Ask a Maritime Attorney - Page 21 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.

Are verbal agreements enforceable in California?

August 12, 2016

Q: I recently entered into an agreement to purchase a boat from an owner, using a broker’s services. We held a formal meeting with all parties attending and around seven people altogether. During the meeting, we worked out...

Limitation of Liability Act: What boat owners need to know

July 29, 2016

Q: I operate a boat rental business in California, and a customer who claimed to be a maritime attorney advised me that if a jet ski hits and injures someone, the owner of the jet ski may limit his liability under a 19th...

Should I ‘homestead’ my vessel?

July 3, 2016

Q: I am in the middle of a dispute with a creditor and I am researching different strategies for protecting my assets if he gets a judgment against me. My attorney suggested a way to protect my boat from being seized or...

Passenger for Hire or charter boat: What’s the difference?

June 17, 2016

Q: I am one of a group of volunteer boat operators who donate time to a nonprofit organization that owns several boats. The mission of the organization is to take at-risk kids out on whale watching trips and other excursions,...

Who is responsible for damage caused by boat wakes?

June 3, 2016

Q: I own a waterfront home on the Sacramento River, and my boat and my boathouse and dock have been damaged several times this year by the wakes from passing boats. The boats on the river often pass us at extremely high...