'No tax money, no money to the slip and it's just an eyesore': Abandoned boats in LA are wreaking havoc on Marina del Rey

And the problem isn’t just that they create an eyesore for people who live, work or spend coveted time there. As abandoned boats deteriorate or sink, they can potentially release chemicals, fuel, trash and other debris into the surrounding water. Deteriorating vessels can also create navigational and public safety concerns.

It also means lost revenue for local authorities and marinas — and potentially a bill for taxpayers. For marina operators and boaters, the abandoned vessels also occupy valuable slip space that could otherwise be used by paying customers.

“No tax money, no money to the slip,” Sean McCarthy, who runs the boating and lifestyle brand Catalina Crew, told NBC Los Angeles. “And it’s just an eyesore, and a safety issue, environmental hazard, the list goes on.”

What happens to boats after they’ve been abandoned?

When owners abandon their boats, they can stop generating registration-related tax revenue and slip fees. Meanwhile, someone still has to figure out what to do with the unwanted vessels.

And getting rid of a boat isn’t cheap.

McCarthy estimated that removing and disposing of an abandoned boat can cost anywhere from about $10,000 to $50,000, depending on its size. That’s a hefty price tag for vessels that may have little or no value left.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which oversees the waterborne impound location, told NBC Los Angeles that its primary funding source for vessel disposal is the state’s Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange, or SAVE, Grant.

But that funding has declined. The county received $80,000 through the grant program two years ago, before funding dropped to $44,000 last year, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

And there is another bottleneck: The county says only one vendor is currently authorized to remove boats from Marina del Rey. In other words: Even when authorities have identified boats that need to be removed, disposal can take time.

The Sheriff’s Department estimates that roughly 30 boats are abandoned each year, adding to the backlog. McCarthy’s nonprofit, the Catalina Crew Foundation, has already helped remove at least 10 boats and is raising money to tackle more.

The boat problem is bigger than Marina del Rey

California has the fourth largest boating population in the U.S. In 2023, there were 626,642 registered recreational vessels, according to the California State Lands Commission, which acknowledged that, while some owners dispose of their vessels lawfully, others do abandon them.

“This isn’t just a Marina del Rey problem; it’s a state problem,” McCarthy said in another interview with CBS News. “It starts with someone not paying their slip fee or they owe more than the boat is worth.”

Sgt. Time Gannon with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Harbor Operation told CBS that Californians with boats don’t always anticipate all the costs associated with ownership.

“I think some people think it would be really great to live on a boat in the Marina, and then a few months down the road they’re like, wait a second,” he said.

For now, Marina del Rey is left with hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential cleanup costs, limited disposal funding and a growing number of unwanted vessels. And unless more funding or disposal capacity becomes available, those boats aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.