Can I Sue the Seller of a Boat with Hull Delamination for Fraud?

The short answer to this question, as with most legal questions, is “it depends.” In this case, it depends mostly on whether the buyer can establish that the seller took substantial steps...

Can Boats Be Withdrawn from Marina’s Lien Auction if Lender Doesn’t Attend?

This question raises a number of issues, ranging from state auction laws to the procedures for the foreclosure of maritime liens and mortgages. The laws for the conduct of a “public”...

What’s My Liability for Getting Bumped at a Mooring?

 The owner of the other boat is misguided. There is no specific regulation that requires a moored boat in an established mooring field to avoid “hindering or harming” a previously...

Must Sellers of Fractional Yacht Owner­ship Shares Be Licensed Brokers?

Yacht brokers in California are licensed by the Department of Boating and Waterways pursuant to the provisions of the California Yacht and Ship Brokers Act (Harbors and Navigation Code sec. 700 -...

Do Six-Pack Charter Rules Apply to a ‘Boat and Breakfast’ Operation?

The reader is referring to the Coast Guard regulation (46 C.F.R. sec. 2.01-7), which allows a vessel measuring under 100 gross tons to carry up to six paying passengers without undergoing a rigorous...

If a Broker Embezzles, Are Clients’ Boat Sales Still Legal?

These issues are indeed in the news right now. California brokers have a long history as honest, hard-working professionals, but coincidentally two different brokers — one in Northern...

Can a Boatyard Hold My Boat ‘Hostage’ During an Invoice Dispute?

The yard is not authorized to hold the boat hostage, and they may be liable to our reader for damages under various legal claims if they refuse to surrender possession of the boat and amend the...