Ask a Maritime Attorney - Page 63 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.

Must Boat Buyers Pay a Prorated Property Tax Allocation?

August 23, 2007

I bought a used sailboat through a California yacht broker earlier this year. The contract required the parties to prorate property taxes for the year, and I have a few questions about the procedure for the tax allocation....

Why Was This Insurance Claim Denied?

August 9, 2007

Our boat sank in the slip last month when the stuffing box shaft packing failed. I was shocked when our insurance company denied my claim, since we have faithfully paid our insurance premium for years. The company based the...

Marine Surveyors Don’t Require Licensing

July 26, 2007

I would like to lodge a complaint against a marine surveyor, but I can’t figure out who to contact. The surveyor is a Coast Guard-licensed captain, but I have not been able to discuss the problem with the Coast Guard marine...

Too Much Significance Placed on Bill of Sale During Title Transfer

July 12, 2007

I listed my boat for sale through a broker last year, but we were unable to find a buyer for quite a while. The broker finally faxed an offer to me several months ago, but the buyer was apparently unable to qualify for bank...

Releasing the Deposit: Buyer Backs Out of Boat Transaction

June 27, 2007

How long does a yacht broker need to keep a deposit in his trust account before he can release it to the seller? My boat is listed for sale with a broker, and I accepted an offer that was made by a buyer over six months ago....