# abandoned boat sales



## seagypsey (Jan 8, 2011)

I have heard that because of the large amount of abandoned boats along the gulf coast there are local government agencies tasked with the disposal. Does anyone know of this and have any contact information for them. I am searching for a cat larger than 30' on an S.S. budget.

Thanks, Harry


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

I was told this about the Panama Canal area some years ago when I was looking for a bigger boat. I searched for a considerable time and found nothing notable. Eventually gave up and went with Yachtworld.com

Good luck.


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## SailingWebGuy (May 5, 2010)

Not sure of the gov agencies but... You might try searching for boat donation organizations in the area. There are a few in the North East that gather up those boats pretty aggressively. They often have a large selection of very inexpensive boats...but the boats typically need a good bit of work.


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## SailingStNick (Dec 13, 2006)

I know there are coastal boat yards full of Katrina boats. Can't honestly tell you their status, though. Might try searching the web and making calls to pin something down.


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

Nearly every Chesapeake Bay marina has a number of abandoned or nearly abandoned boats. Most need a lot of work, reflecting their abandoned state. I know of one that sat in a yard for 12 years and the owner gave it away last year. The new owner did some work and got her sailing so it's possible to get something cheap.

In my experience you really don't get a bargain with a boat, you just defer the payment of money.


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## Flybyknight (Nov 5, 2005)

Sabreman said:


> In my experience you really don't get a bargain with a boat, you just defer the payment of money.


I'll second that; in spades.

Dick


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## Insails (Sep 6, 2006)

I live on the gulf coast and don't see all these boats you speak of...The Katrina boats have been removed long ago as insurance paid for most....All marinas not just the gulf have abandoned boats ..Who told you there were boats everywhere? Do you have a link?


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

There is a website called Yacht Salvage that has insurance losses. I bid on a schooner there once. Don't buy anything you haven't inspected. Also check ebay at least weekly.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

I also suggest periodically checking Craigslist in any area that you think you may find a boat.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Going by the answers the OP's question wasn't answered. I've yet to find where all the Katrina boats were hauled off to, and I thought I was pretty good with internet searching. There had to be thousands...or at least many hundreds. Kinda like the Elephant's graveyard? .. it exists somewhere... 

Wonder if there is a market for fiberglass chips? . put boat in one end.. out come chips.. just like the tree chippers?


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## SailingStNick (Dec 13, 2006)

Insails said:


> I live on the gulf coast and don't see all these boats you speak of...The Katrina boats have been removed long ago as insurance paid for most....All marinas not just the gulf have abandoned boats ..Who told you there were boats everywhere? Do you have a link?


The boat yard in Biloxi has a great number of boats. Some are laying around the yard, some are 'on the hard' as it were. With a greater population in Louisiana and Alabama I would imagine there to be more. Sure, most were removed, but there's bound to be some deals out there in need of work.

SAIL BOAT FOR SALE 5,000 OR BEST OFFER

22' sail boat with trailer

I'm not saying those are Katrina boats, but they are damaged and cheap!

p.s. where do you live *Insails*? I'm in Ocean Springs


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## landmineop (Sep 2, 2010)

Check out Indiantown Marina here in Florida.


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## HDChopper (Oct 17, 2010)

Ya Indiantown has a LOT's of boats ,I run into thier adds constantly during my searches...all tho I would guess 90% are neg value boats..


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## seagypsey (Jan 8, 2011)

*to sailingstnick*

I live on the boat. I am currently in Texas but the boat is in Pickwick lake right now waiting out the cold without me.


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## seagypsey (Jan 8, 2011)

To sailingwebguy:

Thanks for the info. SO far all I have found is boatangel and chapmans. Know of any others??

To Denise030: Agreed. I did a search for the agencies that are supposed to dispose of these boats after I saw a news article about it somewhere that there are supposed to be people given this task. I wrote to a few county governments but no one ever answered. I have been trying a systematic search in brokers and haul out yards too with no positive results. 

To all: thanks for the advise. I have refit several boats over the years including the Balboa 26 I am living on now until I find my 30-50'cat. I am quite realistic about what I will find. Been there, done that. This is a retirement project for me on An SS budget and I have nothing but time.

If anyone actually does know of an abandoned/cat or one that an owner needs to get out from under or would trade for my B26 and trailer please drop me a note.

I plan to go back to Pickwick in March and cruise it and KY lakes area for the summer until after hurricane season and then head for the gulf, key, etc. 

Perhaps i'll find something extraordinary. Perhaps something extraordinary will find us. Either way, it's going to be quite an adventure. (G'kar as he was leaving Babalon 5)


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## landmineop (Sep 2, 2010)

Look at Craigslist Florida Ft. Myers and look for trimarans. There is a 35.5' trimaran project listed pretty cheap.


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## seagypsey (Jan 8, 2011)

thanks landmineop. 

I wrote to the ad for more info.

Harry


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## SailingWebGuy (May 5, 2010)

The org I'm familiar with is in the Chesapeake. Planet Hope: Land and Sea | Mentoring Youth Through Sailing

They were difficult to find. I stumbled upon them through searching for project boats at MD marinas.

There's gotta be one local to your area.. Call a few marinas. They would probably know of one.

or...

Get familiar with some salvage guys. I've seen quite a few boats with good names behind them get chopped up.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I published an article on this subject several years ago in Noreaster Magazine, which recently went out of business. In researching the article I discovered that there were more than 100,000 abandoned boats in the U.S. alone, most of which were not worth the time it took to look at them. The vast majority were sailboats, about 60 percent. Some of the power boats I looked at were motor-yachts ranging up to 65 feet in length, while most of the sailboats ranged 17 to 27 feet, with a few over 30 feet.

The vast majority of them were at boat yards and marinas, locations where they were at one time used by owners who were 70 or more years of age, a category that I'm in. For various health reasons, the owner(s) were no longer able to use their boats. Storage fees built up, while at the same time the owners health deteriorated. The owner often died, and his or her name was the only name on the storage contract, thus the boat was abandoned. 

More often than not the families of the deceased did not want the boat and ignored letters and phone calls from the marina or boat yard. After a couple years, the facilities try to sell the boat to recoup their storage fees. However, in order to do this, there is a massive amount of paper work, newspaper ads, auction, etc.., a process that takes forever, and can be somewhat expensive. Eventually, the boats are often striped for parts, cut up with a chain saw, loaded in a dump truck and taken to a landfill.

Ironically, my 27-foot Catalina was a derelict that I purchased from Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Living Classroom in Baltimore Harbor. I got a fantastic price, put a couple grand into fixing some minor problems, and sailed it for five years.

When I get some free time I'll post a copy of the article on this forum.

Gary


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Harry-
"I have heard that because of the large amount of abandoned boats "
Usually the abandoned boats are derelicts that have long since been stripped of anything worth a dollar, along with all ID and if there's no VIN they'll be hard to title and register as well.
This is usually a very expensive _trash collection _process by the government agencies.

But every marina has boats that have also been abandoned, usually in better condition, that they have or can apply a "warehouseman's lien" on for unpaid marina bills. Once they take possession of the boat, they can sell the title and the boat. Try asking around marinas first, the yard queens won't be gems either, but they'll be better than the derelicts pulled out of mud banks.


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## nolasailor (Jan 4, 2011)

here in the new orleans area most if not all katrina boats are gone, some one came in and disposed of 100's of boats in a mater of a few weeks. They crushed them. Some locals picked up alot of stainless hardware but most of that stuff is gone as far as i know. I was told most payouts for the boats were funded by fema,,, so their rules applied,,, nothing on the boat could be salvaged.... That is the talk on the street around here anyway.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Nola, apparently the "salvage" business is a lot like the trash hauling business. A closed game played by insiders who will not talk to outsiders, and will make outsiders very clearly unwelcome.

Call ten insurers, ask them who they sell totalled boats to. I doubt you'll get one useful answer from any of them.


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## SailingWebGuy (May 5, 2010)

hellosailor said:


> Nola, apparently the "salvage" business is a lot like the trash hauling business. A closed game played by insiders who will not talk to outsiders, and will make outsiders very clearly unwelcome.
> 
> Call ten insurers, ask them who they sell totalled boats to. I doubt you'll get one useful answer from any of them.


I found them to be pretty welcoming. I was even offered a Columbia 30 at no cost.


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## SailingStNick (Dec 13, 2006)

cheap, cheap!

39' columbia sailboat


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

"I was even offered a Columbia 30 at no cost"
So, you took a look at it and bought it?


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## mikieg (Oct 29, 2010)

I grew up on the southern tip of lake michigan. Ifcyou leave your boat on the beach long, the sand will consume it. Sometimes you will be walking along and see a mast sticking up in the sand. About 5 or 6 feet down will be an abandoned boat. In 2004 i salvaged a hobbie 18 and a supercat 16. Losts of work for sure. But free none the less! I ended up selling them in 05. 

The best thing i read so far was "buying a cheap project boat only difers the monetary investment"!


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