I know absoloutely nothing about boats other than they float, so bear with me if this sounds stupid for any reason.
I was recently doing some conservation work along a stretch of river that the local authorities haven't touched for some time.
On the bank of this river there is a pretty battered looking canal boat floating freely at the side of the river.
After a few weeks I went back and its still there and judging by the state of it Im pretty sure its abandoned, so my question is:
Any tips on how to restore it to full working order/ comandeer it for my own purposes ?
It looks like a dutch barge in apperance and I know it floats on its own but other than that I can't tell you much about it. Going down next week to have a poke around inside (I know there's health and safety issues but I'm too ignorant for that to scare me).
Any suggestions on the legality of this would be greatly appreciated, thanks =]
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
It will have a number plate on it somewhere,,just a 5 or 6 digit number,,cross reference that with your local British Waterways listings and do some research from that to trace an owner,and get some info on abandoned boats from BW,,
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This question about "So I've found an aba… " was originally asked on Yahoo! Answers United Kingdom
Other Answers (9)
- My friend, pirates don't worry about silly things like "legality", and look what they've accomplished!0% 0 Votes
- hmmm im sure that every boat has to be registared somewhere, there must be a number on it inside or out0% 0 Votes
- If it's floating, there is a good chance it's not abandoned, just neglected. Abandoned boats sink sooner rather than later, because virtually all boats let in a little water. If you "poke about inside", you may technically be breaking into private property. I would make some enquiries to try to find the owner before doing that.0% 0 Votes
- Legally U stole the boat how can U prove U didn't when the owner said he left it there. Best to find out who owns it and see if they will reward U or have the laws come after U.0% 0 Votes
- So you are living in a dream world. Have you been reading a "Famous Five" book by any chance ?
They used to find abandoned house boats on parts of a river where no one ever went.
An abandoned Dutch Barge, I don't think so.0% 0 Votes - The first thing that you'll need to do is find the HULL ID # plate. Usually on the outside on the stern. All vessels have an ID plate, required by the Coast Guard. If you can find the number, take the number into the local CG office to report an "Abandoned" vessel. Be sure to give the location and any information that you can. Ask about filing a "Salvage" claim on the vessel while you're there. If it comes back as truly abandoned, the CG will allow you to move forward with the Salvage claim. However, the downside to all of this is that you will be responsible for removal of the vessel in a timely manner, hazmat spills (if any), and environment damage caused by the vessel.0% 0 Votes
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- If its abandoned, which given the circumstances it appears to be, you can claim Salvage, It's yours! (I think!) Good Luck0% 0 Votes
- Go with "Happy Murcia" (happy birthday by the way, HM, if you come back to this) he knows what he is talking about.0% 0 Votes
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