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Aggravating_Foot_528 OP t1_jdwb4az wrote

We are sitting on top of a golden meme opportunity here in Pittsburgh. Somebody needs to put a gigantic banner on the boat and have it say something like "Bob Nutting's Pirates ship" and then see if we can get it on TV during the season.

C'mon reddit Pittsburgh. We can do this.

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glenn_q t1_jdyf2y3 wrote

Slap a yellow "Steel City Hauling" sticker on it.

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SnooDonuts4137 t1_jdvyxfr wrote

It's surprising that if a car is parked illegally for a few days, it will be towed and impounded, yet a boat parked in the wrong place for months can't be moved. You would expect the Army Corps of Engineers to take action to ensure safety.

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kaitb1103 t1_jdw5zae wrote

Eh idk about a car being parked illegally being towed quickly. There’s a car near my house that’s been in the same spot with two flats clearly abandoned for over two years. And because the registration was still current, they wouldn’t tow despite it being illegally parked.

Registration was up at the end of last month and it’s still not gone. Not exactly a priority for the city.

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Aggravating_Foot_528 OP t1_jdw04nm wrote

The issue is, I'm guessing, is that the boat doesn't impede boat traffic so if isn't their problem. If it floated into the middle of the river it would be their problem. But the boat has been untied for weeks and hasn't moved anywhere and somebody else on another thread said that most likely the propeller is stuck in the bottom and nothing will move it.

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motociclista t1_jdxcw4j wrote

That’s part of the issue. The bigger issue is the cost to remove it. Bringing in equipment to lift and haul that boat out will be wicked expensive. I bet $10k it more. Then it needs to be hauled somewhere to be stored. It can’t be scrapped until the paperwork is done. Storage is another cost. Then it will need striped down and made safe to send to a landfill. This is all going to cost a bundle. So here’s the thing: Let’s say you own a towing and recovery company. And the state says “get the boat out of there.” If they don’t pay you up front, your company is on the hook for all that cost. If the owner won’t pay, then you’re stuck with that bill. Sure, they can go after the owner, but if he could or would pay, the boat would already be gone. They can try to force him but that’s going to take a while. And if they win a judgment for the money, the owner of the boat can still skip out on the bill. No recovery company will be willing to touch that until they have cash in hand. And no one wants to lay out the cash.

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Knightpnthr t1_jdyaj6b wrote

How shallow is the river, right there?

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Aggravating_Foot_528 OP t1_jdybix8 wrote

I asked that in another thread and someone said it is not that deep and the engine/prop sticks down far enough that that plus the 5-6 feet the stern is in the water is enough to ground the boat in that area. Just a bit further down you can see where the riverwalk slopes into the river.

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WallaWallaPGH t1_jdvdy4t wrote

Good call on the archive link, interesting article:

tl;dr: “The owner is not cooperating”

> Mike Parker, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said that soon after hearing the initial complaints, the agency agreed to deal with the unattended craft whether it bore legal responsibility or not. In fact, in most cases the Pennsylvania Code places the burden of salvaging abandoned boats on Fish and Boat.

>”The difficulty is the law is set up to protect boat owners from having their boats stolen,” said Mr. Parker. “You can’t just claim one if you find it. There’s a process for changing ownership without the owner’s participation and it takes a while.”

>Fish and Boat has been wrangling with the process for months. The relevant law goes something like this:

>A person who wants an apparently abandoned boat has to send the agency a downloadable document including registration number, hull ID, temporary decal number, model and year, swearing under penalty of law that the information is accurate. Upon request for a title change, the commission sends a certified letter to the last known owner. If ownership is not claimed and the boat is not moved within 30 days, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat has 45 days to legally take possession, dispose of the boat or sell it at auction, or authorize a salvor to get rid of it. PFBC and the salvage company are reimbursed for costs incurred including removal, towing and storage. If the remaining proceeds on the sale are not claimed within 60 days, Fish and Boat keeps the cash. If the craft is determined to be valueless, the salvor may apply for ownership. When the title arrives, the boat can be stripped and sold for parts.

> Before it can be moved, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to confirm there is no boat fuel, oil or other possible pollutants aboard or leaking from the listing vessel. If chemical products are found, Mr. Parker said another legal process outlines its safe removal.

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switman t1_jdvz62a wrote

>If the remaining proceeds on the sale are not claimed within 60 days, Fish and Boat keeps the cash.

Does this mean that someone can just abandon a boat, have the state tow and auction it, and then just show up and claim the proceeds? I realize in this case there probably wouldn't be any proceeds, but that's still a hilarious concept

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chiphook57 t1_jdwa4cn wrote

That boat did indeed have fuel and lubricating oil aboard. Once the dep wraps up their paperwork, I don't think anyone is going to want near that craft. Wait until you see the salvage/tow invoice...

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Aggravating_Foot_528 OP t1_jdwbc19 wrote

You mean skeeter can't bring his flatbed tow truck up to the shore and just haul it out?

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Aggravating_Foot_528 OP t1_jdvzqgr wrote

Sounds like it. I think it has to do with rules about the state not being able to take abandonded property unless it's truly abandoned. I think the state has to give the benefit of the doubt that the property is truly abandoned before profiting off of it. Even if the person has told the state repeatedly that they don't want the boat anymore. But that is just my guess

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gnawingonfoot t1_jdvneip wrote

Why can't we make the owner do anything about it? Our rivers are not a dump site for their trash!

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chuckie512 t1_jdvp1ct wrote

State law wins here, and they don't care at all.

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nonymiz t1_jdvs62t wrote

>Public Works said removal of abandoned watercraft is not the city’s responsibility.
>
>The U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers referred the matter to state authorities.
>
>Mike Parker, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said that soon after hearing the initial complaints, the agency agreed to deal with the unattended craft whether it bore legal responsibility or not. In fact, in most cases the Pennsylvania Code places the burden of salvaging abandoned boats on Fish and Boat.

It's a state agency that has stepped up and trying to deal with it, while everybody else is saying "not our problem".

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chuckie512 t1_jdvu8i6 wrote

Great, but it's still the state legislature that makes it this hard in the first place.

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MaynardWaltrip t1_jdw04ke wrote

I’m surprised someone hasn’t just cut that thing loose and let nature take it course.

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deekins t1_jdwac77 wrote

Maybe a bomb from O’Neill Cruz will sink it

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LetMeSqueeze t1_jdxc17m wrote

What if we took a group of volunteers, drug it over to the launch by Mr Rodgers statue and pulled it onto the concrete and abandoned it there? I would think that could speed up the process.

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lostcause412 t1_jdvuqq9 wrote

It's not complicated at all, bureaucrats make it complicated.

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MaynardWaltrip t1_jdw0igr wrote

Close…

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lostcause412 t1_jdwmjyf wrote

I know four guys right now that would get that boat out of the river for $1000. It's not complicated

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burritoace t1_jdyiaep wrote

Thanks for offering to pay up!

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lostcause412 t1_jdyo1un wrote

I never did, the city will end up spending ×10 that and stacks of paper work just for the same result, it's been there for months. It shouldn't be this big of a deal to move a small boat. Hypothetically if they put an ad on Craigslist or something it would be gone in a few hours

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burritoace t1_jdzk4ma wrote

It shouldn't be this hard but you misunderstand the sticking points here

0

lostcause412 t1_jdzxhpz wrote

I completely understand thats the worst part, None of it's valid.

1

JustinPA t1_je0jjqe wrote

> Close what?

Close to spelling bureaucrat.

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lostcause412 t1_je0otyd wrote

Didn't even notice that, point still stands. Good news after almost a year the little boat is finally getting removed today

1

jamesvabrams t1_jdxz67z wrote

Wait until it sinks in the stern to reach the same angle as the sinkhole bus. (Maybe someone can help that happen quicker.)

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Knightpnthr t1_jdvqwo6 wrote

I thought the owner died?

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Aggravating_Foot_528 OP t1_jdvvkp2 wrote

Nope. Just abandoned it. It's amazing they can't be billed for getting rid of the boat.

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AKoolPopTart t1_jdwijh9 wrote

"Removing it is complicated"

Sink it, dismantle it, get a crane to pick it up.....

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HOTGRIZZY t1_jdxndru wrote

Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated, boat

2

ventorun t1_jdwpims wrote

The real question is: Who will make an ornament of this for their Christmas tree?

1

Wide-Concert-7820 t1_jdx0x02 wrote

Why is there a torpedo size hole in the port side? Why is the Requim smiling?

1

iSoReddit t1_jdyd9mw wrote

The worst thing about bureaucracy in action. Just get a damn truck and get it out of there and bill the owner who’s “being difficult”. Put a lien on their house or garnish their wages.

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vVSidewinderVv t1_jdyoudt wrote

Shame really. Looks like it was actually a decent boat before the guy left the battery to die and the rain to fill it up...

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awayanywayaway t1_jdwjatw wrote

Time to repost this for 30 odd karma again

0

VidGamrJ t1_jdwgtf4 wrote

The whole city is an eyesore these days with all the trash everywhere. Place is disgusting. The abandoned boat fits right in.

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Any-Application-771 t1_jdx4vns wrote

So true! The garage is worse in the South Hills especially in Beechview. There has been garage sitting on the sidewalk for now 8 WEEKS! Also, the garbage pile is growing. Mattresses and chair with the regular garage! The owners were served notice of the violation the second week in February to take care of the garage. Now it has to go to court! Really! It interesting that there is a website on the City of Pittsburgh called something like bird eye view. It shows all the areas with garbage violations. So many! It's a disaster...Beechview is the worst!

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