So many sunken boats!
By Fleur
@Fleura (34927)
United Kingdom
February 5, 2026 3:04am CST
Recently I’ve been sad to see so many sunken boats along the rivers around here. I passed six just on my way home down the river, which is only a couple of miles’ stretch.
Some have probably had a mishap when the river levels changed. The height of water can change quite a lot, and quite fast. If a boat rises with the river, but then drifts/is pushed sideways by the current over the bank, and then the water level falls again, it can get hung up and then tilt over into the water if no-one is around to push it off.
Others are burnt out, whether that was the result of an accident or possibly arson, I don’t know.
One or two, like this one, seem to be abandoned, maybe stolen?
A few just seem to be decrepit, maybe the owners couldn’t afford repairs.
They are a hazard to other boat traffic and potentially cause pollution too – and in many cases they were actually someone’s home which has come to a sad end.
It's a shame to see them like this.
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2026.
8 people like this
9 responses
@DaddyEvil (174208)
• United States
5 Feb
Here, the owner would be responsible for cleaning up the sunken boat. (It would be considered a navigational hazard and potential environmental pollutant.) If the owner doesn't do it within, I think, 45 days, it's considered abandoned and the authorities will remove it and sue the owner for the cost of removal/cleanup plus legal fees and possible fines. .
2 people like this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
5 Feb
I believe it's the same here but I guess in some cases the owner can't be traced. A few days ago I saw a man who was waiting for the rest of his team to arrive to raise one of the boats. I stopped to chat for a moment but afterwards thought of all sorts of questions I should have asked him!
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (174208)
• United States
5 Feb
@Fleura I looked that stuff up online after a discussion maybe a year ago with another myLotter. I wouldn't have known, otherwise.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222222)
• United States
5 Feb
I'm surprised the owners aren't responsible for removing the vessels from the water. They are a hazard.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222222)
• United States
6 Feb
@Fleura That's true. I wonder why there are so many abandoned?
1 person likes this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
6 Feb
@LindaOHio I really don't know. There haven't been so many before. Maybe people found they were more expensive to keep up than they thought? Or maybe fluctuations in the water level were worse this year?
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86575)
• United States
5 Feb
That is sad. I’ve seen videos where there’s a popular trend of living on boats (especially on longboats) because of the price of owning a home, and I wonder if people are abandoning the boats now that it’s not so inexpensive to live on them anymore.
In America all of the boats have to be licensed by the state they’re purchased in or owned in (the same way automobiles are), so the owner would be responsible for the disposition of the boat.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
6 Feb
I used to live on a narrowboat, a very small one. I spent a wonderful eight years there.
And yes boats have to be licenced by the river authority or the canal and rivers trust depending on where they are, and the owners would be responsible for the disposal of any 'wrecks'. But I guess it can be hard to track down the right people and then getting the right equipment to raise the boats takes time and the water conditions have to be right as well.
1 person likes this
@misunderstood_zombie (8765)
• United States
5 Feb
I'm surprised it isn't the owners responsibility to get the boat out of the water. It is really sad to this.
1 person likes this
