Ask a Maritime Attorney - Page 36 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.

How Can I Get Clear Title to a Boat with a Debt in Its Distant Past?

December 19, 2012

I am in the process of purchasing a boat from my father. He bought the boat almost 30 years ago and it was DMV-registered (rather than being documented through the Coast Guard) throughout the time that he owned it. I am...

What Rights Do Legal Liveaboards Have in Marina Evictions?

December 5, 2012

I moved onto my boat as a “legal” liveaboard a few months ago. The marina manager required me to sign an agreement and pay a security deposit, along with the first and last months’ rent. Three weeks after I signed the...

Can My Former Partner Claim a Maritime Lien Against the Boat?

November 12, 2012

I am in the middle of a complicated dispute with a former friend over a boat that we owned as “equal” partners for a few years. The partnership arrangement called for us to split the cost of the purchase and share equally...

Can I Dispute My Damage Settlement from Another Boater’s Insurer?

November 7, 2012

Last month, my boat was struck by another boat while in the slip. The damage was substantial, and the repair estimate prepared by the boatyard came in at around $50,000. The adjuster for the other boat’s insurance company...

How Could a So-called ‘Samaritan’ Arrest an America’s Cup Boat?

October 24, 2012

I have been reading about an incident in September where a French America’s Cup catamaran broke loose from its mooring in San Francisco and was rescued by a guy in a Boston Whaler. He has filed a lawsuit claiming $200,000...