Ask a Maritime Attorney - Page 37 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.

Can I Sue My Marine Surveyor Over a Shoddy Used Boat Survey?

October 9, 2012

I recently bought a boat over the Internet. I never saw the boat in person before the purchase, but I hired a marine surveyor to inspect the boat — so, I figured he would look out for my interests. Unfortunately, the...

Is There a Do-It-Yourself Service to Help Owners Sell a Used Boat?

September 27, 2012

My wife and I own a 37-foot power boat that we have put up for sale, and we would like to sell it ourselves, without a broker. I am looking for some help with advertising and perhaps with tracking down form contracts for the...

Can My Boat Host Dockside Catered Meetings With No Captain Aboard?

September 12, 2012

I would like to use my boat as a dockside platform for catered meetings — sort of a floating conference room. When I researched the legal requirements for the project, I ran across one of your articles from a few years ago....

I’m a Partner in a Charter Boat and Was Injured Aboard. Can I Sue?

August 28, 2012

I am a licensed captain and a partner in a company that operates a six-pack sportfishing boat. My partner owns the boat, and our arrangement calls for me to run the boat and for us to split the profits and losses equally. I...

My Boat Sank Twice, and I Want to Sue My Boatyard. Where Do I Start?

August 15, 2012

I took my boat to a yard earlier this year and experienced a series of problems that ultimately led to the boat sinking at the dock — twice. The first sinking was due to a bad seal on the installation of a new fishfinder...