Ask a Maritime Attorney - Page 5 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: Do You Need to Disclose Collisions and Repairs When Selling a Boat?

January 11, 2024

Question: Last year I completed a major structural repair to my boat after we ran into a breakwater in thick fog. I am now preparing to sell the boat and I am wondering whether I need to disclose the collision and the repairs...

Ask A Maritime Attorney: How will the Coast Guard regulate the license of a hired captain after crashing a sailboat?

December 7, 2023

Question: I have been reading a lot lately about a hired captain who ran a sailboat into the rocks at the entrance to Turtle Bay in Mexico in early November. The reports and statements by people who seem to know the facts...

Ask A Maritime Attorney: Do I owe annual California property tax on my boat that is docked in Marina del Rey but is not registered in California?

November 30, 2023

Question: I purchased a boat two years ago through the purchase of a “single-asset” Delaware LLC. The hailing port on my Coast Guard documentation is identified as Wilmington, Delaware, and that port is printed on the...

Ask a Maritime Attorney: Should My Yacht Club Include a Liability Waiver for Races?

November 16, 2023

Question: I am on the race management committee for my yacht club and our committee is concerned about the exposure of the club and its volunteers to liability during races and other events. We have considered asking...

Ask A Maritime Attorney: What are Coast Guard regulations for commercial vessels over 40 feet long when backing up?

October 26, 2023

Question What are the Coast Guard regulations regarding commercial vessels over 40 feet long when they are backing up? The U,S, Coast Guard code I found says there should be horn blasts when reversing. It seems to me that the...