Boat Held Hostage By Marine Transport Company

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

I wonder if the issue of the mast and boat being store without disclosure could be taken to a judge to declare them stolen, allowing law enforcement to pursue finding stolen goods?

This makes you sound completely foolish!

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by sabray

I gave up and thought maybe I would call big dog marine to get their side. I could not find a phone number. They have a sketchy web site with some reference to storage facilities. Undisclosed storage facilities. Anyone have the phone number for big dog. I was on the 2 sides story but this looks sketchy. If it were my boat I might think it was stolen. So what's the phone number.

Its on the "Sketchy" website in the right hand corner..He told me to place it on here so you could call him but I will have to look on the phone and it is busy right now...

[sabray]

Talked with the owner at big dog. Yep found the number. I think mass calling him would be a bad idea. Some valid points were made. I don't want to go blow for blow. I think he made mistakes on not covering his ass. I don't think this needs to get stupid and we ruin lives. If either of the complaints want they should call him and negotiate. I had some very reasonable numbers.May need some compromise. Really this could get worked unless your some snot ass that loves law suits. My guess you talk get real and have a boat delivered at a good rate. Owner already priced the delivery at several different weights up to 26,000 lbs.
both parties could work this out. Yep more to the story. I would have this guy haul my boat if needed. My contract would be very clear though. Seems he has no incentive to be an ass. I give him a pass next time you want cheep and don't have a delivery date kick your own ass don't bash the working guy. If your haul weight is too expensive don't drop the transport weight and expect a better rate. Get the idea. Winers need to call the guy and have a chat. Maybe they can get a number that works.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

This makes you sound completely foolish!

I know you are but what am I?....Good grief!

[xymotic]

Re the name Big Dog Transport I think it's pretty amusing how people take issue with the nature of the dog, when clearly it's the 'transport' part that's questionable.

I must say too that I find it VERY odd that there are currently TWO disgruntled customers. People saying "just call" I wonder if you might feel differently if you'd already spoken to him half a dozen times and gotten 15 different delivery dates and promises, and had some pretty large expenses to meet a boat in the Bay Area that just never showed. At some point talking is futile.

As to the 'other side' of the story, it seems clear to me that at the very least two different people have had what they thought were clear communications, that weren't. At some point the dog needs to recognize that maybe he's not being as clear (or professional, or timely) as he thinks he is.

[CeesH]

For people, not native Americans, this story becomes more and more difficult to understand. I think for European citizens the Boat and Mast are simply stolen and the Police would undertake action.

Cultural differences.

CeesH

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by sabray

Talked with the owner at big dog. Yep found the number. I think mass calling him would be a bad idea. Some valid points were made. I don't want to go blow for blow. I think he made mistakes on not covering his ass. I don't think this needs to get stupid and we ruin lives. If either of the complaints want they should call him and negotiate. I had some very reasonable numbers.May need some compromise. Really this could get worked unless your some snot ass that loves law suits. My guess you talk get real and have a boat delivered at a good rate. Owner already priced the delivery at several different weights up to 26,000 lbs.
both parties could work this out. Yep more to the story. I would have this guy haul my boat if needed. My contract would be very clear though. Seems he has no incentive to be an ass. I give him a pass next time you want cheep and don't have a delivery date kick your own ass don't bash the working guy. If your haul weight is too expensive don't drop the transport weight and expect a better rate. Get the idea. Winers need to call the guy and have a chat. Maybe they can get a number that works.

One more voice of reason...

[Stray-Cat]

Originally Posted by CREOLE-BELLE

Before I start paying lawyers the big bucks, thought I would put the question to this wonderful forum.

Thanks...Bob

This is a quote from the op's first post

Yes, pay those lawyers, its the only way you are going to get your boat back

I look at it from the OP's point of view
He finds a guy with a truck and trailer on the internet that he has never dealt with or seen before
He gives him money upfront to haul his boat for an agreed upon price
The trucker fails to deliver and comes back at him with needing more money than agreed (for damages to truck and trailer) ,stating his equipment was inadequate for the job as boat was heaver than expected
The OP refuses to pay out any more money
He may wonder at this time if the truckers equipment can do the job in which case he will need to get someone else to haul the boat plus the trucker has not provided any documentation to the weight of the boat

The trucker gets no extra money then holds the boat without disclosing the location

Unfortunately only the lawyers can sort out this mess

[sabray]

Just saying I had no problem discussing the issues. I was pretty blunt. I don't entirely agree with his position. I am confident that I could find a conclusion and have my boat delivered at a competitive rate.course we could all get lawyered up and spend way more. I hope the 2 that have issues call the guy and talk it through. Seems it may not be to hard to find
common ground. Talk and stop emailing!

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Stray-Cat

This is a quote from the op's first post

Yes, pay those lawyers, its the only way you are going to get your boat back

I look at it from the OP's point of view
He finds a guy with a truck and trailer on the internet that he has never dealt with or seen before
He gives him money upfront to haul his boat for an agreed upon price
The trucker fails to deliver and comes back at him with needing more money than agreed (for damages to truck and trailer) ,stating his equipment was inadequate for the job as boat was heaver than expected
The OP refuses to pay out any more money
He may wonder at this time if the truckers equipment can do the job in which case he will need to get someone else to haul the boat plus the trucker has not provided any documentation to the weight of the boat

The trucker gets no extra money then holds the boat without disclosing the location

Unfortunately only the lawyers can sort out this mess

According to the driver he was lied to about the boat and then received the boat at a place with no scale,then when he got to the scale no one would let him off load the boat and leave it ...He has disclosed the location, it is in a impound lot per Law...it didnt have to go this far...

[Stray-Cat]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

He has disclosed the location, it is in a impound lot per Law...it didnt have to go this far...

My advise then is to contract a reliable trucking company (read their feedback on u-ship) and pay the darn storage fee's and bring your boat home
Take the original trucker to court and recover damages

[Longbow3]

Did the mast guy lie to the trucker as well? Just wondering. Why is the driver refusing to tell the boat owner and the mast owner the location of their respective items. Those items, though in the control of the transporter, do not belong to him. I suspect that the trailer is in the repair yard and they won't allow it moved until payment for repairs made.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by sabray

Talked with the owner at big dog. Yep found the number. I think mass calling him would be a bad idea. Some valid points were made. I don't want to go blow for blow. I think he made mistakes on not covering his ass. I don't think this needs to get stupid and we ruin lives. If either of the complaints want they should call him and negotiate. I had some very reasonable numbers.May need some compromise. Really this could get worked unless your some snot ass that loves law suits. My guess you talk get real and have a boat delivered at a good rate. Owner already priced the delivery at several different weights up to 26,000 lbs.
both parties could work this out. Yep more to the story. I would have this guy haul my boat if needed. My contract would be very clear though. Seems he has no incentive to be an ass. I give him a pass next time you want cheep and don't have a delivery date kick your own ass don't bash the working guy. If your haul weight is too expensive don't drop the transport weight and expect a better rate. Get the idea. Winers need to call the guy and have a chat. Maybe they can get a number that works.

This is something I very seldom do because it can come back at the worst time. But this post could benefit from a good editor.

This is not to say the trucker may not have some mitigating points that need to be made, just that this post may not have made them as well as they could have been made.

I am not the only poster to question the weight issue. Most of us here understand that adding 8k lbs (or what ever) would change the waterline of a boat enough that even a minimum wage yard guy would notice. Even those not exposed to the trucking regs now understand scales to weigh trucks are very common and very cheap to use, not to mention DOT requirements for loads to be weighed multiple times on a cross country trip.

Maybe the boat really did weigh 8k more than the owner claimed but it is hard to understand this was not obvious very early on. Perhaps more to the point why was this issue not raised with the OP early on.

In any case the main point you seem to be making is that the trucker contracts to deliver cargo with a flexible delivery date with the intent to minimize dead heading so he can offer lower rates but with no firm delivery date. Both the OP and the mast guy clearly were under the impression that the delivery date was not as flexible as the trucker. Both the OP and the mast guy claim to have emails with hard delivery dates.

None of this precluded the trucker having communicated with the OP or mast guy and gotten the OK to delay delivery and not being able to prove it in court, and your comment about the trucker not CYA kinda suggest this.

Problem is even putting the trucker in the best light I can come up there is still the problem of why it has taken so long for the stuff to be delivered. That is the bottom line question and one the trucker has to answer to clear his name.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by CeesH

For people, not native Americans, this story becomes more and more difficult to understand. I think for European citizens the Boat and Mast are simply stolen and the Police would undertake action.

Cultural differences.

CeesH

Being NA and having experianced what Europeans are capable of it becomes easier over time to be able to figure out what even their laws are and to use them to your advantage...I dont think for a minute that the law is much different in europe, because it dosent take a thinking person to be able to figure out you cant say someone stole something when it is obvious that they didnt,you may not like the fact that things are not as one would expect after making a deal but things do change and when they do and you dont like it you cant go around and say they stole something when in fact the situation has just changed a little..

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Stray-Cat

My advise then is to contract a reliable trucking company (read their feedback on u-ship) and pay the darn storage fee's and bring your boat home
Take the original trucker to court and recover damages

Yet another voice of reason,He said he would forego the storage fees if the boat owner would call him...