Registering an abandoned boat uksr

[Benjibob22]

I recently purchased a boat from a private seller, it’s a leisure 17 sailing yacht, he purchased it from a marina. They did not give him a receipt or bill of sale, he only has the meta data from Facebook as that’s what he bought it through, and I’ve got a written note and the meta data from the guy I bought it from, I know the name of the vessel (what it was named) and the marina it was sat in for a number of years (I believe it was abandoned there and they sold it after some time) but nothing else Any information you can give me regarding how I can get enough information to register and licence the boat is a great help. I’m finding conflicting information as to wether you actually need to register with the uksr, some sites say it’s not compulsory others say you do need uksr bss and insurance to drive at sea in uk waters.. can someone please tell me what I need to do to legally drive this boat in the sea in uk waters around the coast, thanks

 

[waynes world]

you should have a bill of sale from who you bought it off, not who he bought it off, i would of contacted the marina though before paying out to see if he did buy it from them. . to take it to see you dont need anything. insurance will be good though.

 

[waynes world]

Also BSS is for inland waters.

 

[Benjibob22]

you should have a bill of sale from who you bought it off, not who he bought it off, i would of contacted the marina though before paying out to see if he did buy it from them. . to take it to see you dont need anything. insurance will be good though.

I’m sure I could get a bill of sale sorted as I still have his contact details, just to clarify to drive my boat at sea in uk waters only, legally I need nothing? But insurance is advisable? I’ve read the safety brochure on the gov site, so I do know what else I need to stay legal while staying safe incase of emergency. (VHF license) And I can just give my boat any old name without actually having to register it with the authorities? Am I correct in saying that? Sorry I’m such a newb it was a bit of a impulse buy and it was cheap lol I would like to get it onto the Norfolk broads but I’m realising that may be quite difficult with the little information I have on the boat, thanks for the reply

 

[SaltIre]

You need marine 3rd Party liability insurance as a minimum, which means your own boat isn't insured but you are insured if you damage another.

 

[SaltIre]

I recently purchased a boat from a private seller, it’s a leisure 17 sailing yacht, he purchased it from a marina. They did not give him a receipt or bill of sale, he only has the meta data from Facebook as that’s what he bought it through, and I’ve got a written note and the meta data from the guy I bought it from, I know the name of the vessel (what it was named) and the marina it was sat in for a number of years (I believe it was abandoned there and they sold it after some time) but nothing else Any information you can give me regarding how I can get enough information to register and licence the boat is a great help. I’m finding conflicting information as to wether you actually need to register with the uksr, some sites say it’s not compulsory others say you do need uksr bss and insurance to drive at sea in uk waters.. can someone please tell me what I need to do to legally drive this boat in the sea in uk waters around the coast, thanks

Do you have an image of your new love? What is her name (what she is named)?

 

[Benjibob22]

Do you have an image of your new love? What is her name (what she is named)?

That I do yes, I’ve blinged it up a little with some rope lights for while it’s sat in the garden lol,

 

[ProDave]

Where is the mast? I don't even see the mast foot to take the mast?

And for that matter, where is the rudder and tiller?

 

[SaltIre]

Was it delivered on a truck or did you drive it along the road lol?

 

[Benjibob22]

Where is the mast? I don't even see the mast foot to take the mast?

And for that matter, where is the rudder and tiller?

Unfortunately there isn’t any of that with it I’ve yet to source it.. or make it lol, I was thinking of just using an outboard permanently as I was told that was a possibility? But I would like to fit sails at some point.

 

[Benjibob22]

Was it delivered on a truck or did you drive it along the road lol?

Just towed it on the caravan base ? we didn’t have to go far with it, I’m a coach builder/fabricator welder so I’ll be modifying the trailer to suit the boat (if it’s in good enough nik but it seems sturdy enough ?)

 

[Refueler]

If you are keeping it at home and trailering it to from coastal water ... then you don't need anything ... no registration .. no insurance ... no licence etc. UK is one of the last countries to still have freedom of waters for boats ... UNLESS you go inland waters ... then it all changes.

If you keep in a marina / club - then you will need 3rd party insurance against damage to others and wreck recovery. But usually still no registration / licence required.

UK SSR does not confirm Title / Ownership ... it just registers the boat .... similar to a Cars document.

For the boat you have acquired ... a simple signed letter from seller to you is more than enough ...

 

[Tranona]

Unfortunately there isn’t any of that with it I’ve yet to source it.. or make it lol, I was thinking of just using an outboard permanently as I was told that was a possibility? But I would like to fit sails at some point.

This is a sailing boat and will not be a good motor boat. It would normally have a 5hp outboard for when there is not enough wind to sail. Chances of finding a complete rig and rudder are pretty small (why would anybody want to sell the key bits that make the boat work?)

TBH, while this is an excellent starter boat it needs to be complete and probably not worth spending effort and money on an incomplete boat when for a few hundred £s you can get a similar boat ready to sail.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Congratulations, the Leisure 17 is a great little boat, but I agree with Tranona it is very definitely not a ‘mono’, you need to search for a mast and rigging.

 

[ProDave]

Sadly, you are going to find out the hard way that a "project boat" is never going to be a cheap boat. I hope you did not pay too much for it in this state?

The chance of finding a rudder, shaft and tiller for sale for an L17 is pretty slim. And while any of the mast manufacturers could make you a mast boom and rigging, the cost of a new mast and rigging would be way more than the boat is worth. So then you are into looking for second hand, and again the chance of finding the exact mast is slim so you would be into buying something similar and modifying it. Ditto sails. New mast and new sails puts you into way more than the boat is worth cost.

The water under the floor will be rainwater that has leaked in and needs pumping out. The hatch and doors are not original, the original would have been 2 wooden wash boards that slide into slots and a sliding fibreglass hatch. Your arrangement of wooden doors and a lift up wooden hatch are unlikely to be as water tight. And given all the deck equipment missing, you will have several holes left in the cabin roof, which if not well sealed, will let rainwater in. Also the transom locker would have had a fibreglass lid originally not the present wooden lid.

You could at a push just use it as a motor boat with a 4hp outboard (again outboard bracket is missing) and just steer with the outboard, but it will not be a good motor boat, but better than nothing.

With so many essential bits missing, I really think someone stripped it for some reason then decided to sell the remaining bare hull to some poor punter hoping to get a cheap boat. Sorry.

 

[Benjibob22]

This is a sailing boat and will not be a good motor boat. It would normally have a 5hp outboard for when there is not enough wind to sail. Chances of finding a complete rig and rudder are pretty small (why would anybody want to sell the key bits that make the boat work?)

TBH, while this is an excellent starter boat it needs to be complete and probably not worth spending effort and money on an incomplete boat when for a few hundred £s you can get a similar boat ready to sail.

Luckily I got the boat cheap for £150, my idea was that if i can’t find an original mast and rigging id build my own. Or try find one similar, I’ve seen sails second hand pretty cheap to be honest, and where I work I’ll be able to get materials for the sails if I need to make my own and my boss’s mother is a machinist and my boss has sailed for most of his life, but I’m a coach builder by trade so I have the skill set to build the mast and boom myself and fit whatever ancillaries are needed, i was thinking aluminium, I just need to find a decent diagram to give me a good idea of how the masts are built and what is needed to fully complete one.. I thought it was going to be a good cheap and fun way to get into boating.. it was a bit of an impulse buy though tbf..

 

[Benjibob22]

Sadly, you are going to find out the hard way that a "project boat" is never going to be a cheap boat. I hope you did not pay too much for it in this state?

The chance of finding a rudder, shaft and tiller for sale for an L17 is pretty slim. And while any of the mast manufacturers could make you a mast boom and rigging, the cost of a new mast and rigging would be way more than the boat is worth. So then you are into looking for second hand, and again the chance of finding the exact mast is slim so you would be into buying something similar and modifying it. Ditto sails. New mast and new sails puts you into way more than the boat is worth cost.

The water under the floor will be rainwater that has leaked in and needs pumping out. The hatch and doors are not original, the original would have been 2 wooden wash boards that slide into slots and a sliding fibreglass hatch. Your arrangement of wooden doors and a lift up wooden hatch are unlikely to be as water tight. And given all the deck equipment missing, you will have several holes left in the cabin roof, which if not well sealed, will let rainwater in. Also the transom locker would have had a fibreglass lid originally not the present wooden lid.

You could at a push just use it as a motor boat with a 4hp outboard (again outboard bracket is missing) and just steer with the outboard, but it will not be a good motor boat, but better than nothing.

With so many essential bits missing, I really think someone stripped it for some reason then decided to sell the remaining bare hull to some poor punter hoping to get a cheap boat. Sorry.

I paid £150 for it, I’ve less than £200 in it as it stands, I have noticed you can’t find any spares for this boat, and I know about the entrance and the locker, I would be replacing those with something better, I hate the ones that are on it there awful ugly and we’re thrown together, that was done by the last owner.. I could easily build a bracket for the motor knowing how they work, I think you may well be correct there, I think the marina sold bits off then sold what was left to the fella before me and he probably realised how much of a job it was to get it to sail and gave up on it and sold it on. I feel like I don’t want to give up on it though ?

 

[ProDave]

Start here for basic information Description of the Leisure 17 and the Leisure 17SL

As already stated it is cheap to join the Leisure Owners association and get access to the forum.

 

[Tranona]

I paid £150 for it, I’ve less than £200 in it as it stands, I have noticed you can’t find any spares for this boat, and I know about the entrance and the locker, I would be replacing those with something better, I hate the ones that are on it there awful ugly and we’re thrown together, that was done by the last owner.. I could easily build a bracket for the motor knowing how they work, I think you may well be correct there, I think the marina sold bits off then sold what was left to the fella before me and he probably realised how much of a job it was to get it to sail and gave up on it and sold it on. I feel like I don’t want to give up on it though ?

Honest advice - get rid of it and mark the £200 down to experience. I totally agree with ProDave - the chances of that boat ever being any use are just about zero - that is why the marina were glad to take your £150 because it saved them paying over twice that amount to scrap it. Bet they were laughing their heads off as you drove out of the gate - they should have paid you £150, not the other way around. There comes a time when no amount of effort is worth on a boat that has come to the end of its life. Take all the bits off it - you might make a few bob on ebay and cut the rest up for landfill.

I am afraid you totally underestimate what is involved in making that boat usable. As I said earlier, fully functioning boats can be had for less than £1000. Buying half a boat is madness

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Luckily I got the boat cheap for £150, my idea was that if i can’t find an original mast and rigging id build my own. Or try find one similar, I’ve seen sails second hand pretty cheap to be honest, and where I work I’ll be able to get materials for the sails if I need to make my own and my boss’s mother is a machinist and my boss has sailed for most of his life, but I’m a coach builder by trade so I have the skill set to build the mast and boom myself and fit whatever ancillaries are needed, i was thinking aluminium, I just need to find a decent diagram to give me a good idea of how the masts are built and what is needed to fully complete one.. I thought it was going to be a good cheap and fun way to get into boating.. it was a bit of an impulse buy though tbf..

The mast is an extrusion with a channel to accommodate the sail slides. Assuming that you acquire a mast and spreaders to suit, setting up the stays and shrouds is not something you can do yourself from scratch, and will require the services of a rigger.
Sails are not something that can just be run up by a seamstress. Sailmakers spend many years learning the skills involved in their trade, just like coach builders.
Joining the Leisure Owners' Association might enable you to find out which rigs and sails from other boats might be suitable substitutes for use on an L17.
The wooden doors will need to be replaced with a hardwood washboard that are secured in vertical slides, and you really don't want that wooden, forward hinged hatch falling on your head, the original hatch is a GRP moulding, as is the cover of the cockpit locker. The companionable hatch runs on slides, stainless steel, if I remember correctly. Again, if you join owners association you might be able to borrow originals to take a mould from, (presumably, coachbuilders will have fibreglass moulding skills?). Likewise, the rudder, for which you will have to weld up a stainless steel internal web, attached to a suitably dimensioned rudder post. The rudder pivots on a bronze bracket at the bottom of the skeg, which is undoubtedly missing. You will need to make up a suitable s/s bracket for the top of the rudder post to attach the hardwood tiller which you will have made. Your ideas on wheel steering are ill-advised, as rudder steering is a much more easily maintained solution for boats up to perhaps 32'.
Access to other L17s will allow you to take measurements and obtain specs for all the components required.
Your first job is to stop the rain coming in. When I was renovating my first boat, a Leisure 17, and was asked how I was progressing, my usual reply was "she's nearly full" ?. Remove all items that are bolted through the deck and bolt them back on using marine sealant. There are plenty of threads you can search on these forums to learn the correct technique, or use YouTube. The windows are held in using bog standard coachbuilding profiles, which I presume you are familiar with. In my experience they be will old and hardened, with the locking strip UV-degraded, and will need replacing.