Matt Yglesias

18 Responses to “Abandoned Boats”

1. Zach Says:
   March 31st, 2009 at 10:29 pm

   Always wanted a houseboat in baltimore harbor… maybe I’ll go find one of these and squat until I get caught.

2. PWC Says:
   March 31st, 2009 at 10:29 pm

   worst spelling error ever

3. slag Says:
   March 31st, 2009 at 10:44 pm

   PWC is right. It’s spelled s-h-i-p. As in, “Abandon ship!”

4. Barry Freed Says:
   March 31st, 2009 at 10:45 pm

   worst spelling error ever

   I dunno. I’m partial to “Porblem” from the other day.

5. James Gary Says:
   March 31st, 2009 at 10:49 pm

   When I have been cold, I have often donned a boat for warmth. I believe Matt intended to write that someone named Aban (sounds Israeli to me) did something similar.

   I’m sure someone will be along any minute to vehemently assert that Aban’s action was compeletly justified.

6. Omri Says:
   March 31st, 2009 at 10:56 pm

   No need to squat, Zach. If the boat is abandoned, the right of salvage kicks in. Finders keepers.

7. SEOдум Says:
   March 31st, 2009 at 11:52 pm

   по теме…

   Apparently the recession is leaving the nation’s coastline plagued with a glut of abandoned boats.[...]…

8. Zach Says:
   March 31st, 2009 at 11:54 pm

   @Omri … squatting the abandoned slip. I can afford boat maintenance as a graduate student but couldn’t take on the monthly cost.

9. zed Says:
   April 1st, 2009 at 12:14 am

   Because you sound like a mature, responsible person, who wouldn’t want an unpaid credit card bill to spoil all his hopes and dreams for the future. Dreams such as home ownership, boat ownership and event-attendance!

10. Omri Says:
    April 1st, 2009 at 12:28 am

    The marina owners have to cut their prices for the same reason everyone else does in this economy, so it won’t hurt to inquire. Better to let a salvager keep the boat moored for free that to find the boat sunk in the bottom of nearby shallows where it poses a menace to other customers as soon as they head out to see.

11. Es-tonea-pesta Says:
    April 1st, 2009 at 12:48 am

    Aha, the misspelling lives on in the URL!

12. Why oh why Says:
    April 1st, 2009 at 1:29 am

    A rising tide lifts even the abandoned boats. That is the genius of voodoo Reaganomics.

13. Sidor Says:
    April 1st, 2009 at 8:12 am

    цитата…

    Apparently the recession is leaving the nation’s coastline plagued with a glut of abandoned boats.[...]…

14. Don Williams Says:
    April 1st, 2009 at 8:36 am

    Some wealthy guy once said that if it Flys, Floats or Fucks, it is best to rent it.

15. Don Williams Says:
    April 1st, 2009 at 8:37 am

    I.e, not take permanent possession of –and responsibility for upkeep of — it.

16. Brautigan Says:
    April 1st, 2009 at 12:23 pm

    The vast majority of these boats have not, in fact, been abandoned. What is happening is that boat owners are removing their boats from marinas, yacht club moorings, etc, and anchoring them in various coastal areas that function as “free anchorages.” State and local officials don’t like having boats anchored a few hundred yards away from their contributrs multi-gazillion dollar waterfront developments, but maritime law is on the side of the boatowner.

    The solution? Declare the boat “abandoned,” and seize and destroy it. It’s bullshit, but the boatowner in the free anchorage, who is by definition transient or strapped for cash, can’t take on the city, county and state legal machine, and so has to stand by while officials steal his (perfectly legally anchored) vessel.

17. beowulf Says:
    April 1st, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    What an interesting situation. So owning a boat is like owning a timeshare, there’s the upfront cost and, even not bought on credit, the ongoing maintenance costs. Leaving aside folks who hole their boat to collect on the insurance (never a good idea trying to outwit insurance investigators and the FBI), its astonishing that people just don’t try selling their boats for a $1 on craigslist or if the boat was financed, negotiate a cramdown with the bank.

    What Omri said about right of salvage is true. Its been years since I studied admiralty law, but I recall there’s a difference between flotsam (property just floats away, like cargo that washes up on shore after a wreck) and jetsam (abandoned property). Flotsam gets you a finder’s fee, jetsam gets you finder’s keeper.

    Years ago, author Philip Stern floated (so to speak) the idea of incorporating admiralty law rules into our legal system, for one thing there’d be an Seinfeld finale-style duty to render assistance to anyone you find in distress. And you couldn’t murder your fellow life boat passengers for food.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Custom_of_the_Sea

18. Ravid Says:
    April 16th, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    Hello. Eat a third and drink a third and leave the remaining third of your stomach empty. Then, when you get angry, there will be sufficient room for your rage.
    I am from Bahamas and learning to speak English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: “Find the best and cheapest rates on the airline tickets here and now – cheap consolidator airline tickets.”

    Waiting for a reply , Ravid.