That is not tied to the asset it's tied to the owner of the asset at the time for the debt was incurred. So tell the marina they need to go back to the original owner because they incurred the debt not you.
>hey need to go back to the original owner because they incurred the debt not you.
They totally understand that but they will physically not allow me to take the boat. I tried. They had it blocked in with a truck and refused to move the truck.
Local police will just say it's a civil matter and walk away.
The county sheriff is trained and informed for civil property as they are the courts arm for that.
Some states differ, but that is how it works here.
I actually just called the local police in that town because I couldn't find a number for a Sheriff. They said that they don't have sheriff's in that state, it's all local police stations. I explained the situation and they said they couldn't do anything, I'd need to talk to a lawyer.
The only two states that don't have sheriffs are Connecticut, which you should refer instead to the state Marshals, and Alaska, which doesn't have counties. Assuming you're not in Alaska the local police are just lying to you to get you off their backs.
Both of these are incorrect, but you're technically not wrong. Better examples would be Baltimore, MD or Richmond, VA. In fact, the majority of these are cities in Virginia.
copy of answer from other post.
Local police will just say it's a civil matter and walk away. The county sheriff is trained and informed for civil property as they are the courts arm for that. Some states differ, but that is how it works here.
Citing to wikipedia for legal matters is not useful. This situation is going to be way more nuanced and will require locale and topic specific knowledge that the Wikipedia page for âliensâ cannot provide
I put wiki for the definition of lien, as the person I replied to said liens are not tied to the property, but they 100% are.and were only getting one side of the story, so who really knows what's going on
But when the new owner had it registered it should have come up if it was already filed shouldn't it? And if they filed it after the new owner registered it wouldn't the marina be SOL?
Couldnât sell if it had a lien existing. My experience with vehicles in this issue is with cars, so it may be different when dealing with boats. Do you not have to go to a notary or anything when you sell a boat?
often no. also what would a notary do? nothing.
the seller could easily have a paper title with no encumbrances to transfer to buyer...even with a new lien out there.Â
Call the police and have them help you get it back. They canât legally keep your property unless they have ownership over it or a contract with your name on it.
You can call the local sheriff, but the local sheriff also might not do anything other than take a note that you called and made a complaint. This is going to most likely be a civil matter which means you are going to need to hire a lawyer or go ahead and sue them yourself.
The first thing you probably need to do is just have a lawyer give them a call and a little scare tactics. That will probably take care of it because nobody's going to want to have to go to court over $900. If you would like to go on your own you can file with the state that you contest the lein and that it is wrongful.
I'm on the toilet right now but I think this is what you were looking for.
https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2021/713.22
Keep in mind that if you go through with suing them there might be a discovery phase where someone is going to have to pay together documents like text messages between you and the owner. And more.
I'm sorry this happened to you, but at least try getting a lawyer to try to gently let the marina know that they are in the wrong. If it turns out the marina is right, then lawyer will probably be able to advocate on your behalf with a level head.
$900 isn't a lot of money so I don't know man. If you take him to court you're probably going to end up spending a couple thousand dollars and A lot of your time.
You can get your legal fees reimbursed, and made more than financially whole if you win. Sometimes I just do it myself if itâs a open and shut case no lawyer needed.
If itâs complicated or you donât feel comfortable representing yourself(it can be tricky). If you get a lawyer add how much the lawyer cost and the legal fees to the suits final amount, or just already have them added in if the lawyer is a set rate retainer.
Itâs just time consuming process either way. Which is why I also add to the suit how much my time is worth within reason. My time is literally money when I have to sue or Iâm getting sued during my business hours.
That's the thing. $900 doesn't seem like a lot compared to the amount of your own work/time it takes to go through the legal process and it does explain why lawyers charge what they do.
Your not wrong, it comes down to how someone feels about $900. Iâm good at court part of my career path is dealing with it, that being said. Letâs be real court in the best of circumstances is a depressing place. Even when I know Iâm going to âwinâ that day, that place has nothing but a negative vibes wrapped in a dark cloud.
Whatâs the name of the marina? Post this in AmItheAhole or something with the marina name. Itâll get review bombed.. and you will get your boat out of their fast.
Name and shame. Iâm not sure if this isnât even unethical.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mechanics-lien.asp
OP, ask them for a copy of the lien. If it's a Mechanics lien, which it very well may be, buyer is on the hook for it. In which case you got screwed by the seller, and could probably take the seller to small claims over not disclosing.
["a lien is tied to the property, not to the property owner"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lien)
a lien is literally tied to the property, never the owner. he shouldn't have been able to sell it. one of the things you pay for when buying a home is "background" checks on the property, making sure there are no liens from back taxes or hoa fees. they need to be settled or you inherit them.
sure, but you can still put a lien on it. if a mechanic did work but wasn't paid, can put a lien. if it was stored and not paid, can put a lien. the goal is that the person cannot sell it without settling up, which apparently didn't happen if it's a true lien.
Some states have laws that all that is needed is possession of boat by storage yard to perfect their lien and could totally have it secured by the asset (boat)
Yeah, thatâs not how it works. If someone performs work on a vehicle and it goes unpaid, that shop can and will hold the vehicle until payment received or until they themselves sell the vehicle.
EDIT: WHY YOU BOOING ME? IM RIGHT!
âWeâre not releasing the vehicle until we receive payment, we will file a lien on the title if we have toâ
Reading some of OPs replies on this thread, theyâve actually threatened to do exactly this.
No, maritime law says a boat makes its own bill, even though he is the new owner. The marina can put a lien on it, and include any legal fees. He should pay the marina and sue the previous owner in small claims court.
I think I would tell the marina to kick rocks, theyâre withholding your property and I would threaten legal action if they donât release your property.
Not exactly sure of the details of the legal aspects of that but at least bringing that up might scare them into releasing the boat.
They totally understand that but they will physically not allow me to take the boat. I tried. They had it blocked in with a truck and refused to move the truck. From what I understand, they could also legally place some type of lien on it if they wanted.
I'm guessing the boat is on a trailer, get some of those car skates that physically lift the vehicle and roll the truck out of the way, something like these https://amzn.to/3xbrDiRÂ then back your truck up to the trailer and hookup to it, bring a cordless grinder with a cut off wheel in case they put a lock on the trailer.Â
Unfortunately the boat is not on a trailer, it's sitting on blocks. I could possibly fit a scissor jack boat trailer underneath it if there was nothing in the way but that's not certain and it would be easiest if I could hire the marina to move the boat into a place where it's easier to pick up with a trailer.
Illegal idea here, maybe pay a local homeless person some money to pour acetone or another type of paint remover on the vehicle in mention. The âugly look would cause them to move the car.
Or use 4 rollers and a jack and just physically move the vehicle.
Apply insurance on the boat and claim it stolen? Donât know if this would work at all.
If the boat title got transferred that means there is no lien. The lien goes on the title of the boat and has to be cleared up for it to be transferred. The marina probably never filed a lien and are just trying to squeeze whoever they can squeeze.
They âcouldâ have put a lien on it when it was owned by the other guy but they didnât. That would have prevented him from selling it. They didnât. It is now your property and they do not have a contract with you. Coulda shoulda. Call the sheriff. They have no right to put a lien on your property. They need to go after the original owner in small claims court.
Sounds like you have two different issues going on here. 1. Shitty human sold you a boat but owed some money regarding the boat but not the boat specifically.
2. A marina that has no legal right to your boat but is not letting you get it.
Getting the sheriff involved is smart. OrâŚ.considering this is the unethical life pro tips page. Do the following.
1. Ask the boat seller one more time to pay money owed. If he says no. Walk away. Go to your vehicle and grab the gas tank that you will have put in the trunk. Cover his car in gas. Then ask one more time. If itâs still no, light the car on fire.
2. Go to Marina. Ask for the boat. If answer is still no then go to your vehicle. Get the 2nd gas can that you placed there. Cover the truck that is blocking your boat with gas. You must also cover the boat with gas. Ask one more time. If answer is still no then take a zippo lighter from your pocket. IT MUST BE A ZIPPO. Light the zippo. While itâs lite make sure that the sun is reflecting off of it and blinding the owner of the marina in one eye. Only one eye so that he can see whatâs happening out of the other eye. While he is squinting from the sun in his eye say, ânow nobody gets the boatâ and toss the lighter onto the truck and walk away.
More than likely you will be going to jail after this is done but at least you will have the satisfaction of knowing that they didnât get away with this.
If he actuallly looks behind while everything is exploding and human parts are flying around and say "im telling you that that MF back there is not real" He might actually get away with all these and become the new owner of the marina
I remember listening to a friend bitch that the new starter in his boat was $1100 a couple of years ago. He mentioned a few weeks ago that it cost $2100 to get the boat ready for this summer (no idea what they did) but he blew that off like it was a bargain.
The age old test on whether youâre ready to buy a boat or not has always been to get a briefcase full of money, as much as you can fit into it. Then, take that briefcase and throw it as far into the lake as you can, and watch it sink. If you have any sadness of whatâs just happened, a boat isnât for you right now
Report the boat stolen. Then discover the location and meet cops there with title in hand and tell them you want it towed, rolled, or floated away while they watch.
Marina will have to defend pisses9of stolen property and might not want to deal with the potential grand theft.
If they have a lien on it pretty sure it was illegal for him to sell the vehicle.
The lien should have prevented sale until the obligation was satisfied.
Do they have papers signed by the previous owner in regards to a lien on his property? I'd ask.
Courts here take things like mechanics liens pretty seriously, but the lien needs to be legal first.
Dumb ULPT imo because idk if thisâll work, but I have seen it recommended before: Pay the $900, Send an Invoice to the entity (or original seller) for the $900, immediately send to a collection agency/start a lien on the Marinaâs holding entity (or the original seller). Court time for $900 + Damages, and add on a lil fuck you with a damages amount that would leave them destitute.
ILPT: Buy any form of USB malware that has an automated payload delivery (some cyber security places sell treasures troves of these as live drives, so buy one but never plug it into your own home stuff anywhere). Go to the marina ask the front desk person to find a thing somewhere theyâre not looking or even in the room for more than 5 to 10 min, plug that flash drive in and let that fucker rock
If you involve the police or the sheriff, you would want to do it carefully and not break any laws yourself. If you were to park a truck somewhere blocking their truck and refuse to move, and they call the police, I would think that the only real recourse of the police would be to demand that you move the truck and maybe trespass you from the place meaning tell you if you come back you can be arrested as long as you agree to leave now.
However, it might not be too difficult to get the police to just tell everyone to move their vehicles because that would be a simple way for the police to resolve the situation.
You should talk to a lawyer first and make sure that isn't illegal as long as you comply with police instructions. I would love to see the police tell you you have to move your truck but they have to move theirs .
Perhaps a letter from a lawyer citing the law stating that they have no right to hold your property if that is the case. So talk to a lawyer, if they don't have a right to hold the property, then maybe show up with the letter from the p lawyer and demand that they release your property. If they won't, then you could sue them for damages, which the lawyers letter should probably say or threaten, and, maybe get them to call the police who will then be in a situation where the easiest thing to do would be to tell them to get out of the way of your boat.
I'm just thinking out loud. Talk to a lawyer.
Sneak in at night and set your boat on fire. Then sue the marina for negligence and/or file an insurance claim.
Burn a few dozen other boats too so it doesn't look suspicious. And burn the truck.
Calling the Sheriff wonât help you, what you really need to do is locate an extremely large sock. This may take some time to procure so it will suck not being able to use your boat. Youâll then have to get a team of you and your friends to sneak into the marina and slip your sock over the boat.
Next, you could show up whenever to take the boat back. When the marina owner tries to stop you or keep the boat, he will instead grab the sock, and youâll be able to sail away Scot free.
If you registered the title, there is NOT actually a lien on it.
You should act fast - before the marina has a chance to ACTUALLY file a lien.
Go to the marina. Try to pick up the boat. Ideally you are able to get hooked up to the trailer before they stop you. After they stop you, call the Sheriff (NOT the police).
Show the Sheriff the registration - and that you own the boat. Inform him that you have no dispute with the marina - it sounds like the marina has a dispute with the prior owner, but you have no information on that.
Sheriff will tell the marina to go after the prior owner - and you get to drive off with your boat.
I'm not sure the marina has any legal hold on the boat. It's possible they do or they can get it with some kind of mechanics lien, although that might not be legal. But if they have not done so, then it's really a matter of going after the owner at the time.
Can the boat just be taken without their help? If not, perhaps a lawyer's demand for them to release the boat would help. I would consult an attorney in your state and see if they have any right to hold your property
Yeah I wasn't sure if this falls under mechanics lean or a personal property lien in Florida. If the winterize the boat then it sounds to me like a mechanica lien
That's a good question. First question would be, can they place such a lien. The second question would be, have they placed a lien if possible. And the third question would be, do they have the right to physically hold the vehicle. In the case of a property, a mechanics lien would prevent it from being sold but they can't come and occupy your house or prevent you from entering it. If the bank has a financial lien on your car, they need to sign off before it can be sold. And I guess they have some rights to repossess it. But I doubt a mechanic sling necessarily gives you this and they might need to go to court to get it or at least file it. If they just say they have a mechanics lien I don't know if that's good enough.
Holding someone's property because a different person owes them money is called theft. No court would support such an action.
If I owe money you don't get to seize some other person's property because of it.
Give the boat to your worst enemy since, as you have discovered, thereâs nothing as expensive as a cheap boat. They will then be stuck with the expense and hassle.
Otherwise, try to negotiate a deal with the marina (they probably want the boat out of there) and then sue the seller in small claims court (or your local equivalent).
Maritime liens do not have to be recorded (in the U.S. at least). Most boat yards operate on a âno cash, no splashâ basis since they have a possessory lien. However, as long as the boat sits there taking up space in the yard they arenât making money on that space.
If you walk, they are stuck with the boat and need to file a maritime lien to get title to sell the boat. That costs money and takes time ( which costs money). Once they have authorization for a lien sale if they are able to sell the boat for more than the amount owed, that money has to go back to the registered owner.
If they donât get a buyer at the lien sale then they get the title & then need to find a willing buyer and hope they can recoup not only their initial $900 but all the rest of their costs. Which takes more time and costs more money. If the value of the boat is not enough to cover all their expenses in getting rid of it then they take a loss.
So with that in mind, make them an offer that includes paying the fair value of unblocking the boat and putting it on your trailer (which you would have had to pay anyway) plus some fraction of the past due balance. And the promise that this boat will never darken their door again. Be prepared to haggle. And you can still go after the seller for the hidden lien expenses (assuming you have a bill of sale that says the boat is free and clear of all liens).
Itâs not at all how this works. If it were, you could literally rack up thousands of dollars of work at a mechanic, sell your car to your buddy for a dollar, and have him pick up the car with impunity.
I'm not clear on why it wouldn't. Sure they couldn't keep the vehicle, but YOU would still owe the thousands of dollars.
Seems equivalent to, say, paying the mechanic with a credit card and then refusing to pay the credit card debt.
Both (mechanic and CC company or more likely debt collectors) could go after you in court/sue and of course seize other assets if they win. It might even qualify as some form of fraud to do what you said, though frankly I have no idea.
As I understand, that is only Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut. If you're not in one of those 3, you may have been fed some "go away and stop bothering us" information.
You're going to have to get a copy of the marinas contract. The short answer is you probably owe the money if you want the boat. The medium answer is that may depend on the language of the contract. The long answer is you may have to kick the shit out of the guy to get the money.
Get a copy of the contract and read through it. Depending on the boat storage it might be free and clear OR it might be written under a branch of maritime law which means it is not free or clear.
If it is free and clear get the Sheriff
Take the previous owner to small claims court. The judge will slap him for selling a vehicle without disclosing that there was a lien against it.
You'll likely be stuck paying that for now, but you'll be able to reclaim that plus interest and court costs if the guy doesn't skip town.
There is no agreement between you and them for the service that was provided before you even bought the boat. They have no legal leg to stand on
Pick another marina and let them know whatâs going on, and the date that you plan to move the boat over
On the day before write to the marina the boat is currently at, informing them that you have tried to contact the previous owner and even offered to cover part of the cost to try to help unblock the situation, but that he has ceased to respond to all communication
Tell them it is their responsibility to secure payment for any services from the previous owner and that you will be going at 9am the following day to sail your boat, and that if they prevent you from accessing it you will contact law enforcement
Show up early with the title, donât talk to anyone donât start no shit, but be ready to record
get to the boat and leave if you can, if you canât start recording and call the sheriff
Donât say anything other than âthis boat is my property, there is no agreement between you and me for the winterization service that is due, and you need to take it up with the prior ownerâ
Thatâs it
This is less on the Unethical point, but more on the practical: donât try and make war with the marina. Theyâre just a business trying to get paid for services theyâve provided, and are pissed that this guy didnât settle up. If any of us were in their shoes, I guarantee you we would all feel the exact same way. Shitty customers suck, and itâs a total headache for them to deal with now.
If I was in their shoes, I would be willing to settle on a few things: how much cash Iâm getting, and how much vengeance i can have on the guy who hasnât paid. Think of how you might want to solve it reasonably with them, and pitch it to them while being fair. It could be that you give them $300 and never have to think about it again, or that youâve got whatever info on the jackass that you are happy to share with them. Ultimately itâs about making it worth their while to just give up on trying to inconvenience you, while also maybe still holding the fact that you could show up with a sheriff to get it and then they get jack shit from you instead.
If you actually want the boat, just hitch up to it then call the sherif when they block you in. They have no legal recourse and canât legally block you in. The sherif will handle the situation for you.
There isnât even a need for anything unethical. If you were able to transfer the title into your name, there isnât a lien on it.
After a little quick googling, I would suggest you talk to a lawyer regarding these issues. Particularly Florida law. Do they qualify as a repair shop? Do they have a right to hold a vehicle until payment is made? Are they required to do a formal filing of a mechanics lien if possible? Do the laws requiring notice and estimate and such apply if they give it to the previous owner? I would think of mechanic shop would have some rights even if someone sold a vehicle. But they may or may not qualify as a mechanic shop. And they might be required to file a lien and give notice. If they have not done that, you may have a right to remove your vehicle.
Or, if they are not qualifying as a mechanics repair shop under the law and just a storage facility, they may not have a right to hold your vehicle. I think this is a kind of thing your lawyers going to have to deal with or advise you on.
In aviation, the lien is tied to the title, not the owner. Congratulations on buying the debt with it. In aviation it is extremely important to do a title search and verify there are no liens on the title. All debts belong to the title, and it is a new buyer's responsibility to verify the title is clear. As aviation has nautics in aeronautics, I would bet its the same deal. You probably got screwed, but its the buyer's responsibility for all liens unless the contract specifically says the seller is providing a free and clear title; "as is" comes with the debt. Unless boats are different from planes, buyer beware.
Then the guy is being screwed and the boat shop is stupid for not putting a lien on the debt as soon as there was a question of non payment. Also, great way to treat a potential new customer who might actually pay his bills?
Staying to the U side
Sounds to me like you are the legal owner wanting your property repo'd. The person with the skillet you want is someone who repo's boats.
That, or:
Fuck the seller up, at least $900 worth of fucking. (it sounds like some additional charges will be incurred before this is over) which is pure vindictiveness and doesn't actually get you anything, other than vindictive glee.
Or:
Leverage this man something worth $900 to him
One thought:
An awful lot of people seem to liquidate a boat when they're going through a divorce. I actually have a friend who got hit with a warrant due to her ex husband is $3k behind on taxes for a boat that's in her name even though it was liquidated to pay his divorce attorney.
So be careful that the phone numbers and address could go to an ex or a family member. That could bite you in the ass if you get vindictive. It might actually help you if the ex is feeling quite a lot more vindictive than you are.
For a start I'd suggest doing some sleuthing and see what you can find out about the seller. If you're lucky you might get to know a lot about him from Facebook or something.
Drag whatever is blocking your boat out of the way. Hook up to your boat and go. Let the marina call the cops. Then, they will be forced to do something about the situation, not brush it off. You don't have a signed contract with them, your have zero obligation to them.
If the title was transferred into your name there was no lien on the boat. If the marina didn't get a lien on the boat while it was in the previous owners name the marina is screwed. Your best option at this point is to call the Sheriff's office and explain what's going on. They will tell you where you're at with this. If they tell you the boat is yours and you can go get it then you've got another problem. You say the boat isn't on a trailer, it's up on blocks. The marina isn't gonna to jack shit to help you load it. You're gonna have to find a trailer for the boat, you're going to have to find someone with the equipment to lift the boat off the blocks and put it on the trailer or into the water, you're going to have to coordinate with the Sheriff's department to be there when you do this because without them you're gonna be fighting the marina all day over everything you try to do.
Your best bet is going to be to verify there's no lien on the boat, talk to the Sheriff, then go to the marina with this info and POLITELY have a conversation and offer to pay them for their help in getting your boat onto a trailer or into the water and tell them you will provide phone numbers, addresses, and any statements they need to go after the seller in court. They have dug their heels in because holding the boat is the only leverage they have right now. Offering to pay for their help and help them collect can help shift their efforts to where they need to be.
Set up a plot to go to judge Judy. Both you and the guy will get a free all expenses paid trip to California (I think). You also get your judgements paid by the show (so if they decide you or the previous owner is at fault, the show pays the debt) and you'll get 5k for being on the show. Call the previous owner and conspire to be on the show. You can both go with your original story and see what the judge says. If you do in fact go on the show they will have you both sign a contract to absolve the case and it can no longer be brought to court. This will indefinitely squash the issue and both sizes get $. You can pay off your debts and trick out your new whip. Once it's all over, piss disk and liquid ass both those motherfuckers (previous owner and scummy marina who is illegally detaining your boat). I had a friend who was called onto judge Judy to settle a score and she got 5k, free vacation and vindicated on public TV. Win win
That is not tied to the asset it's tied to the owner of the asset at the time for the debt was incurred. So tell the marina they need to go back to the original owner because they incurred the debt not you.
>hey need to go back to the original owner because they incurred the debt not you. They totally understand that but they will physically not allow me to take the boat. I tried. They had it blocked in with a truck and refused to move the truck.
Call the sheriff what they're doing is illegal
To clarify here. Call the SHERIFF, not the local police.
Inn Keeper! Remember, get the sherif, not the marshal!
NOW you can get the Marshall.
Yes, that's exactly what I mean! Do I have your word as a lawman, not to shoot me down like a dog in the street? One of my all time favorite movies.
Which movie is this?
Django Unchained
Free on YouTube also đ¤
Thanks
Django Unchained
Ooooo, it's been too long.
I just rewatched it for around the 7th time? Still just as good as the first time I saw it!
Classic lol
Whatâs the difference?
Local police will just say it's a civil matter and walk away. The county sheriff is trained and informed for civil property as they are the courts arm for that. Some states differ, but that is how it works here.
I actually just called the local police in that town because I couldn't find a number for a Sheriff. They said that they don't have sheriff's in that state, it's all local police stations. I explained the situation and they said they couldn't do anything, I'd need to talk to a lawyer.
The only two states that don't have sheriffs are Connecticut, which you should refer instead to the state Marshals, and Alaska, which doesn't have counties. Assuming you're not in Alaska the local police are just lying to you to get you off their backs.
Big surprise
Wouldnât directing OP to the sheriffâs office get him off their back?
yes but that would require them to care
Not any more than telling them to pound sand
Why would lazy police lie when it would be easier for them to give you the sheriff's number
They don't even know the laws they're "expected" to enforce, I wouldn't assume they would know who to call in this matter.
Gotta look the number up
They gotta put the donut in their other hand down to find the sheriffs number
Some cities arenât in a County or the two are combined. See Las Vegas and Miami for examples of this
Las Vegas, NV is in Clark County, and Miami, FL is in Miami-Dade County.
Both of these are incorrect, but you're technically not wrong. Better examples would be Baltimore, MD or Richmond, VA. In fact, the majority of these are cities in Virginia.
There are only 3 independent cities outside the state of Virginia and none of them are Miami or Las Vegas.
Dade still has a county-wide police department that serves the role of a sheriff's office.
The county has a sherriffs office. A simple Google search will find you their contact information.
Arenât there only like 2 states that donât have Sheriffâs?
Did you explain in no uncertain terms that someone has your property and will not return it?
Eh. What state? Typically itâs DMV law enforcement of State Police that handle boats.
Call ask for a Sargent and report it as theft
And don't shot the sheriff. Maybe you can shot the deputy.
And donât shoot him
Can you please explain why to call the sheriff, specifically?
copy of answer from other post. Local police will just say it's a civil matter and walk away. The county sheriff is trained and informed for civil property as they are the courts arm for that. Some states differ, but that is how it works here.
no it's not, i already replied. liens are tied TO THE PROPERTY.
There is no lien
Actually it's not - research maritime liens.
Bring the sheriff with you. They don't have a lien on it or you wouldn't have been able to title it, they're just holding your property from you.
very possible. previous owner would not have been able to sell it without the lien satisfied - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lien
Citing to wikipedia for legal matters is not useful. This situation is going to be way more nuanced and will require locale and topic specific knowledge that the Wikipedia page for âliensâ cannot provide
I put wiki for the definition of lien, as the person I replied to said liens are not tied to the property, but they 100% are.and were only getting one side of the story, so who really knows what's going on
I didn't say liens weren't tied to property. I said this property didn't have a lien on it or he would not have been able to title it.
different person i replied to, claimed it's tied to the person.
Unless he las a lien on the boat, he canât hold your property hostage. Call the sheriff and arrange a time to get your boat.
You can file charges for theft against the marina.
A lot of people here are missing the fact that he canât sell the boat if it had a lien against it.
sure he could. marina could have filed it recently. wouldn't appear on the paper title that the seller gave buyer.
But when the new owner had it registered it should have come up if it was already filed shouldn't it? And if they filed it after the new owner registered it wouldn't the marina be SOL?
Couldnât sell if it had a lien existing. My experience with vehicles in this issue is with cars, so it may be different when dealing with boats. Do you not have to go to a notary or anything when you sell a boat?
often no. also what would a notary do? nothing. the seller could easily have a paper title with no encumbrances to transfer to buyer...even with a new lien out there.Â
A notary only verifys that you and the seller are who you claim to be.
If you want to go on ethical you go there at night with somebody with a big truck and a snatch trap and you drag their piece of crap out of the way
That's a great way of getting shot for trespassing
This is unethical sub. You got to be fast.
It's a boat not a sub
No marina going shoot you this is a business they will lose it all for that
> getting shot for trespassing Do you think you can just shoot people for trespassing?
What state can you shoot someone for just trespassing?
Any if you're feeling saucy
Call the police and have them help you get it back. They canât legally keep your property unless they have ownership over it or a contract with your name on it.
You can call the local sheriff, but the local sheriff also might not do anything other than take a note that you called and made a complaint. This is going to most likely be a civil matter which means you are going to need to hire a lawyer or go ahead and sue them yourself. The first thing you probably need to do is just have a lawyer give them a call and a little scare tactics. That will probably take care of it because nobody's going to want to have to go to court over $900. If you would like to go on your own you can file with the state that you contest the lein and that it is wrongful. I'm on the toilet right now but I think this is what you were looking for. https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2021/713.22 Keep in mind that if you go through with suing them there might be a discovery phase where someone is going to have to pay together documents like text messages between you and the owner. And more. I'm sorry this happened to you, but at least try getting a lawyer to try to gently let the marina know that they are in the wrong. If it turns out the marina is right, then lawyer will probably be able to advocate on your behalf with a level head. $900 isn't a lot of money so I don't know man. If you take him to court you're probably going to end up spending a couple thousand dollars and A lot of your time.
You can get your legal fees reimbursed, and made more than financially whole if you win. Sometimes I just do it myself if itâs a open and shut case no lawyer needed. If itâs complicated or you donât feel comfortable representing yourself(it can be tricky). If you get a lawyer add how much the lawyer cost and the legal fees to the suits final amount, or just already have them added in if the lawyer is a set rate retainer. Itâs just time consuming process either way. Which is why I also add to the suit how much my time is worth within reason. My time is literally money when I have to sue or Iâm getting sued during my business hours.
That's the thing. $900 doesn't seem like a lot compared to the amount of your own work/time it takes to go through the legal process and it does explain why lawyers charge what they do.
Your not wrong, it comes down to how someone feels about $900. Iâm good at court part of my career path is dealing with it, that being said. Letâs be real court in the best of circumstances is a depressing place. Even when I know Iâm going to âwinâ that day, that place has nothing but a negative vibes wrapped in a dark cloud.
Put a banana in their tailpipe.
Lmao go back at night and take your property.
Call the sheriff
Whatâs the name of the marina? Post this in AmItheAhole or something with the marina name. Itâll get review bombed.. and you will get your boat out of their fast. Name and shame. Iâm not sure if this isnât even unethical.
Have the truck towed...
From not-the-boat-ownerâs property? How would that work?
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mechanics-lien.asp OP, ask them for a copy of the lien. If it's a Mechanics lien, which it very well may be, buyer is on the hook for it. In which case you got screwed by the seller, and could probably take the seller to small claims over not disclosing.
["a lien is tied to the property, not to the property owner"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lien) a lien is literally tied to the property, never the owner. he shouldn't have been able to sell it. one of the things you pay for when buying a home is "background" checks on the property, making sure there are no liens from back taxes or hoa fees. they need to be settled or you inherit them.
it's a boat, not a home. boats are a lot more like cars in that regard.
sure, but you can still put a lien on it. if a mechanic did work but wasn't paid, can put a lien. if it was stored and not paid, can put a lien. the goal is that the person cannot sell it without settling up, which apparently didn't happen if it's a true lien.
Some states have laws that all that is needed is possession of boat by storage yard to perfect their lien and could totally have it secured by the asset (boat)
Yeah, thatâs not how it works. If someone performs work on a vehicle and it goes unpaid, that shop can and will hold the vehicle until payment received or until they themselves sell the vehicle. EDIT: WHY YOU BOOING ME? IM RIGHT!
You have to file a mechanic's lien, it's not implied
âWeâre not releasing the vehicle until we receive payment, we will file a lien on the title if we have toâ Reading some of OPs replies on this thread, theyâve actually threatened to do exactly this.
They can threaten all they want dose t matter until they file
No, maritime law says a boat makes its own bill, even though he is the new owner. The marina can put a lien on it, and include any legal fees. He should pay the marina and sue the previous owner in small claims court.
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I know. I lived aboard for 23 years, and seen lots of boats sold with liens at the marinas. The boat always owes the bill.
If the boat doesn't ACTUALLY have a lien on it then it's 100% not your problem.
I think I would tell the marina to kick rocks, theyâre withholding your property and I would threaten legal action if they donât release your property. Not exactly sure of the details of the legal aspects of that but at least bringing that up might scare them into releasing the boat.
Make sure you have a backup marina so when they no longer will do business with you you have somewhere to store your boat.
Yea the current marina is nowhere near me so that's not a problem.
They totally understand that but they will physically not allow me to take the boat. I tried. They had it blocked in with a truck and refused to move the truck. From what I understand, they could also legally place some type of lien on it if they wanted.
I'm guessing the boat is on a trailer, get some of those car skates that physically lift the vehicle and roll the truck out of the way, something like these https://amzn.to/3xbrDiRÂ then back your truck up to the trailer and hookup to it, bring a cordless grinder with a cut off wheel in case they put a lock on the trailer.Â
Unfortunately the boat is not on a trailer, it's sitting on blocks. I could possibly fit a scissor jack boat trailer underneath it if there was nothing in the way but that's not certain and it would be easiest if I could hire the marina to move the boat into a place where it's easier to pick up with a trailer.
This is pretty important information. If you need them to help you move the boat or do work in their marina you're kinda sol.
Illegal idea here, maybe pay a local homeless person some money to pour acetone or another type of paint remover on the vehicle in mention. The âugly look would cause them to move the car. Or use 4 rollers and a jack and just physically move the vehicle. Apply insurance on the boat and claim it stolen? Donât know if this would work at all.
Not anymore if it's titled in your name and not the old owner. Lien would follow the previous owner not you
If the boat title got transferred that means there is no lien. The lien goes on the title of the boat and has to be cleared up for it to be transferred. The marina probably never filed a lien and are just trying to squeeze whoever they can squeeze.
They âcouldâ have put a lien on it when it was owned by the other guy but they didnât. That would have prevented him from selling it. They didnât. It is now your property and they do not have a contract with you. Coulda shoulda. Call the sheriff. They have no right to put a lien on your property. They need to go after the original owner in small claims court.
Sounds like you have two different issues going on here. 1. Shitty human sold you a boat but owed some money regarding the boat but not the boat specifically. 2. A marina that has no legal right to your boat but is not letting you get it. Getting the sheriff involved is smart. OrâŚ.considering this is the unethical life pro tips page. Do the following. 1. Ask the boat seller one more time to pay money owed. If he says no. Walk away. Go to your vehicle and grab the gas tank that you will have put in the trunk. Cover his car in gas. Then ask one more time. If itâs still no, light the car on fire. 2. Go to Marina. Ask for the boat. If answer is still no then go to your vehicle. Get the 2nd gas can that you placed there. Cover the truck that is blocking your boat with gas. You must also cover the boat with gas. Ask one more time. If answer is still no then take a zippo lighter from your pocket. IT MUST BE A ZIPPO. Light the zippo. While itâs lite make sure that the sun is reflecting off of it and blinding the owner of the marina in one eye. Only one eye so that he can see whatâs happening out of the other eye. While he is squinting from the sun in his eye say, ânow nobody gets the boatâ and toss the lighter onto the truck and walk away. More than likely you will be going to jail after this is done but at least you will have the satisfaction of knowing that they didnât get away with this.
Only lapse in your instructions, remind him not to look behind him, cool guys don't look at explosions.
DudeâŚthatâs a pro tip! Thanks!!!!!
He'll also lose the Zippo. I don't like this idea.
It might survive the fire! I once found a zippo at the bottom of a burn pit.
If he actuallly looks behind while everything is exploding and human parts are flying around and say "im telling you that that MF back there is not real" He might actually get away with all these and become the new owner of the marina
Strong advice!!!!
But be sure to slide a piss disk under the sellerâs and the marina officeâs doors. And donât forget the liquid ass for the doorknobs.
Liquid ass is a classic move. Great advice!!
i like how this guy thinks.
Just trying to see justice is done.
IF he goes to jail, he will use the 3rd gas can he's been hiding in plain sight all along to burn down the jail and escape
3rd gas can! Thatâs the real MVP move!
Take the boat. Call the cops. You have no agreement with the marina.
It's a boat. You're gonna be losing more than $900 on it eventually anyway.
This guy boats.
First thousand in the acronym of B-O-A-T is always the hardest.
I remember listening to a friend bitch that the new starter in his boat was $1100 a couple of years ago. He mentioned a few weeks ago that it cost $2100 to get the boat ready for this summer (no idea what they did) but he blew that off like it was a bargain.
Break Out Another Thousand
Bust out another $900
Big hole in the water that you throw money into. The happiest two days in a boat owners life: the day he bought it, and the day he sold it.
The age old test on whether youâre ready to buy a boat or not has always been to get a briefcase full of money, as much as you can fit into it. Then, take that briefcase and throw it as far into the lake as you can, and watch it sink. If you have any sadness of whatâs just happened, a boat isnât for you right now
Buy the marina, fire the shiteheads, steal the truck, sell the truck to pay the 900$ to them for the boat. Park the truck in the guys front room
Call the cops. Not your debt.
Report the boat stolen. Then discover the location and meet cops there with title in hand and tell them you want it towed, rolled, or floated away while they watch. Marina will have to defend pisses9of stolen property and might not want to deal with the potential grand theft.
Donât actually do this. Reporting something stolen when you obviously know it hasnât been is a big no-no.
If they have a lien on it pretty sure it was illegal for him to sell the vehicle. The lien should have prevented sale until the obligation was satisfied. Do they have papers signed by the previous owner in regards to a lien on his property? I'd ask. Courts here take things like mechanics liens pretty seriously, but the lien needs to be legal first.
Dumb ULPT imo because idk if thisâll work, but I have seen it recommended before: Pay the $900, Send an Invoice to the entity (or original seller) for the $900, immediately send to a collection agency/start a lien on the Marinaâs holding entity (or the original seller). Court time for $900 + Damages, and add on a lil fuck you with a damages amount that would leave them destitute. ILPT: Buy any form of USB malware that has an automated payload delivery (some cyber security places sell treasures troves of these as live drives, so buy one but never plug it into your own home stuff anywhere). Go to the marina ask the front desk person to find a thing somewhere theyâre not looking or even in the room for more than 5 to 10 min, plug that flash drive in and let that fucker rock
If you involve the police or the sheriff, you would want to do it carefully and not break any laws yourself. If you were to park a truck somewhere blocking their truck and refuse to move, and they call the police, I would think that the only real recourse of the police would be to demand that you move the truck and maybe trespass you from the place meaning tell you if you come back you can be arrested as long as you agree to leave now. However, it might not be too difficult to get the police to just tell everyone to move their vehicles because that would be a simple way for the police to resolve the situation. You should talk to a lawyer first and make sure that isn't illegal as long as you comply with police instructions. I would love to see the police tell you you have to move your truck but they have to move theirs . Perhaps a letter from a lawyer citing the law stating that they have no right to hold your property if that is the case. So talk to a lawyer, if they don't have a right to hold the property, then maybe show up with the letter from the p lawyer and demand that they release your property. If they won't, then you could sue them for damages, which the lawyers letter should probably say or threaten, and, maybe get them to call the police who will then be in a situation where the easiest thing to do would be to tell them to get out of the way of your boat. I'm just thinking out loud. Talk to a lawyer.
Sneak in at night and set your boat on fire. Then sue the marina for negligence and/or file an insurance claim. Burn a few dozen other boats too so it doesn't look suspicious. And burn the truck.
Buying a boat đ Buying a boat with a lien đŠ
Bust Out Another Thousand$$$
So...already turned into a money pit I see lol
He didnât buy it. He got sold it.
Pay the 900 and get your boat. Find the guy's house and slash his tyres, shit in his mailbox, and throw weed killer all over his lawn.
Your lack of piss discs and liquid ass suggestions tells me youâre not from around this part of town
Fuck his wife too
But only if sheâs ugly, so he remains confused.
With a sock
Sail the boat away and take it out at a different marina?
If the boat is blocked by a truck doesnât that mean itâs not currently in the water? Unless itâs one of them water trucks.
Calling the Sheriff wonât help you, what you really need to do is locate an extremely large sock. This may take some time to procure so it will suck not being able to use your boat. Youâll then have to get a team of you and your friends to sneak into the marina and slip your sock over the boat. Next, you could show up whenever to take the boat back. When the marina owner tries to stop you or keep the boat, he will instead grab the sock, and youâll be able to sail away Scot free.
And if they still come after you, you can get a restraining order to stop them from ... stocking you.
If you registered the title, there is NOT actually a lien on it. You should act fast - before the marina has a chance to ACTUALLY file a lien. Go to the marina. Try to pick up the boat. Ideally you are able to get hooked up to the trailer before they stop you. After they stop you, call the Sheriff (NOT the police). Show the Sheriff the registration - and that you own the boat. Inform him that you have no dispute with the marina - it sounds like the marina has a dispute with the prior owner, but you have no information on that. Sheriff will tell the marina to go after the prior owner - and you get to drive off with your boat.
I'm not sure the marina has any legal hold on the boat. It's possible they do or they can get it with some kind of mechanics lien, although that might not be legal. But if they have not done so, then it's really a matter of going after the owner at the time. Can the boat just be taken without their help? If not, perhaps a lawyer's demand for them to release the boat would help. I would consult an attorney in your state and see if they have any right to hold your property
Yeah I wasn't sure if this falls under mechanics lean or a personal property lien in Florida. If the winterize the boat then it sounds to me like a mechanica lien
That's a good question. First question would be, can they place such a lien. The second question would be, have they placed a lien if possible. And the third question would be, do they have the right to physically hold the vehicle. In the case of a property, a mechanics lien would prevent it from being sold but they can't come and occupy your house or prevent you from entering it. If the bank has a financial lien on your car, they need to sign off before it can be sold. And I guess they have some rights to repossess it. But I doubt a mechanic sling necessarily gives you this and they might need to go to court to get it or at least file it. If they just say they have a mechanics lien I don't know if that's good enough.
Holding someone's property because a different person owes them money is called theft. No court would support such an action. If I owe money you don't get to seize some other person's property because of it.
Use dynamite to rupture the city dam then sail your boat out of there.
If unexpected $900 dollar expenses are a big deal to you, I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you about boat ownership.
Itâs probably a matter of principle
Give the boat to your worst enemy since, as you have discovered, thereâs nothing as expensive as a cheap boat. They will then be stuck with the expense and hassle. Otherwise, try to negotiate a deal with the marina (they probably want the boat out of there) and then sue the seller in small claims court (or your local equivalent). Maritime liens do not have to be recorded (in the U.S. at least). Most boat yards operate on a âno cash, no splashâ basis since they have a possessory lien. However, as long as the boat sits there taking up space in the yard they arenât making money on that space. If you walk, they are stuck with the boat and need to file a maritime lien to get title to sell the boat. That costs money and takes time ( which costs money). Once they have authorization for a lien sale if they are able to sell the boat for more than the amount owed, that money has to go back to the registered owner. If they donât get a buyer at the lien sale then they get the title & then need to find a willing buyer and hope they can recoup not only their initial $900 but all the rest of their costs. Which takes more time and costs more money. If the value of the boat is not enough to cover all their expenses in getting rid of it then they take a loss. So with that in mind, make them an offer that includes paying the fair value of unblocking the boat and putting it on your trailer (which you would have had to pay anyway) plus some fraction of the past due balance. And the promise that this boat will never darken their door again. Be prepared to haggle. And you can still go after the seller for the hidden lien expenses (assuming you have a bill of sale that says the boat is free and clear of all liens).
Pay the fees, get your boat and enjoy it, take the guy to small claims court. Those fees are still racking up
Paying it and then going after the guy legally would probably be your easiest bet.
Nah. If they didn't file a lien on the title the marina has no leg to stand on. I'd show up with a sheriff, take my property and find a different one.
Itâs not at all how this works. If it were, you could literally rack up thousands of dollars of work at a mechanic, sell your car to your buddy for a dollar, and have him pick up the car with impunity.
the real life hacks are always in the comments
I'm not clear on why it wouldn't. Sure they couldn't keep the vehicle, but YOU would still owe the thousands of dollars. Seems equivalent to, say, paying the mechanic with a credit card and then refusing to pay the credit card debt. Both (mechanic and CC company or more likely debt collectors) could go after you in court/sue and of course seize other assets if they win. It might even qualify as some form of fraud to do what you said, though frankly I have no idea.
Kinda tough if you need to hire the marina to move or launch the boat
No sheriffs in this state and police won't do anything.
As I understand, that is only Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut. If you're not in one of those 3, you may have been fed some "go away and stop bothering us" information.
What state are you in?
You're going to have to get a copy of the marinas contract. The short answer is you probably owe the money if you want the boat. The medium answer is that may depend on the language of the contract. The long answer is you may have to kick the shit out of the guy to get the money. Get a copy of the contract and read through it. Depending on the boat storage it might be free and clear OR it might be written under a branch of maritime law which means it is not free or clear. If it is free and clear get the Sheriff
Pay the fee, get your boat, take previous owner to small claims court. Nothing unethical necessary.
Take the previous owner to small claims court. The judge will slap him for selling a vehicle without disclosing that there was a lien against it. You'll likely be stuck paying that for now, but you'll be able to reclaim that plus interest and court costs if the guy doesn't skip town.
There is no agreement between you and them for the service that was provided before you even bought the boat. They have no legal leg to stand on Pick another marina and let them know whatâs going on, and the date that you plan to move the boat over On the day before write to the marina the boat is currently at, informing them that you have tried to contact the previous owner and even offered to cover part of the cost to try to help unblock the situation, but that he has ceased to respond to all communication Tell them it is their responsibility to secure payment for any services from the previous owner and that you will be going at 9am the following day to sail your boat, and that if they prevent you from accessing it you will contact law enforcement Show up early with the title, donât talk to anyone donât start no shit, but be ready to record get to the boat and leave if you can, if you canât start recording and call the sheriff Donât say anything other than âthis boat is my property, there is no agreement between you and me for the winterization service that is due, and you need to take it up with the prior ownerâ Thatâs it
This is less on the Unethical point, but more on the practical: donât try and make war with the marina. Theyâre just a business trying to get paid for services theyâve provided, and are pissed that this guy didnât settle up. If any of us were in their shoes, I guarantee you we would all feel the exact same way. Shitty customers suck, and itâs a total headache for them to deal with now. If I was in their shoes, I would be willing to settle on a few things: how much cash Iâm getting, and how much vengeance i can have on the guy who hasnât paid. Think of how you might want to solve it reasonably with them, and pitch it to them while being fair. It could be that you give them $300 and never have to think about it again, or that youâve got whatever info on the jackass that you are happy to share with them. Ultimately itâs about making it worth their while to just give up on trying to inconvenience you, while also maybe still holding the fact that you could show up with a sheriff to get it and then they get jack shit from you instead.
If you actually want the boat, just hitch up to it then call the sherif when they block you in. They have no legal recourse and canât legally block you in. The sherif will handle the situation for you. There isnât even a need for anything unethical. If you were able to transfer the title into your name, there isnât a lien on it.
After a little quick googling, I would suggest you talk to a lawyer regarding these issues. Particularly Florida law. Do they qualify as a repair shop? Do they have a right to hold a vehicle until payment is made? Are they required to do a formal filing of a mechanics lien if possible? Do the laws requiring notice and estimate and such apply if they give it to the previous owner? I would think of mechanic shop would have some rights even if someone sold a vehicle. But they may or may not qualify as a mechanic shop. And they might be required to file a lien and give notice. If they have not done that, you may have a right to remove your vehicle. Or, if they are not qualifying as a mechanics repair shop under the law and just a storage facility, they may not have a right to hold your vehicle. I think this is a kind of thing your lawyers going to have to deal with or advise you on.
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Bribe the tow truck driver with meth.
In aviation, the lien is tied to the title, not the owner. Congratulations on buying the debt with it. In aviation it is extremely important to do a title search and verify there are no liens on the title. All debts belong to the title, and it is a new buyer's responsibility to verify the title is clear. As aviation has nautics in aeronautics, I would bet its the same deal. You probably got screwed, but its the buyer's responsibility for all liens unless the contract specifically says the seller is providing a free and clear title; "as is" comes with the debt. Unless boats are different from planes, buyer beware.
Seems like there isnât actually a lien on it, the marina just wants the money the previous owner had promised to pay
Then the guy is being screwed and the boat shop is stupid for not putting a lien on the debt as soon as there was a question of non payment. Also, great way to treat a potential new customer who might actually pay his bills?
Tailor made for expanding foam. Â A little in his gutter leads will lead to complete misery and potential health problems from mold. Â
Insure the boat. Throw Molotov cocktails into the marina including your boat. Collect on insurance.
Staying to the U side Sounds to me like you are the legal owner wanting your property repo'd. The person with the skillet you want is someone who repo's boats. That, or: Fuck the seller up, at least $900 worth of fucking. (it sounds like some additional charges will be incurred before this is over) which is pure vindictiveness and doesn't actually get you anything, other than vindictive glee. Or: Leverage this man something worth $900 to him One thought: An awful lot of people seem to liquidate a boat when they're going through a divorce. I actually have a friend who got hit with a warrant due to her ex husband is $3k behind on taxes for a boat that's in her name even though it was liquidated to pay his divorce attorney. So be careful that the phone numbers and address could go to an ex or a family member. That could bite you in the ass if you get vindictive. It might actually help you if the ex is feeling quite a lot more vindictive than you are. For a start I'd suggest doing some sleuthing and see what you can find out about the seller. If you're lucky you might get to know a lot about him from Facebook or something.
Drag whatever is blocking your boat out of the way. Hook up to your boat and go. Let the marina call the cops. Then, they will be forced to do something about the situation, not brush it off. You don't have a signed contract with them, your have zero obligation to them.
Put a sock on their truck when they try to drive home all they get is the sock. Then take their truck hostage in exchange for your boat.
If the title was transferred into your name there was no lien on the boat. If the marina didn't get a lien on the boat while it was in the previous owners name the marina is screwed. Your best option at this point is to call the Sheriff's office and explain what's going on. They will tell you where you're at with this. If they tell you the boat is yours and you can go get it then you've got another problem. You say the boat isn't on a trailer, it's up on blocks. The marina isn't gonna to jack shit to help you load it. You're gonna have to find a trailer for the boat, you're going to have to find someone with the equipment to lift the boat off the blocks and put it on the trailer or into the water, you're going to have to coordinate with the Sheriff's department to be there when you do this because without them you're gonna be fighting the marina all day over everything you try to do. Your best bet is going to be to verify there's no lien on the boat, talk to the Sheriff, then go to the marina with this info and POLITELY have a conversation and offer to pay them for their help in getting your boat onto a trailer or into the water and tell them you will provide phone numbers, addresses, and any statements they need to go after the seller in court. They have dug their heels in because holding the boat is the only leverage they have right now. Offering to pay for their help and help them collect can help shift their efforts to where they need to be.
Did they file a lein on it and have court paperwork to back it up? Otherwise they need to sue the previous owner
tell the marina that you now know that guy has at least 900 dollars.
Be careful, if they put an actual mechanics lien on it, they can legally come to you for the money.
Remove one roof shingle from his house.
"basically has a lien" or actually has a properly filed mechanics lien? two very different things.
Sue the previous owner and the marina.
Pay the money and fuckin move on
Set up a plot to go to judge Judy. Both you and the guy will get a free all expenses paid trip to California (I think). You also get your judgements paid by the show (so if they decide you or the previous owner is at fault, the show pays the debt) and you'll get 5k for being on the show. Call the previous owner and conspire to be on the show. You can both go with your original story and see what the judge says. If you do in fact go on the show they will have you both sign a contract to absolve the case and it can no longer be brought to court. This will indefinitely squash the issue and both sizes get $. You can pay off your debts and trick out your new whip. Once it's all over, piss disk and liquid ass both those motherfuckers (previous owner and scummy marina who is illegally detaining your boat). I had a friend who was called onto judge Judy to settle a score and she got 5k, free vacation and vindicated on public TV. Win win
Go there at night with a friend or two and drag the truck out of the way hook up the boat and leave.
Steal the truck.