What to do with end-of-life plastic boats?

[penberth3]

Next to my last factory was a scrap yard that crushed cars to the size of a suitcase. They had a hydraulic excavator fitted with a 5 fingered grab insted of a bucket....... .......then the whole boat picked up & dropped into a 30ft skip where it could be scrunched up into pieces in half an hour just by picking bits up & crushing them.

That destroys it as a "boat" but doesn't solve the GRP problem, I wouldn't call landfill a solution. The crushing process would also release harmful dust, I'm sure the EA and the neighbours wouldn't accept that.

 

[Supertramp]

Would that be part of the point? The legal hoops, trying to contact owners etc, could be usefully eliminated.

Following compulsory registration, after a year two's grace, any unregistered boat could be defined as abandoned and so subject to being legally impounded out of hand and disposed off.

Yes, that is a positive. But increasing the number of boats for disposal without the methods, safeguards and capacity to deal with the problem is not a solution.

The second part of my point was that a registration system with a levy to cover old boat disposal (and admin) is likely to attract other costs and become a burden which will deter those who enjoy low cost sailing.

I would rather a system where younger and less wealthy people are able to enjoy the sea, estuaries, lakes and sailing without cost and bureaucracy. Which might keep more people sailing and more old boats in use.

 

[Daydream believer]

That destroys it as a "boat" but doesn't solve the GRP problem, I wouldn't call landfill a solution. The crushing process would also release harmful dust, I'm sure the EA and the neighbours wouldn't accept that.

But most of the dust would be in the container. It would be safer than chain saws. the operator would be in a machine cab. Many of which are air conditioned.. Some marinas will have an area away from immediate housing & I suspect that you are raising irrelevant objections. Put some water in the skip first. Yes land fill, but surely that is better, until an option is found. But several boats would fit in one skip for transport so if a chipping plant nationally were established they could be taken more economically. A well crushed boat actually takes up little room. It is after all just a few cans of resin, plus some rolls of matt
A levy does not solve the problem of disposal ; only pushes it down the road.

 

[flaming]

Yes, that is a positive. But increasing the number of boats for disposal without the methods, safeguards and capacity to deal with the problem is not a solution.

The second part of my point was that a registration system with a levy to cover old boat disposal (and admin) is likely to attract other costs and become a burden which will deter those who enjoy low cost sailing.

I would rather a system where younger and less wealthy people are able to enjoy the sea, estuaries, lakes and sailing without cost and bureaucracy. Which might keep more people sailing and more old boats in use.

That’s what we have.

Is it working?

 

[Supertramp]

That’s what we have.

Is it working?

Yes, where I am and where I sail. But that might not be the point!

Some areas will have many old long neglected boats, others very few. Geography and mooring type are likely key. If an area has a problem then it should address it via harbour authority or local council. But does it require a national scheme involving all regardless?

 

[RupertW]

The Cutty Sark is opposite the NMMC, you can do both .

Not if the talk is in Falmouth unless I really get better at running.