[quote=JennaMeyer]Abandoned boats is a on going problem, espically if they have damage or are older. Many owners get behind in club or assocation dues and walk away leaving the host group to clean up the mess. Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club in NJ has about 4 to 6 boats a year that get abandoned as their owners rack up storage fees that exceed the value of the boat. Of that number a couple are resold and an equal number are cut up and thrown away.
We have now added a clause to our annual membership contract that we can dispose of these boats when we are left with sitting on them for a calendar year of going into arrears. This is not a cure but does allow us to cut them up and salvage what is resaleable to recover our storage losses while also keeping our property in order. The intent was not to take boats but to make owners responsible for their property. The problem we cannot resolve quickly is regaining a title for trailers that are in good condition or the boats that can be put back together for a new sailor. The state has made it rediculously hard to claim the boat with legal nonsense. Many times we are forced to send the trailers to a scrap yard for salvage weight value and deny a member in good standing from getting a bargian of the trailer. The state basically walks away from revenue in title and registration fees from the controlling club left holding the bag.[/quote]
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