What a sad end for what was once someone's pride and joy. As a boat builder by trade and a lover of boats and the water I find this pretty confronting. One Folkboat already smashed to pieces and another waiting in line. The contractor is only doing their job.
I support the clean up of moorings and potential hazards to navigation and the environment but there are a lot worse examples out there than some of these.
Any thoughts?
Note: These are my personal views.

While these yachts once were the pride and joy of someone, the responsibility lies with the current owners who neglect those yachts, not those that decide to remove derelicts.
I'm for it.

When the boats are destroyed are any of the useful fittings such as winches removed as for those of use who own older boats it can be difficult to find stuff sometimes that is no longer available new or where a new one might be expensive compared to the value of the boat

Just because the boats might be neglected there is probably some good useable stuff on them

Regards Don

It is such a shame when the level of neglect means the amount of work needed to restore one to sailable condition, let alone restored to the level of say Lydia's Defiance, becomes ridiculous. I hate seeing boats broken up, but the fault lies with the owners, absolutely.

Tragic to see those boats neglected like that. It does seem like a terrible waste but what can they be used for when the boating establishment has stuffed up sailing so badly? Around Sydney, most yards are only interested in big shiny boats, and there are so many huge powerboats throwing around vast wakes that boats of 26 feet or so are becoming quite uncomfortable at times.

The Maritime requirements for moored boats are bizarre in some ways. Boats "must be of a style considered by Roads and Maritime to be consistent with the general style of vessels moored in the bay". If R & M are going to be logical, that would mean that the supermaxi Comanche should not be moored in a bay where neat clinker putt-putt classic half cabins and classic Halvorsens predominate. They also have special rules for fibreglass boats, so an alloy, carbon, steel or wooden boat apparently falls into a different category even if you couldn't tell what they were made of from a metre away.

The rules say that bright colours need written approval - that probably rules out Marine Rescue boats. And the Maritime and Police boats, with their big signwriting, moored in my port clearly aren't consistent with the "general style" of big white Rivieras in the same bay, so they should be moved to somewhere else where the general style of boats are police, rescue and Maritime craft.

The rules also say that "Timber vessels may be varnished (or similar) provided that the varnished timbers are kept in good condition. An exception is made for teak, which should be appropriately maintained (e.g. oiled)." So if you spend hundreds of thousands on a classic NZ Logan yacht with scrubbed Kauri decks, you've got to throw non-skid paint on them.

While it's sad for some of the older stylish vessel it maybe a saviour of the survivors, not long ago scrap Steel prices sky rocketed a lot of 70s cars got squashed and now they are in demand, being restored and taken to shows ! A bigger question is will the mooring be reallocated or not ?

Be careful what you wish for, Cisco.

In Japan we have a 6/3 year inspection cycle.
Every 3 years an on the water inspection of safety gear, (flares are rated at 3 years)
Ever other 3 years an on the hard inspection of hull, prop, etc.

The question that boaties are asking here is when did this become a revenue gathering operation? (like speeding cameras in Oz)
You pay $300 each three years. $150 for the inspection and $150 for the flares.
If there is anything that doesn't pass the test, you are up for another $150 for the second test.
Every boat from 4 metres up in Japan is tested .
Every ratty fishing boats passes first go (because of the strength of the fishers unions).
50% of leasure boats get a second test.
I fitted nice new US Coast Guard/ Loyd's approved nav/stern/running lights to replace the 40 year old faded yellow things that were on her.
Inspection time I was told that only the lights that were on the boat when it was first registered were acceptable.
So off with the new and on with old.
Reinspected. passed.
A system that sound good on paper , but........

P.S. the fishers just lend each other gear to pass. LOL.

gary

The condition of the white FB on the left below the waterline is not bad. I see vessels everyday occupying moorings that are growing kelp and mussel farms. There is no consistency. I'm all for getting rid of the rusty steely's that no one has been near for years and the ferro boats.
I have seen the gradual encroachment of moorings into the channels of Port Jackson over 50 years so I'm all for getting rid of moorings that aren't required or freeing them up. I know there are circumstances that lead to this sort of thing but surely there is a better end for some of these old girls.

woko said..
Perhaps these vessels where offered for sale and there was simply no interest ?

As I understand this is not the case. Apparently the thinking is to remove these vessels from the "cycle". In the past these vessels were auctioned and before long appeared somewhere else in the same condition.

cisco said..
I think an annual Seaworthiness Certificate is a good idea. Just like cars, trailers, caravans etc.

Agree. But in VIC we don't even have that for cars, it would be a long way off seeing this implemented for boats. Some of the cars you see here on the road are shocking - third world country like.

I think the worst moorings are just upstream of the Spit. It's one of the deepest parts of the harbour, and so about 8 big boats, some of them looking a bit scruffy, are on moorings with huge scope and taking up most of the harbour. There used to be two sailing clubs that had a top mark on the water now used by moorings - a clear case where a small number of people have excluded a larger bunch of people from the use of public water.

I won't comment on Drummoyne because my boat's currently on a commercial mooring there. Just till she goes back to Port Stephens. But it's not as much in a channel as those Spit moorings are.

Good inputs by all obviously............so is it an idea for the authorities and companies wrecking these vessels to advertise the impending wrecking as regards location and time, and that interested parties can be present and salvage gear and components which could be serviceable.............as long as we don't get to this............

www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/dec/02/chittagong-shipbreaking-yards-legal-fight

Sorry, a tad of an exaggeration..............but it is not an exaggeration to post the plight of the Chittagong ship breaking yards workers........

So was it "pass the parcel" or "musical chairs"??

We have lost several vessels from Greenwell Point with this clean up. It has nothing to do with the state of the vessel. It's when the yacht or powerboat is either abandoned or the fees have not been paid for the boat rego or the mooring. The Boating Officer will spend a lot of time chasing up the owners and warning them. If they don't respond the BO and the police arrive and tow away the vessel and lift it out on to the hard. It usually sits there for 3 months and the maritime services try to sell them off. If the owner does not front up with the fees or it does not sell then the contractor breaks up the vessel. The contractor sells off all the good stuff to his mates [not me]. A lot of the stuff goes to the scrap metal dealers. Brand new furlers have been cut up and scrapped! The NSW government has a fund set aside to cover these costs so they don't care whether the boats sell or not. The only winner here is the contractor.

Jethrow said..
Obviously this mooring minder situation would be fixed by using the system I saw in operation during my 7 years in Toronto Canada. You just freeze the water for 4 months of the year and the pure pain in the arse of hauling out and re-launching each year ensures that only the keen owners have boats in the water!

That would do it!

The problem is running costs, even for a small 23ft boat, work out around $3k to $4k/a in Sydney. Going up in size maybe $4 to $5k. So you might as well go to a 28 or 30ft boat with headroom. Hence nobody wants these fine old boats.