Fowey--Abandoned Boats

[Seajet]

I've never understood boats being abandoned when their owners cannot or will not pay berthing fees. Surely it's better to sell it as an amazing bargain, and recoup something.

Dan,

on the other hand I know a club where the ' onshore master ' thought some dinghies had stayed put for too long; so he - without any approval of the club involved- threatened he would apply extremely punitive charges; including a friend's boat which he attempted to padlock to get the fees,despite the dinghy owner being a member for decades before this berk, the owner was now ill.

Sadly for him he'd locked up the wrong boat so we did a ' cuttting out ' raid and with a bit of effort got the boat back to her owner.

 

[Greenheart]

Nice. If only all tales of boat-park bolt-cropping antics were so decent.

 

[ripvan1]

A wood chipper-like machine for GRP would earn its designer a few bob and I'm sure a use could be found for GRP chippings.

I wonder if a tyre shredding machine would chew GRP

 

[simon barefoot]

Sunk as offshore reefs for fishing/diving? Chain several together and in time they'd coalesce?

 

[Greenheart]

Chain several together and in time they'd coalesce?

...and form a sub-aqua squadron of dispossessed boats, bent on revenge? No, too risky. I've seen The Defiant Ones.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

There's a few places doing boat disposal but it costs money to dispose. Until they have scrap value it will remain a problem I guess. There's more than you ever wanted to know about disposing of and recycling composites here http://www.compositesuk.co.uk/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=f3y8cNT6pIg%3D&tabid=111&mid=550, Interesting is the bit about London Waste - they will incinerate GRP but charge because it produced so much heat. Apparently the logic is that they would end up sending loads of waste to landfill (which costs them) if they burnt too much GRP. The ash from the incineration can be used in road contruction but I dread to think what is given off during the burning.

 

[Greenheart]

I wonder what GRP's density is, relative to water? Maybe scrap hulls could be compressed into sections of sea-defence. Easier to move about than stone. A substance so resistant to natural decay must have a use in construction.

 

[Keith 66]

Its becoming a big problem everywhere. In our club we have numerous boats that havent moved for years. However we have the luxury of a large site with plenty of storage space. One boat has not moved in 25 years & the rain water in her is over the bunks! but every year the subs & fees get paid so its ignored.
For many people it may be a far cheaper option to join a club then default than dispose of a worthless boat.
An idea may be to charge a bond or surcharge on fees to pay for possible future disposal repayable if you dispose of it yourself?
As for reusing GRP there is an excellent article by Naval Architect Eric sponberg at this site, 2nd down opens pdf, http://yachtrecycling.org/materials...ecycling/fibreglass-recycling-info-resources/ , Its well worth a read for anyone interested in the subject.

 

[OceanSprint]

That's very sad. Doesn't scuttling at sea appeal to owners who've tried and failed to sell (or give away) an old tub?e.

Would be treated as dumping at sea, and would need a licence (which it probably wouldn't get).

 

[Tam Lin]

Its becoming a big problem everywhere. In our club we have numerous boats that havent moved for years. However we have the luxury of a large site with plenty of storage space. One boat has not moved in 25 years & the rain water in her is over the bunks! but every year the subs & fees get paid so its ignored.
For many people it may be a far cheaper option to join a club then default than dispose of a worthless boat.
An idea may be to charge a bond or surcharge on fees to pay for possible future disposal repayable if you dispose of it yourself?

As for reusing GRP there is an excellent article by Naval Architect Eric sponberg at this site, 2nd down opens pdf, http://yachtrecycling.org/materials...ecycling/fibreglass-recycling-info-resources/ , Its well worth a read for anyone interested in the subject.

Yes, I read it and what I found interesting was his motivation for recycling. He wanted to get rid of old boats so that people would buy new ones, which, in order to be produced, would use more of the world's resources!
I am not sure about his premise either. If all the old abandoned boats were got rid of and secondhand prices went up there would still be a huge difference between them and new boats. I can't see myself ever buying a new boat whatever secondhand prices were. And where could I go to buy a modern version of my Centaur?
However, it was a good article and outlined the issues well.
As to boats coming to the end of their lives, it is a case of there being too much cost and effort to restore them and the fact that fashions and expectations change. A forty year old boat reflects the time in which it was built, think about how far, caravans, hotels, camping etc. has moved on in that time.
Not an easy problem to solve and one that is going to get worse before it gets better.

 

[ronsurf]

Yes, I read it and what I found interesting was his motivation for recycling. He wanted to get rid of old boats so that people would buy new ones, which, in order to be produced, would use more of the world's resources!
I am not sure about his premise either. If all the old abandoned boats were got rid of and secondhand prices went up there would still be a huge difference between them and new boats. I can't see myself ever buying a new boat whatever secondhand prices were. And where could I go to buy a modern version of my Centaur?
However, it was a good article and outlined the issues well.
As to boats coming to the end of their lives, it is a case of there being too much cost and effort to restore them and the fact that fashions and expectations change. A forty year old boat reflects the time in which it was built, think about how far, caravans, hotels, camping etc. has moved on in that time.
Not an easy problem to solve and one that is going to get worse before it gets better.

I thought one of the reasons that manufactures don't produce many sub 30' boats is the quantity available second hand. If there were less, then the demand would be greater, theoretically satisfied by a manufacturer. Theoretically, of course!

 

[snowleopard]

I think one of the biggest factors is that doing something about that rotting hulk is the psychological hurdle of giving up on a dream. As long as the burden isn't too great it is more comfortable to keep paying in the belief that one day you'll go on that cruise you've always dreamed of.

 

[Seajet]

Talking about sailing dinghies left ashore for long periods here;

there seem to be two distinct groups;

A, those who because of illness or other genuine concerns are'nt able to look after their boats

B, people who can't be arsed and expect someone else to look after their boat...

Any guesses which side I and my my club are on ?!

 

[Keith 66]

Sailing dinghies or yachts it makes little difference, people stop using them for lots of reasons. There will be genuine cases where for whatever reason the boat doesnt get used, trouble is as time marches on & the condition of the boat deteriorates the cost of bringing it back to seaworthy condition rises to uneconomic levels.
No club should penalise people for not being able to continue but for most clubs they simply cant afford to have the space filled with bed blocker boats!
Sailing dinghies are a lot easier as if wooden the club bonfire awaits & a grp one is easily chopped up. Yachts are a different matter due to size.
In our club & many others we have an ageing membership, the Ensign on the flagpole is at half mast all too often! once an owner has died & his relatives realise grandads yacht is a big liability what are they going to do? walk away & so theres another abandoned boat. Selling them on ebay only shifts the problem onwards for a little while.

 

[clyst]

But boats are being left to rot in Britain’s ports because would-be sailors are buying second-hand fishing vessels online after enjoying a few drinks, a harbour master has suggested. Captain Paul Thomas said he has been “plagued” by abandoned vessels in Fowey harbour in Cornwall, which he has been removing over the past year at a cost of thousands of pounds.​

Ach, nothing a ground survey, a big crane and a low loader won't sort out.

Would certainly liven things up again

 

[vyv_cox]

Talking about sailing dinghies left ashore for long periods here;

there seem to be two distinct groups;

A, those who because of illness or other genuine concerns are'nt able to look after their boats

B, people who can't be arsed and expect someone else to look after their boat...

Any guesses which side I and my my club are on ?!

A friend who was a dealer for a relatively expensive class of dinghy was looking around a dinghy park and spotted a nearly new boat that seemed not to have moved for some time. He contacted the owner, via the club secretary, who denied that the boat was his. A year later the boat was still there, apparently undisturbed. He contacted the owner again and this time pressed a little more strongly. Eventually the owner remembered that it was his after all, he had apparently forgotten he owned it. Probably worth £6-7000.

 

[Seajet]

VYV,

as I try to run an owner's association, I get calls from all sorts of hopeful would - be owners.

Years ago I kept getting calls from a real enthusiast, a keen sailor but not overburdened with cash.

I knew a good boat left ashore apparently unused, so promised I'd approach the owner.

I did, and got a short, sharp reply...

That would have been that, but the potential buyer kept hassling me and persisting.

So against my better judgement I approached the owner again, by this time a good two years had passed.

The owner gave in, I suspect partly for some peace and quiet, partly because he realised Eric would be a worthy custodian.

My father made some special trestles for the low-loader trip north, then Eric, his wife Jessie and his boat had a very enjoyable few years together, they and I swapped holidays on each other's boats between Southern England and Scotland.

Eventually the arrangement was sadly ended by Jessie becoming ill, but I'll always remember Eric's persistence - leading to his owning a boat he'd only have been able to read about, if he hadn't been so stubborn.

 

[JumbleDuck]

A friend who was a dealer for a relatively expensive class of dinghy was looking around a dinghy park and spotted a nearly new boat that seemed not to have moved for some time. He contacted the owner, via the club secretary, who denied that the boat was his. A year later the boat was still there, apparently undisturbed. He contacted the owner again and this time pressed a little more strongly. Eventually the owner remembered that it was his after all, he had apparently forgotten he owned it. Probably worth £6-7000.

I know of a Drascombe for sale. It was in very nice condition, but the owners have died and the executors turned down several offers of ~£5k, holding out for at least £8k. It has now been sitting in the open, sails and all, for three years ... I don't think anyone is going to be offering even £5k in its current state.

 

[dk]

Well I'm about to do my bit for old hulk restoration - again! Just bought an abandoned Hurley 22 on eBay - intentionally! At the moment she's a very damp, mouldy, gear-free hull, but I'll be sailing her next spring with all the basics sorted. Then, once she's on the water and I'm staying on board a few days a week, it'll be a simple improve as you go job.
And for those sceptics who say it'll never happen - this is something like the sixth wreck I've managed to get back on the water at minimal cost (apart from the strain on my marriage that is!)