what are the laws governing salvage...?

[phatmanmike]

around here, tampa bay area florida, i always see boats beach or half sunk or just hiding in woods along shore(really)!<br /><br />i know personally that lots of these boats, both power and sail, have been there for long time, some for years.<br /><br />at what point is a person allowed to "claim" it as their own, sorta like a salvage or what ever you call it...<br /><br />what im asking, is it leagal for me to go up to a boat that is beach on some mangrove shore and tow it home, or take parts or anything?<br /><br />thanks in advance...<br /><br />m ikey

 

[Scuda11]

Re: what are the laws governing salvage...?

Hi Mike, no it is not legal, sometimes unfortunately. We deal with this all the time. I am back in the CG now, but as a civilian SAR specialist. If the vessel is not a "hazard to navigation", then the owner is %100 responsible for removing it. Unfortunately, some of the boats are such garbage it is not worth it to them, soooo they sit there. <br /><br />Best bet is to check with either the Army Corp of Eng, or your state agency, environmental police, etc, and if it is a fairly new wreck, check with the nearest Coast Guard station.<br /><br />Good luck,<br />Scott

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: what are the laws governing salvage...?

If you take it, who's going to care? My only concern would be how easy/difficult it would be to get it registered/numbered.

 

[Solittle]

Re: what are the laws governing salvage...?

Many years ago I harvested an old 35 hp Gale off of a boat that had been abandoned in the Keys. I did a complete rebuild on it, learned a lot, sold it and put a couple of bucks in my pocket.

 

[mbb]

Re: what are the laws governing salvage...?

Laws vary from state to state. Yes, any abandoned property can be claimed, you have to do some paperwork, run ads in paper, etc. Problem is, boats are trackable by the hull Id #. Sooooo... grind off the hull ID #, then try to claim it as abandoned.<br /><br />Salvage is a different issue where the salvor is entitled to a generous lien on the value of the vessel for rescuing it from peril.

 

[swist]

Re: what are the laws governing salvage...?

Correct, mbb. "Salvage" has a very specific marine meaning that some boaters are not aware of. For example if you are disabled and adrift with no imminent hazard, and call for a tow, then it's a just a tow. But if you are drifting toward rocks with no anchor, the same tow may well be salvage. Some people have had a big surprise after they were so happy to get assistance they signed without reading.<br /><br />The salvage laws are very old - the idea is to encourage risk-taking to save life and property by providing a financial incentive. Unfortunately there are a lot of gray areas.