Mooring squatter removal

[Tranona]

Then start legal proceedings to recover the debt. Well within small claims track. You seem to have done everything reasonable to resolve it so start the claim. Suspect it will prompt an instant response from him.

 

[ytd]

I once returned from an extended cruise to find a broker had left a boat on my mooring. I rang the number on the brokers sign and told him to come and get it. He argued that he was busy and would come tomorrow. I told him if he wasn't there in an hour I would cast his boat adrift and he could collect it from the beach. He arrived half an hour later extremely angry and threatening all sorts of harm but moved the boat to another vacant mooring. I found out later the reason for his quick action. Another mooring owner had cast the same boat adrift the previous week. When the broker accused him of casting it adrift he denied it and with no witnesses the broker had no where to go (except the next vacant mooring). The next mooring owner finally got rid of the broker by moving the boat to the ferry wharf. Ferry capitans aren't the gentlest of skippers when a boat is illegally tied to their wharf and the boat suffered terribly. By the end of the day it had been impounded by the harbour authorities. Not sure whether the broker ever paid the impound fee or just handed the whole mess over to the owner (who he had been charging a daily mooring fee).

 

[Aardee]

The offer of membership and an offer to offset the visitor rate that had already accrued against the annual member charge had already been made and he has promised to pay but of course when it comes to actually arranging to pay he does not reply to emails or calls. This has been going on all season. He has had plenty of opportunity to pay, there is extensive correspondance, but still no payment from him.

Hi Red,

I'll go back to my earlier question - There's clearly been every effort made to sign him up as a member, but has anyone actually asked him to just leave??

 

[duncan99210]

To my mind, the simplest answer is to send him a letter, telling him to remove his boat by a set date. Tell him in the same letter that failure to follow this instruction will leave you with no option but to have the boat towed from the mooring to a nearby safe haven at his cost. Then follow through on the removal if he doesn't react. Moorings are not like houses; there is no right to remain on them nor is there any need for eviction proceedings. Your club is simply protecting their asset by removing an uninsured potentially dangerous vessel from the area of their responsibility.

On the topic of lien on a boat, I remember a clause in a marina contract we once had which specifically laid out what would happen if we failed to pay our fees on time; that included seizing the boat and selling it to recover monies owed.

 

[jonjo]

We have someone squatting a mooring. They have been offerred club membership and have agreed to join and pay for their mooring

Would this work as a fastpath route to Royal Yacht Squadron membership?

 

[lampshuk]

I'm almost certain that it might.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[Tintin]

Thanks All.

Armed with some more info courtesy of you lot, I had a robust discussion with the miscreant and he has coughed up cash, got insurred, signed the forms to say he accepts membership and mooring conditions, and promises to be a good boy in future.

We will see (not holding breath).