Capt Lou wrote:
If you find a boat drifting in the ocean with no one board, is it finders
keepers? What if you were a professional salvager?

Short story... no

Slightly longer story... you can claim salvage rights but that entails
an obligation to the legal owners as well as a potential windfall for
you. To claim salvage rights you have to keep the boat & all it's
contents & equipment safe & secure. There have been cases where yachts
found drifting were stripped by the finders, and the "finders" were
taken to court by the boat's insurer.

If you were a professional salvor (or "salvager" if you prefer) then
you'd probably have a good Admiralty lawyer on speed dial.

Fair Skies
Doug King