# Has anyone on here raised a sunken sailboat?....I have...



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Like the title asked, has anyone ever salvaged a sailboat that sunk. About 3 weeks ago a Columbia Challager showed up in our local boat graveyard. I watched it for a week and then spent 2 weeks getting it up. Ive got it anchored in the anchorage now. It was a pretty good challange to make it float. Doesnt have holes or leaks. It looks as if someone stuck it in the small creek and it layed over to the point to where it couldnt right itself. I used a long rope and a come-a-long to pull it back upright. Lucky for me theres a 50'ish trawler in the graveyard that i could use as my base. The boat seems to have a rudder issue as it has alot of play in the tiller. Its going to be a pain to clean up. Its got 1/4'' barnacles all over the starboard side and pluff mud inside. Now for the pics. I didnt get a good one of it at anchor, but ive got one.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Looks like a fun project keep us posted as to how it goes


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Yea it should be a good project. A buddy has a set of sails off a hunter 25 that im going to get for it. Ive got a 3hp Johnson to move it. Once the rudder gets fixed, its going to be out and sailing charleston harbour. Got to figure out a name for it.


----------



## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

Before putting too much money into it you might want to check if about getting a clear title for it. It would be ashame to fix it all up only to find it had been reported stolen or something, and then the old owner gets his fixed up boat back.


----------



## soul searcher (Jun 28, 2006)

Got to figure out a name for it.

"PHOENIX"


----------



## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

Wow, but it does look like a fun project, I have a old Islander that I'm restoring ( was never sunk though ) and I have more fun working on it and sailing it than I do the 45 footer with all it's bling



SVDistantStar said:


> Got to figure out a name for it.


" The Phoenix " definitly comes to mind


----------



## starwindsailor (Jan 16, 2007)

*1966 24' columbia*

the sailboat you raised is mine. I tried you contact you, but was unsuccessfull.
I just recently purchased it and am in the process of obtaining the title.
i was unaware that you have worked on it. email me at [email protected] ASAP
i live in chas. area.


----------



## starwindsailor (Jan 16, 2007)

erps said:


> Before putting too much money into it you might want to check if about getting a clear title for it. It would be ashame to fix it all up only to find it had been reported stolen or something, and then the old owner gets his fixed up boat back.


good call.


----------



## Giulietta (Nov 14, 2006)

An interesting thread to follow for the next few days.

Now... any one here is a lawyer????


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Yea, ive already started the process with DNR for papers. Its got current VA stickers. Im just going to clean it up but not fix anything untill ive got papers for it. Im at the end of the paperwork game on a 1974 Hunter 25. Just got to pay its back taxes and its mine. Seems that every boat i salvage has a rudder issue, since the hunter has no rudder at all. 

The Phoenix sounds good, but thats the name of my ex-bosses boat.


----------



## Giulietta (Nov 14, 2006)

Here we go.....


----------



## kananumpua (Jan 2, 2006)

I would have thought it'd be considered abandoned and free for the taking. Funny and interesting none the less.


----------



## starwindsailor (Jan 16, 2007)

svdistantstar, 

im serious. contact me via email so i can give you my #


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Call me 843-830-5526, i sent an email a few minutes ago.


----------



## starwindsailor (Jan 16, 2007)

there is no such thing as an abandoned boat in south carolina, no matter how long the boat is abandoned. you have to file a abandoned vessel form from DNR, but the process takes up to a year, and you have no rights to the vessel in the mean time.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Yea, the paperwork is a pain in the butt to do. Ive been working on it with my hunter for 4 months now and am almost done.


----------



## Cruiserwannabe (Jan 28, 2006)

*My Fellow Boaters!

A charter sailing vessel with load of politicians was half way to the Bahamas when a freak storm hit the boat. Several of the passengers were thrown overboard and drowned. After retrieval of the bodies and with the knowledge that they may not be rescued for some time, if ever, the deceased were buried at sea. Three days later, the local Coast Guard found the damaged craft. Upon boarding, the Coast Guard Captain asked, "Is everyone okay?" The Captain of the damaged vessel explained that he had a few passengers fall over board. The Coast Guard Captain asked, "Are they all dead?" The Sailing boat captain replied, "Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how those politicians lie." *

*the cost of raising a sailboat $ PRICELESS*


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

how about "Sunken Asset"


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Other than the problem of getting the proper paperwork for the boat... there are probably going to be more than your fair share of issues with the boat itself. Chances are very likely that the boat was neglected, if it was allowed to sink in the first place...and it will have to have all the electrical system and electronics replaced to start with. Also, the deck and hull may have other issues, and the rigging may be very questionable—depending on how long it was submerged. 

Once you take possession of the boat, it could be come a very expensive project. The cost of repairing the boat and replacing the equipment ruined may very well be far more expensive than getting a similar boat that is in usable condition.


----------



## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

Well, that and the fact that Starwindsailor says it his boat and appears not to willing to depart with it........or maybe at least not for free


----------



## sailortjk1 (Dec 20, 2005)

If you really want a fun project, I have a Cal 25'II sitting on jack stands in Chicago. She needs some work but not nearly as much as this boat, and, she was never sitting on the bottom.


----------



## dman (Dec 25, 2004)

Seems like a cage match to me.Unbelievable........


----------



## astraeus (Jan 30, 2006)

Just curious if anyone knows, if this is indeed Starwind's boat, can he be liable to SV for the salvage? I know this may be a loaded question and may depend on where it took place, but salvage rights are something I have wondered about.

Thanks

Jason


----------



## Fstbttms (Feb 25, 2003)

From the FreeAdvice.com web site:

http://law.freeadvice.com/admiralty_maritime/salvage_and_treasure/

*If I find an abandoned vessel, generally termed a 'derelict' in maritime terms, am I entitled to take possession of it and obtain ownership?*

A "derelict" is a vessel that has been left by its crew that has no intention to return and no hope of recovery. However, even when a vessel is "abandoned" and left without intention to return, the vessel remains the property of its owner absent some affirmative act by the owner that clearly and convincingly establishes a positive intent to part with ownership.


----------



## astraeus (Jan 30, 2006)

Very interesting info, thanks fst


----------



## Fstbttms (Feb 25, 2003)

astraeus said:


> Just curious if anyone knows, if this is indeed Starwind's boat, can he be liable to SV for the salvage?


Again, from FreeAdvice.com:

*What rights does the salvor have who saves a vessel?*

A salvor who has earned the right to a salvage award for the successful voluntary salvage to a vessel in peril has a preferred maritime lien on the vessel. However, a salvor must surrender possession of the vessel to the owner on demand if the owner posts reasonable security for the claim. If the owner declines to post sufficient security to pay salvage charges, the salvor must turn the vessel over to the U. S. Marshall and proceed to foreclose the maritime lien.


----------



## pigslo (Nov 22, 2004)

Starwind's first post on this forum is the one related to this boat. Was he coincidently just hanging around and saw his boat? Much ado about a boat worth somewhere between 0 and 1000 dollars in this condition. I think this is a bullsh$$ post from the start designed to stir stuff up.
pigslo


----------



## dman (Dec 25, 2004)

Yeah Pisglo...i just looked at the history of this myself lol.Thought i might start one of those threads ....I`m thinking about going a a long cruise to some foreign land and was wondering if i should keep a firearm on board?


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The comment about back taxes is on a 1974 Hunter 25' that ive already done all the needed paperwork on with SCDNR. Its got $110 worth of back taxes that ive got to pay to get the title. Ive been messing with the hunter since August, long before the Columbia came around. That has nothing to do with the Columbia. 

As for the Columbia, as soon as i see proof that its Starwinds boat we'll work a deal from there. I really didnt put too much effort into salvaging it. It only took about a weekend to raise it. The reason i rasied it was i like older boats, and it sucked to see it sunk there. Ive got 3 nephews that want to learn to sail, and the columiba looked as if it could be sailing again in a few months, whereas ive got a long haulout on the hunter to do since it has no rudder. 

I dont want to get into some legal battle or a long war with someone over this boat. The way i see it, i could stand to gain a friend with the ower of the columbia.


----------



## FormerAdministrator (Jan 10, 2000)

starwindsailor said:


> the sailboat you raised is mine. I tried you contact you, but was unsuccessfull.
> I just recently purchased it and am in the process of obtaining the title.
> i was unaware that you have worked on it. email me at [email protected] ASAP
> i live in chas. area.


the response was inevitable...


----------



## svs3 (Jun 23, 2006)

SVDistantStar,

I guess you could always put it back "exactly" where you found it.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Yea i could do that, but i wont. It was a pain in the ass to make it float, no way im going to sink it.


----------



## pigslo (Nov 22, 2004)

Great attitude svdistantstar


----------



## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

It seems only fair ... whomever of svdistantstar or starwindsailor does the last post about this Columbia, the other guy assumes responsibility for trucking the shell that it is to a landfill.

Bulls$$t for sure.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

As to salvage rights, I think the operative term from the free advice article is "in peril". Since the boat was in a salvage yard, if it is legally owned by starwind, I wouldn't think the distant star has a salvage claim.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Im just wondering why some people on here have made this more than it is? Yes I raised the boat. Yes I did that with the plans of keeping it. I also knew there was a chance that the owner was going to be found. No, I'm not going to be a jerk about it and try to hold his boat for ransom. A salvage fee would be a nice thing to be offered, but im going to leave that up to Starwind. I have no plans to do some long drawn out legal battle with anyone over this boat, nor do i have plans to put it back on the bottom. I raised the boat in my spare time mosty looking for something to do.


----------



## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

Well Done, Well Said, I too like older boats, they have character, pleasing lines, nice woodwork and just fun to sail, restore and enjoy, plus Good Ol' Boats are not in short supply, so there's never a problem finding another.

Better luck on the next one


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Yea theres another little boat in the graveyard ive been considering, but never messed with it since it has no numbers on it. I posted pics of it on here to see if anyone knew what it is. The columbia got my intrest since it still had a mast and just seemed to be in better shape over all. But seeing as ive got a mast and most of the other bits to get it seaworthy ill be going after it now. 

As for the hunter, since it has no rudder im going to leave it where it is untill i find a rudder.


----------



## sailortjk1 (Dec 20, 2005)

Where is this graveyard and why are so many boat stranded there?
Are you in an area with lots of hurricanes? 

You don't see many abandoned boats in my neck of the woods. I think if you abandon a boat, the authorities track you down and hold you responsible for all cost associated with having your boat removed. 

Just curious.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I think that the owners of abandoned boats should be responsible for the costs associated with removing and disposing of them. This has been a huge problem in some of the more hurricane prone states, where boats that weren't insured get damaged and the owners don't want to spend the money to repair them or to haul them and dispose of them—so they just abandoned them. 

The costs for cleaning up after an abandoned boat has sunk can be huge, especially if the fuel tanks weren't empty when it sank...


----------



## Fstbttms (Feb 25, 2003)

sailortjk1 said:


> You don't see many abandoned boats in my neck of the woods. I think if you abandon a boat, the authorities track you down and hold you responsible for all cost associated with having your boat removed.


Well, if Indiana is anything like California, the authorities have very little power when it comes to holding boat owners responsible for the disposal of derelict or abandoned boats. Here in the Sacramento River Delta, it is a huge problem. Over 1000 miles of waterways and hundreds of abandoned boats tucked away amongst the reeds. What is beginning to happen more and more is that the local law enforcement agencies will try to track down the owner if possible. Usually there is no response or "I sold that boat a year ago, don't remember the guy's name" kind of thing. Through a state-funded grant, they can then contract to have the boat removed and destroyed. But it is a slow process and there are many, many derelict boats to be removed and more appearing all the time.


----------



## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

We have auction down here in DP all the time with abandoned boats, it's amazing what people will do with their boats.

Hell, in San Diego some marina & Mooring field managers have been known to set adrift the boats of dead beat owners, others have been sunk, they leave it up to the officials to deal with it.


----------



## 1970Columbia34 (Aug 24, 2006)

So did this get resolved between these two about who gets the boat?


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Still working on it.


----------



## starwindsailor (Jan 16, 2007)

We have finally cleared things up, A BIG thanks to some really radical people. 

Now the story, The boat was on a mooring line here in Chas. SC. The boat somehow managed to leave the moor and end up on the bank, as the picture indicates. This happens relatively often in this area. The bank that it landed on is home to many other wrecks, some having been there for over 10 years.
When the boats hit the bank, they leave the jurisdiction of the coast guard, and enter the jurisdiction of SCDNR. According to SCDNR law if a boat is registered, no matter where it is, (shoal or bottom) or how long its been there, no person other than the registered owner is allowed to board the boat without permission. 
Unfortunately, when a fully rigged boat washes up, looking "abandoned" pirates have there way, stripping the boats for all they are worth. This is exactly what happened here. In a matter of three days the boat went from fully rigged, to the bare hull it is now. The spinnaker, boom, winches, hardware and several sets of sails all gone.
I have filed a stolen property report with SCDNR, local police and the Coast guard, all who have told me in a round about way, I will probably never see anything again. Without insurance I am left with the hull and a "good luck" from officials. 
If anyone has info. please share..
SS


----------

