'KDKA investigator Andy Sheehan found out, getting it removed is no easy matter. All government agencies contacted by KDKA-TV said it's not their responsibility."

Seriously? What's so difficult about the city or state towing it out and charging the owner all the costs.

I would've expected the Fish & Boat Commission (since they handle licensing) and the Coast Guard to handle this. Unbelievable.

So what I'm hearing here is that if I have a bunch of garbage or an old shitty boat I need to get rid of, I can just leave it in the water near the stadiums and that's the end of it?

I'm kidding obviously, but that is the message that these government agencies are putting out there.

Why doesn't someone untie the boat?

Also it's bullshit that we aren't naming whoever's boat it is. I get it, dude doesn't want to pick it up, but if you're a big enough boy to buy a boat and dock it, you're a big enough boy for your neighbors to know you suck.

This kind of reminds me of the time I had the genius idea in my 20’s to build a shanty boat and dock it at the North Shore. I did my research at the time and found that there’s essentially no law stopping anyone from doing that - which is pretty crazy. So if the going gets tough and you need to move to a shanty boat, you can.

Try getting bridge sidewalks clean in Pittsburgh. It's the same thing. PennDOT or county (whoever owns the bridge) says it's local, and vice versa.

If it hits a pier then the entire bridge gets shut down for inspection.

And then maybe finally some ruling or law comes down to determine who should and must handle abandoned boats. Don't let a bridge inspection get in the way of real progress here. Lol

Don’t leave us hanging - what happened to shanty boat?

Without opening the link, I'm OK with asking, "which boat in the Allegheny?"

Yes. No one wants to take responsibility but when shit happens and people start suing then the courts get to decide who was responsible..it's sad.

Surely they can tie the boat back to an owner somehow, right?

If so, get it out and charge it back to the owner. But, yes, I know, it's government. Nothing is ever easy.

It every one is saying "it's not my problem". Someone can find the owner without a problem but no one wants to. Everyone put their finger on their nose and says "not it" until a court forces them to accept responsibility.

Good stuff.

Why isn't the owner mentioned? This person's name should be on the chopping block, not our tax dollars. It just seems like the article goes out of its way to NOT mention the 1 person that is actually responsible.

When I run past there I keep thinking "what if I untie it bit by bit..."

Of course the sideways boat is further up the river and has been there for years.

Sure. That’s what the people do after Chesney concerts.

Slowly sinking in the Allegheny River for months, irritating those who use the Riverfront Park or stroll its promenade.

The most likely scenario is the owner has either passed away, or is no longer in the country.

I'll get rid of that fucking boat for Fitty Dolla's.

Lol - I was planning on building a flat bottom barge with a shack on it. Reminiscent of a turn of the century shanty. However, my luck turned for the better and I never did it. So no, this is not my boat.

Sometimes I wish I did though. If my luck turns even better and I have a financial windfall, maybe I’ll build it just for fun. I’ll dock it near the strip so it doesn’t bother anyone as much.

During the Great Depression there were large shanty communities built along our rivers, so it wouldn’t be the first time. If there’s going to be a bunch of people living on the river, I’d rather they be some shanty folk than rich people in their 500K houseboats.

Good God. I saw pictures of that aftermath. Absolutely disgusting

Not just once. I remember signing petitions in 2009 to have him banned from coming here. I guess the city doesn’t care.

A few people I work with went to one and showed pictures. I was floored. I’m a deadhead, we’re a crazy bunch, but we go around and clean the joint up before we leave. That just left me speechless.

Yeah right on. I’ve been to MANY shows here and elsewhere, I’ve never seen anything like it.

Someone posted a picture of this boat on Reddit over the winter and then another Redditor responded that the owner skipped town and moved to Florida.

As someone who actually knows a small amount about boats; it’s worth pointing out that removing this is no easy task. This isn’t a leaky jonboat, you can’t just bail the water and cruise it back to the dock. You’re looking at hauling it to a boat launch with a much larger boat then getting a serious crane to lift it out of the water and onto a trailer to haul it to a dump. Alternatively, if the hull is good, you could try raising it, and clearing the bilge. At that point, it’d be much easier to tow to a launch and get on a trailer.

With that being said, it’s no wonder no one wants to deal with this.

It says in the article they spoke to him, he can't or won't remove it.

There's a reason Dave Matthews always reminds his audience to "leave nothing behind but your footprints".

Why not just sink the damn thing

It’s sitting on the bottom of the river.

It’s sitting on the bottom of the river already.

Seems to me all you would need is a crane

Then you need something to transport it and somewhere to dispose of it. They should just dump it on the owner’s property and send him a bill!

They’re more worried about chasing homeless people out of their tents

The newish one

Or fill it full of ping pong balls to get it to float, and float it to the crane. it will be substantially lighter for the crane to pick up as well being filled with balls and not water.

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I have footage of this boat pre-sinking. It's called "What was I thinkin'?" https://youtu.be/-IagpTAFmTg?t=3006

Put a bladder in the hull. Inflate. Tow to a crane. Pick. (Slowly) they will make a big to do out of this and generate a salvage bill approaching $20k.

We’re crab people now

The only reason this is getting airtime is that it's along the Riverwalk. Walk further upstream on the Allegheny or Monongahela and there are multiple abandoned boats within the first four or five miles. This one gets attention only because it's more 'visible'.

Indeed.

Dave Matthews? “On August 8, 2004, a tour bus belonging to the Dave Matthews Band dumped an estimated 800 pounds (360 kg) of human waste from the bus's blackwater tank through the Kinzie Street Bridge in Chicago onto the passenger sightseeing boat Chicago's Little Lady sailing in the Chicago River below..” You mean that Dave Matthews?

I don't recall that Dave was driving the bus. Or that he gave the order for this lone bus driver, who was on the bus alone at the time of the incident, to do this.

"As part of a legal settlement, the band agreed to pay $200,000 to environmental protection and other projects. The band also donated $100,000 to two groups that protect the river and the surrounding area.[1] The band's bus driver, Stefan Wohl, pleaded guilty to dumping the waste in April 2005.[2]"

"On Sunday, August 8, 2004, at 1:18 p.m.,[6] Wohl was alone in Tinsley's bus and driving to a downtown hotel when he emptied the bus' blackwater tank as it crossed the metal grates of the Kinzie Street bridge.[7]"

This is why it is important to read beyond the headlines.