If Someone Doesn’t Claim Abandoned Boat in 30 Days, Seaside Park Is Taking It

A sailboat abandoned in Seaside Park since 2024. (File Photo)

A boat that has been floating, presumably abandoned, for over a year in Barnegat Bay just beneath the Seaside Heights-Seaside Park border has officially overstayed its welcome.

The borough has published a formal notice stating the vessel, a 1979 30-foot Island Stream sailboat, appeared in the bay off Farragut Avenue on July 24, 2024 (or perhaps before). The vessel is located in the cove just south of the Dock Outfitters store in Seaside Heights, but is within the city limits of Seaside Park, giving that town jurisdiction. The boat has been moored in the spot for so long without moving that it has even been captured on Google Earth satellite imagery. Seeing it up close is less convenient, since the ramps from the Route 37 bridges run along the shoreline in the area.

The published HIN number of the boat – a maritime version of a car’s VIN number – presents more questions than answers. The legal notice states the HIN number is “XYM304M79K,” but this is 10 characters long, whereas every vessel in the United States built since 1972 carries a 12 character HIN. There is a chance that two characters have simply worn off over the years or – a much, much less likely scenario – the vessel was built or certified in Australia, where boats sometimes carry 10-digit HINs. Still, the numbers that remain would confirm the boat was manufactured in June of 1979.

---

Get Daily Island News Updates Your email address:* Please enter all required fields Correct invalid entries

A sailboat abandoned in Seaside Park since 2024. (File Photo)

A sailboat abandoned in Seaside Park since 2024. (Google Earth)

Regardless of the details, whoever once owned the vessel is about to lose it.

“The Borough of Seaside Park intends to apply for title of the below abandoned vessel if the vessel is not claimed and removed within 30 days after the publication date of the notice,” the legal notice, which was published Saturday, said.

Once the borough acquires title to the vessel, they may remove it and either sell it as surplus or scrap it altogether.