look and who to speak to would be very useful.
Thanks,
Tribute
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Lots abandoned, contact marinas and British Waterways, there are always boats ready for quick sales as the owners owe fees and alike. I've even seen BW sell off boats for £1 just to get them away. I bought a lovely yacht in Essex cheap, owner owed marina fees, I paid them saving £8000 off actual sale price, Don't ask don't get.
 
colvic987 said:
There are a couple here, not sure if they are for sale or not, but maybe just waiting for that elusive new owner !!!!!!!!

088.jpg
:D
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Some of the liveaboards just up the river dont look much better than those do they !!

Slightly odd to see this as I was there 2 days ago & thinking of using a similar shot as a "what boat is this" for the long keeler in the foregroaund.....:) :)
 
KellysEye said:
One place to look is the USA, the Drug Enforcemment Agency auctions boats, planes, cars etc taken from drug dealers.
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If his budget is so low that he's seriously considering that sunken Buckler, I hardly think bringing something back from the USA will be practical.

Pete
 
Twister_Ken said:
Mooring authorities keep track of abandoned vessels and attempt to sell them (usually by auction) when they have given up hope of the owner ever paying outstanding fees. Same with boatyards.
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Trouble is the marinas try to recover 2 or 3 years of charges on the auction. So you are faced with a severely neglected and old boat with a reserve that is more then the boat is worth even if it was ready-to-sail!

Once in a while a bargain comes along but not if you just wait for an auction to come to arranged. Detective work and some ferreting about is what pays off.
 
>If his budget is so low that he's seriously considering that sunken Buckler, I hardly think bringing something back from the USA will be practical.

It's worth registering to see the prices, it's free and he might be surprised. His total budget can't be that low given that he intends to rebuild a boat. A passage over the the Atlantic doesn't cost much.
 
KellysEye said:
>If his budget is so low that he's seriously considering that sunken Buckler, I hardly think bringing something back from the USA will be practical.

It's worth registering to see the prices, it's free and he might be surprised. His total budget can't be that low given that he intends to rebuild a boat. A passage over the the Atlantic doesn't cost much.
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still has VAT etc on entry to EEC.
 
KellysEye said:
A passage over the the Atlantic doesn't cost much.
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Does require a seaworthy boat though.

Also, maybe we have differing ideas as to budget, but post number 4 asked about "half sunk derelicts", and the submarine Buckler in Gosport wasn't dismissed out of hand until he found out the size. That sounds to me like a budget that wouldn't pay for the one-way airfare to buy a US boat.

Best off keeping an eye on eBay and scouting around for clubs and yards who want old hulls gone without having to pay bulk waste fees. It is possible to end up with something boat-shaped in exchange for the work of taking it away (I wouldn't, but that's another question).

Pete
 
I think that, if you're operating on a very low budget, getting your hands on a cheap / free boat is only the start of your problems. You then have to put it somewhere, and although a boat-shaped hole in the water is free, anything other than that option is going to cost money, even a mud berth at the top of a lonely creek will doubtless have a landowner wanting an access fee, and a local authority demanding council tax...and if you want to put it in a boatyard to refit it - well, why do you think that boats that need doing up get abandoned in the first place - even a small boat can cost thousands a year for yard space, and never underestimate how long it can take to fettle a 'project' boat, particularly a wooden one.

Better to work and save up until you can afford something that's a pleasure, not a liability.
 
Don't know about South Coast, but a number of yards on the East Coast have what appear to be abandoned projects. At Walton on the Naze there are quite a lot, a friend poetically described it as "The graveyard of dreams"

Lovely photo by Colvic987 shows boats on the shore at Pin Mill, but they are probably beyond all but the most starry eyed optimist's idea of a project.

There are however one or 2 in Webb's yard at Pin Mill which look perhaps reclaimable?
 
greenalien said:
I think that, if you're operating on a very low budget, getting your hands on a cheap / free boat is only the start of your problems. You then have to put it somewhere, and although a boat-shaped hole in the water is free, anything other than that option is going to cost money, even a mud berth at the top of a lonely creek will doubtless have a landowner wanting an access fee, and a local authority demanding council tax...and if you want to put it in a boatyard to refit it - well, why do you think that boats that need doing up get abandoned in the first place - even a small boat can cost thousands a year for yard space, and never underestimate how long it can take to fettle a 'project' boat, particularly a wooden one.

Better to work and save up until you can afford something that's a pleasure, not a liability.
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Sadly, I agree with this. Buying the boat nowadays is the cheap part of owning a boat.
 
In my experience there is no such thing as a 'cheap boat'. Others have pointed out the high ongoing cost of storage, moorings, access etc. But buy a derelict, and she will almost certainly cost you so much to restore that you will end up spending as much or more as buying a good one to start with. Materials are not cheap. GRP may be indestructible - and most of our boast will still be around the environment in 500 years time in some form - even chopped up. But that doesnt mean an old GRP hull is viable for its original purpose. neglected GRP is more difficult to restore properly and safely than neglected timber. It is just as expensive, and the materials needed to restore a derelict like the sunken Buckler, or the boats at Pin Mill would take it way beyond the price of a reasonably sound one, for example.

Yes there are bargains to be had, but you do need to go in to this with your eyes open. Wide open. And your wallet, too.
 
>That sounds to me like a budget that wouldn't pay for the one-way airfare to buy a US boat.

The OP hasn't said what his budget is but surely it has to include hull rebuild, new interior and fittings including engine, water systems, anchor setup, mast and rigging etc. That could well run into tens of thousands of pounds.

Tribute, are you perpared to say what your budget is?
 
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