About a week ago I put a boat up for free on Craigslist, a 15' 40+ year old boat with no deck/floor, no trailer, no motor, no paperwork, no nothing, just a bare hull.
The ad said FREE boat hull, first come first served.
It was gone the next day. The guy that came to get it said he borrowed a trailer, which I gladly helped load the boat on. The deck was already removed, it was like that when I got it. I bought it or rather removed it in order to get the motor that went with it. I also had gotten the boat for free.
Yesterday, the guy shows up saying that the boat was a total mess, crying that he had dropped it off at the marina who told him it would take $15,000+ to make it seaworthy. He had an estimate in hand, for which they charged him $537 for.
He was upset that the boat needed a new floor, (it was bare stringers when he picked it up and I at that time even explained to him how to build the new deck). There was no receipt, no title, nothing. My name is in no way attached to that boat.
The ad even stated that if it didn't go by last Saturday, it would be cut up and taken to the dump.
His estimate included a brand new 85hp outboard, controls, labor, a paint job, flotation foam,, wiring, a new trailer etc. He then actually had the nerve to tell me that he felt I should be responsible for the $537.
First off, not being able to believe that the guy was even for real, I had a tough time believing that anyone would be so stupid to pick up a free boat, that obviously was a bare shell of a hull, and then just drop it off at a marina for them to assess and get ready for use. I guess he thought all that would be free? Then to top it off to expect me to pay for it.
After he got a bit upset at my laughing at his situation, his attitude turned to one that I just refused to deal with. I promptly coaxed him back to his car with a stern warning. The argument that ensued drew the attention of several neighbors, several of which are local law enforcement, who also laughed at his notion of me paying for the estimate. He then also wanted me to pay for the boats disposal after he paid and reclaimed the boat from the marina which still supposedly had the boat.
What even got me more so was that he would go through all of this for a boat which he didn't posses a title for yet.
If it were me that was looking to fix up a found boat with no title, the first thing I'd do is secure the title in hand before spending dime one on it.
Also, if I was so not mechanically inclined that I couldn't so much as cut plywood, (or for that matter maybe even tie my own shoes), I wouldn't go looking for a bare hull for my first boat.
We all pretty much told him that the boat was his problem, he obviously knew is was a bare hull when he picked it up and that unless he was a total moron, he could tell from the start that he would need to either do some serious work to make it usable or expect to pay someone that could.
I tried to use the analogy of maintaining his car, for which I said to him, "If you were to get your oil changed, would you expect the last owner to pay for that too?" His reply was that he drove the type of cars that no longer need oil changes. At that point I just suggested he leave and stop wasting my time. I suggested that any further requests for me to pay any sort of bills he brought on himself on a boat that I so graciously gave him for free, just might lead to a not so friendly response in the future.
Above all I was amazed at the stupidity. What sort of idiots walk among us?
Maybe the next time I trash pick a boat, maybe I'll see if the last owner will pay for the restoration costs for me? Maybe I've been going about this whole idea of fixing up old boats all wrong?
