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.

Can I Charter My Canadian-flagged Boat?

October 4, 2007

We are interested in starting a charter business, with the purchase of a 50-foot sportfishing yacht that is currently located in Canada. In one of your columns last year, you indicated that a boat must be built and registered...

How Can We Clear Our Boat’s Title?

September 20, 2007

My wife and I own a 35-foot California-registered sailboat that we purchased 20 years ago. We recently formed a revocable family trust for estate planning purposes, and for various reasons we decided to register the boat...

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...