Question: I am in the middle of a dispute with a boat repair company, my marina, and my insurance company regarding a fire that destroyed my boat and my neighbor’s boat last year. My neighbor’s boat caught fire due to...
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.
Question: I have used a local diesel mechanic for various projects on my boat for the past three or four years. Two months ago, he broke his leg in a freak accident while working aboard my boat. It was a serious break but...
Question: My boat was blown loose from its dock during a recent storm and it drifted into two other boats in the marina. The cause of the mayhem was clear. My slip is an “end tie,” at the end of a gangway in the marina,...
Ask a Maritime Attorney: What Are Your Legal Rights Rendering Assistance to a Disabled Vessel?
January 28, 2021
Question: Last month I was returning home on my boat from a weekend at Catalina Island when I responded to a call from a disabled boat halfway between Catalina and the mainland. They apparently had engine problems and needed...
Ask a Maritime Attorney: Marina Evictions Amid Coronavirus
December 30, 2020
Question: I have lived aboard a small motor yacht in a marina in Northern California for over five years. During that time, I paid my rent on time and complied with all of the marina rules, but there have been excessive...