Ask a Maritime Attorney - Page 14 of 66

David Weil has been the proud author of the “Ask a Maritime Attorney” column in The Southern California Log Newspaper and Sea Magazine since 2006, with over 300 installments of the column. We have provided links in this section to those articles, covering a wide range of topics of interest to the California maritime and boating communities.

Ask a Maritime Attorney: What can I do about a marine surveyor, who I feel didn’t do his job?

January 24, 2022

Question: I recently bought a boat over the internet. I never saw the boat in person before the purchase because it was a few hundred miles away, but I hired a marine surveyor to inspect the boat so I figured he would look...

Ask a Maritime Attorney: Can I place a lien on a customer who won’t pay for the service I did on their boat?

January 6, 2022

Question: I am a hull cleaner here in the Bay Area. I have a deadbeat customer who refuses to pay a $625 invoice, claiming we were never authorized to do the work (despite my showing her the text conversation we had where she...

Ask a Maritime Attorney: Have marine insurance policies changed over the past few years?

December 29, 2021

Question: I just received a surprise from my insurance company when they denied coverage after my boat was partially submerged at the dock. There is some question as to the cause of the incident, but they are claiming that a...

Ask a Maritime Attorney: Am I protected by the new COVID-19 relief laws?

December 16, 2021

Question: Under Maritime Law, how much notice must a marina give prior to increasing slip rates? My marina notified me that my rent will increase next month, and they are also increasing their security deposit. Can they...

Ask a Maritime Attorney: How do I handle the warranty on my new boat?

November 29, 2021

Question: I am in the process of buying a new boat. This is my first boat and I am concerned about the warranty. What is generally covered, and how long is a typical warranty? What are the legal requirements? How are warranty...