If the log belongs to someone, can you sue them for damages if you hit one? Or can they sue you?

--
-jeff

"Steve" wrote in message ...
Ya know! I was watching the log jam clearing on the news a couple days ago
and then a USCG (contract) snag picker on last nights news.

From what I understand, they make no effort to gather or remove any of these
logs, unless they are a present hazard to navigation.

Seems floating logs are a natural occurance and therefore left to drift,
until they end up on the beach someplace.. Wonder how many vessels will hit
them before the wash ashore.

Don't mess with Mother Nature!

I went to check on my boat at the Hood Canal Marina this morning and there
were several 4" dia. logs jammed between my boat and the dock.. This marina
is really on the fringe of the Skokomish river delta and there are 1000s of
logs floating out into the Canal everyday.

I have considered rounding up a couple nice logs with my dingy and haul them
out at the launch ramp. Cut them up for fire wood.. Some have warned me that
I shouldn't do it..

Seems a log is kinda like a maverick calf on the open range. It belongs to
someone..

Steve

Yah! I know it sounds screwy.. There are enough log floating within a mile
of the marina to build a nice house plus plenty left over to heat it for
many years..

These are logs (don't meet a quality requirement or too difficult to get out
to the trucks) are left on the clear cuts of the Olympic range.. I have
gone out with a fire wood permit and salvaged nice logs that I later sawed
into lumber.. Problem is getting to the nice ones and then getting them off
the moutain. When we have heavy rains, they come down with the mud slides
and into the Skokomish river..

I would say that if you could prove a log came from a particular clear cut,
a guy could try to sue that operator for damage done in a log collision.

But, if I round up and haul a log out of the water at the launch ramp, I
might have to prove that I owned the log. All the locals just say, "all logs
belong to someone". Kinda hard to prove it belongs to me if I don't own any
timberland ( I do own a little. I logged a couple trees for wood in my
boat).


--
My opinion and experience. FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Logs.

A few years ago, I was dong business with a couple that lived aboard a Canoe
Cove near the mouth of the Fraser River.

Just downstream from them, there was a guy who had some sort of permit to
harvest any loose logs that came floating down the Fraser. Tough life. Just
watch the river all day, and when you see a log floating by run out with a
skiff and drag it to the raft up. When a sufficient number of logs are rafted
together, sell the whole works to a lumber mill and start over. :-)

On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 01:42:59 +0000, Gould 0738 wrote:

Logs.

A few years ago, I was dong business with a couple that lived aboard a Canoe
Cove near the mouth of the Fraser River.

Just downstream from them, there was a guy who had some sort of permit to
harvest any loose logs that came floating down the Fraser. Tough life. Just
watch the river all day, and when you see a log floating by run out with a
skiff and drag it to the raft up. When a sufficient number of logs are rafted
together, sell the whole works to a lumber mill and start over. :-)

Ever seen the TV show "The Beachcombers"? Terrible acting and plots, but
Great scenery (shot in Gibsons), and the profession of "beachcomber" (one
who makes a living gathering unclaimed logs and selling them) is
legitimate, at least here in Canada. Too bad you have to be licensed -
I've thought a few times about hooking a line on one and towing it home...

Lloyd

Ever seen the TV show "The Beachcombers"? Terrible acting and plots, but
Great scenery (shot in Gibsons), and the profession of "beachcomber" (one
who makes a living gathering unclaimed logs and selling them) is
legitimate, at least here in Canada. Too bad you have to be licensed -
I've thought a few times about hooking a line on one and towing it home...

Lloyd

There's pretty good money in it, apparently. One night in Comox, I helped a guy
land a small commercial boat. There waws nobody aboard but the skipper and
about an 8 year old girl. He was having a bit of trouble getting to the dock,
as he had a 20 or 30-foot *log* secured to his boat and it was screwing up his
ability to manuever.

When we finally hauled him over to the cleats I asked "How was the fishing?"

"Fishing, hell!" he answered. "See that log? It's Sitka Spruce and they make
guitars and pianos out of it. Heck if I'm going to worry about a couple of
hundred bucks worth of fish, I just snagged a $600 log!"

Now of course that was $600 Canadian, butit would still be $50 or better in
"real" money. :-)

I'm fairly sure that most raw logs here in the PNW (Shipped or Boomed)
are stamped/branded, kind of like cattle, So its a safe bet if you come
across one you'll know it, But if you get to close to a log boom while
underway, and see a Sea Lion or two or twelve smiling at you, then more
than likely you've had it.

I"ve got a friend up on Shaw Island that has a permit to pull logs,makes
a good living at it too.

Also seen it done over in Ocean Shores on a daily basis, Soon as the
tide ebbs, you can count on seeing a rotted out ol chevy 4x4 flatbed
with a winch boom, and chainsaws combing the beach, Don't know if its
for firewood or carvings tho. UD

On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 05:29:59 +0000, Gould 0738 wrote:


"Fishing, hell!" he answered. "See that log? It's Sitka Spruce and they
make guitars and pianos out of it. Heck if I'm going to worry about a
couple of hundred bucks worth of fish, I just snagged a $600 log!"

Along a similar vein, you may be aware that several companies mine
lake/river bottoms for old growth logs. IIRC some of these logs are worth
tens of thousands of dollars, American.

http://www.iswonline.com/archives/wo...um/wood2.shtml

http://www.timelesstimber.com/about/...T&articleID=71

I'm left wondering why maritime salvage laws wouldn't apply. Or do they, but
not the same as with vessels found adrift?

--
Karin Conover-Lewis
Fair and Balanced since 1959
klc dot lewis at gte dot net (old -- don't use)
klc dot lewis at centurytel dot net (new)



"Steve" wrote in message
...
Yah! I know it sounds screwy.. There are enough log floating within a mile
of the marina to build a nice house plus plenty left over to heat it for
many years..

These are logs (don't meet a quality requirement or too difficult to get
out
to the trucks) are left on the clear cuts of the Olympic range.. I have
gone out with a fire wood permit and salvaged nice logs that I later sawed
into lumber.. Problem is getting to the nice ones and then getting them
off
the moutain. When we have heavy rains, they come down with the mud slides
and into the Skokomish river..

I would say that if you could prove a log came from a particular clear
cut,
a guy could try to sue that operator for damage done in a log collision.

But, if I round up and haul a log out of the water at the launch ramp, I
might have to prove that I owned the log. All the locals just say, "all
logs
belong to someone". Kinda hard to prove it belongs to me if I don't own
any
timberland ( I do own a little. I logged a couple trees for wood in my
boat).


--
My opinion and experience. FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

I think there is a general misconception with regard to marine salvage.

You can't just claim ownership or salvage of any vessel that is adrift or
abandon.

Different nations and different rules but in general, you have to attempt to
contact the owner and he has to agree that you can salvage his vessel. In
most cases an insurance company is involved and may grant you that right..

If you rescue or salvage a vessel without any attempt to contact the owner
for permission, you may only recover your cost of the salvage plus a little
for your time and effort.

Often when a vessel is on the high seas, the owner and the salvager will
agree to let a Admiralty Court decide how much the salvager would get.

I know a fellow who hangs out in the Caribbean Sea on a large old tug, with
the standard Admiralty Court release/agreement papers all ready.. "You need
help? Sign Here". He also carries 30,000 gal of diesel fuel, just in case
someone runs out of fuel on their run from Columbia to ?? (and you thought
you were paying too much at the marina pump??)

I don't claim to know all the salvage rules but the owner still has rights..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Even worse, I don't think there is a time limit. When the Central
America was found off the Carolina coast insurance companies came out of
the woodwork to make claims on the salvage. It looks less likely that
the same will happen with the SS Republic wreck because all the insurers
were Confederate States registered.

Steve wrote:

I think there is a general misconception with regard to marine salvage.

You can't just claim ownership or salvage of any vessel that is adrift or
abandon.

Different nations and different rules but in general, you have to attempt to
contact the owner and he has to agree that you can salvage his vessel. In
most cases an insurance company is involved and may grant you that right..

If you rescue or salvage a vessel without any attempt to contact the owner
for permission, you may only recover your cost of the salvage plus a little
for your time and effort.

Often when a vessel is on the high seas, the owner and the salvager will
agree to let a Admiralty Court decide how much the salvager would get.

I know a fellow who hangs out in the Caribbean Sea on a large old tug, with
the standard Admiralty Court release/agreement papers all ready.. "You need
help? Sign Here". He also carries 30,000 gal of diesel fuel, just in case
someone runs out of fuel on their run from Columbia to ?? (and you thought
you were paying too much at the marina pump??)

I don't claim to know all the salvage rules but the owner still has rights..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions



--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com