Ask a Maritime Attorney - Page 61 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.

If a Boat Hits Your Truck, Can You Get a Vessel Lien?

February 7, 2008

My truck was damaged recently in an accident at a launch ramp. The people next to us lost control of their boat when they were trying to load it onto their trailer, and they drove the boat into the side of my truck. Now, they...

Boat Purchase Agreements Are Complex — for Good Reasons

January 25, 2008

Last year, I bought a car and a boat at about the same time, and it happened that the purchase price was about the same for both transactions. For the car, I gave the seller a cashier’s check for the purchase price, he...

What Kind of Coast Guard License Do I Need?

January 11, 2008

I am interested in starting a charter business with a small boat on Lake Havasu, and I have a few questions about licensing. I have been told that I will need to get a Coast Guard license and have my boat inspected by the...

How Can You Find Out About Unrecorded Vessel Liens?

December 28, 2007

In reading your article on maritime liens in the last issue of The Log, I had a few questions that I was hoping you could follow up on. In that article, you indicated that a maritime lien may be valid even if it is not...

No Recording Is Required for Maritime Liens

December 14, 2007

Several years ago, I was sued by an electrician who had done some work for me on my 33-foot motoryacht. I ignored the lawsuit because he was incompetent and I had already paid him for most of the job. He apparently got a...