Abandoned/Derelict boats in the marina

[pullin]

I recently became a "slip owner" after years of trailering. As newbie marina folk, my wife and I are astonished at the number of unused, mostly derelict boats occupying slips at our marina. We wandered thru other marinas and found the same thing. I'd guess at least 20% of the boats around us haven't been touched in a year, and probably have been ignored for 5 years or more. I found one this weekend that had an actual tree (3 feet tall) growing out of the upholstery. Another had a massive wasp nest in the cockpit and was actually dangerous to approach. It was obvious these boats hadn't even been looked at in many years, yet someone is dutifully paying expensive slip rent year after year. I'm fairly certain these boats are unusable and would require a huge investment (more than they're worth) to make them seaworthy again. We're in the DFW area, maybe it's different elsewhere.

So I'm curious; Are there a lot of ignored boats in your marina (or storage lot)? Have you ever learned any of the stories behind them? The amount of wasted money I'm seeing here astounds me.

Just curious if this is a local thing, or if it's true at most marinas.

 

[Tnstratofam]

We noticed some boats that are in poor condition docked at our local marinas as well. My step son works at one. And told me that the marina owner notifies customers when there is a need ro address issues with their boats. However as long as he is getting his slip payments, and the boat isn't in danger of sinking he leaves them be other than the services his marina provides. He has a few boats that have been abandoned by their owners that he took legal possession of. Those he either resells or if they are in bad shape he pulls out of the water and tries to sell.

They have a houseboat that is sinking now. It is to large to pull out at his ramp, ( Most Houseboats on this lake are loaded and unloased at a large public ramp further down the lake) so they towed it as far out of the way as they could and beached it. The owner has not responded to repeated calls about their slowly sinking boat.


Another marina owner we know takes possession of boats in place of back owed dock fees and then resells the good boats and trashes the bad ones. He takes a bigger interest in larger cruisers and house boats as they are harder to deal with when someone doesn't take care of them. Smaller craft are easier to store at his dry dock.

 

[airdvr1227]

I think it's for several reasons. Perhaps the owner died and no one knows he has a boat. Sometimes when people can't ge rid of a boat they'll take it for repairs and leave it. Still others just don't care. The buy on my starboard has had his boat in the water for 2 seasons. I've only seen him once.

 

[Texasmark]

My thoughts, since I see the same thing at places like the Long Beach, CA. Marina for one (sister used to live in the city, non boater). The longer the boats sit in the water unused, for whatever reason, and working 24/7 is a valid reason....people with big boats there could be in that situation, the more it takes to get it up and running. Also, after awhile, things in life change and the reason for buying the boat in the first place have disappeared, like kids growing up or friends leaving town, you just get tired of boating and fishing and the sun baking you and all that, or what have you.

To dispose of the boat or to get it ready to take out requires a lot of time and effort, always money too, so it gets put off with some sort of excuse; any excuse is just that, an excuse to avoid action. Over time these excuses add up. I guess when the owner gets tired of paying dock rent they exert the effort to dispose of it.

Examples: Take bad gas for starters. Dead battery. Engine won't start. Barnacles/slime on the hull. Boat filthy from sitting...............

My 2c, worth what you paid for it. Grin

 

[gm280]

I really never thought about it until reading this thread. Maybe a unique answer to such things is for the marines to state in the dock slip contracts that any boat not used at least once a year will either be denied further docking or forfeited to the marines. And each year the marine can hold an action for forfeited boats. If one year is too restrictive, make it two years max. But that would remove such questionable boats and offer more docking slips for others. I am sure such contracts can be legally binding. If an owner doesn't use any boat in a two year time period, they really don't care about in in my opinion. JMHO!

 

[Just4fun63]

It's also in mooring fields. In my town, I swear half the boats on the hook look like bird poop catching devices. It's sad because some of these boats were one very nice boats. It's also very hard to find slips or moorings here and you see al these unused boats taking up space.

 

[diungerich]

I recently became a "slip owner" after years of trailering. As newbie marina folk, my wife and I are astonished at the number of unused, mostly derelict boats occupying slips at our marina. We wandered thru other marinas and found the same thing. I'd guess at least 20% of the boats around us haven't been touched in a year, and probably have been ignored for 5 years or more. I found one this weekend that had an actual tree (3 feet tall) growing out of the upholstery. Another had a massive wasp nest in the cockpit and was actually dangerous to approach. It was obvious these boats hadn't even been looked at in many years, yet someone is dutifully paying expensive slip rent year after year. I'm fairly certain these boats are unusable and would require a huge investment (more than they're worth) to make them seaworthy again. We're in the DFW area, maybe it's different elsewhere.

So I'm curious; Are there a lot of ignored boats in your marina (or storage lot)? Have you ever learned any of the stories behind them? The amount of wasted money I'm seeing here astounds me.

Just curious if this is a local thing, or if it's true at most marinas.

Curious what lake in DFW area. I'm out at Pier121 on Lake Lewisville. Though I regularly see stuff like boats that I think should be kept up better, I haven't seen much that are as drastic as what you're talking about. That said, I'm kind of like you. Been trailering and this year decided to switch to slip. Must say, I love the convenience. The price, not so much, but for now I'm accepting it.

 

[GA_Boater]

It's like this everywhere. As long a rental fees are paid and the boats pose no danger to people and/or the environment, the marina, storage lot, etc. owner doesn't care. Steady income is hard to pass up.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

If they pay the money we do around here it wouldn't be sitting doing nothing. You don't see abandoned boats in slips here. I do know of a few guys that might go out twice a year on the water but the boat is there from June to September. Many never take them out with cost of fuel and they use them as one would have a trailer or cottage for weekend partying. You do see many on trailers that haven't been touched in years for many reasons. I would venture a guess that some owe more money for fees owed than the price of the boat. The Marina leaves the boat on the trailer because it is expensive to get rid of a boat at landfill. They won't take a fibreglass boat whole, it has to be broken down. That would be my guess why there are many abandoned boats. A pal that owns a farm had dug many holes for guys and buried the boats in the back 40 for a fee. Imagine Archeologists or Aliens digging them up in 1000 years. He has at least 20 big and small glass boats out back. With our temperatures here in Canada no pleasure boats stay in the water 12months a year.

 

[MH Hawker]

my little marina is around 270 slips and i would guess 200 have never been off the slip in the 6 years i have been there, and its all pontoon boats, it sort of bothered me at firsts then i decided thats cool just less people out on the lake.

 

[southkogs]

A lot of people buy boats with the idea of how great it would be to own a big cruiser ... huge barge of a 'toon ... or (as we see a lot in our area) a houseboat. But very few of them have as much time as they think to use them. That's been what's held me up the most from having a bigger boat ... time enough to use it.