How many crewmembers are allowed on a 60-foot boat when it is chartered to six passengers for hire? The short answer to this question is that you can carry as many “crewmembers” as you want during this type of charter, as...
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 the Captain Has a Stroke, Does the Coast Guard Need to Know?
February 21, 2008
I own a large motoryacht and I employ a licensed captain to operate and manage the boat. The captain has a number of medical restrictions on his license, and he recently had a stroke. Can you give me some idea how this will...
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...