RE: [Paddlewise] Stolen boat found but can't get it back.

Scott wrote:
<SNIP>>>>>>>>>>>>The lifeguard policy is that they will 
hang onto found items for three months, after which they can keep them.
Three months came and went, so one lifeguard promptly claimed the boat as
his, and then sold it to a friend for five hundred dollars.<<<<<<SNIP>

Did the Lifeguards report this find to the Police? If so you may be out of
luck (especially if it was a different police department than the one you
reported the theft to). If not I doubt the lifeguards have any legal right
to keep an item of that much value no matter what policy they may have
decided to adopt for found items. Normally if you report a found item to the
police they pick it up but you can file a claim to the item if the owner
isn't found within a defined period of time (such as 60 or 90 days).

Did the lifeguards file a report with the Coast Guard? Maybe it was obvious
that this kayak had been underwater for a long time when it washed up, but
if not the Coast Guard should have been notified immediately. Was it the
lifeguards that actually found it or someone else who turned it into the
lifeguards?

How was it determined which lifeguard was to receive this windfall? Did that
lifeguard put and money or effort into restoring the kayak? How much
restorative time and money did the last buyer put into the kayak after they
bought it? Morally (and possibly even legally) the lifeguard should return
the money he received beyond what value he personally added to the kayak.
Scott should get the kayak but I think the buyer should be compensated for
any value he added to it as well.

Lots of questions, I'd find out your legal rights and ask them.

Two Skin-on-frame Aluetian baidarka style kayaks were stolen last Thursday
night or Friday morning in Anacortes WA. They may have been spotted later
that morning on a car at a shipping company that barges freight to AK, so it
is suspected they may be going to somewhere in AK. One is about 25" wide,
darker Brown (translucent) with some lighter water stains on the left side
of the deck. The other is 20" wide, Pale Yellow (almost white) with a patch
in the hull near the cockpit. Please check the details at the Stolen Kayaks
page of our website and check the list regularly for stolen kayaks you may
recognize. The most recently stolen kayaks are also listed separately near
the end of the list so it is easy to see what's new on the list. 
Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com



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