Remember the two boats that were found washed up on a beach in Burien that we first reported on Monday, April 2? Well, they’re back. But this time they washed ashore early Sunday morning, April 8, on the beach of Three Tree Point, north of their previous location and separated by around 100 yards from each other. Here’s where they were April 2, in the 2500-2600 block of SW 172nd Street: Here’s what we know about these persistent, nuisance shipwrecks:

  • They are the exact same boats that were found south of this area on Monday, April 2, 2018 in/near the 2500-2600 block of SW 172nd Street.
  • Nobody was on board either vessel, but a Coast Guard helicopter was seen surveilling an area between Burien and Vashon Island as a precaution.
  • Burien Police/King County Sheriff’s Officers were on scene and are quite aware of this new development.
  • Both boats still had ‘Vessel of Concern’ warning tags that the Coast Guard posted on them April 3.
  • The visible registration tags for the boats had dates of 2001 and 2007.
  • The boats may have been lost in Puget Sound by someone towing them as a possible restoration project.
  • Currently the boats are abandoned near the high tide mark on the beach in the 3500 and 3700 blocks of SW 172nd Street. The southernmost boat is around 45-feet in length, and the northernmost one is around 35-feet. Both appear to be older, perhaps from the 1940s-1960s.
  • Residents are very concerned about the potential hazards these wrecks may pose to both the beach and wildlife in the area. It is unknown whether there’s any fuel or other dangerous fluids/chemicals in the boats, which could easily end up being smashed against bulkheads, causing ecological harm, not to mention damage to private property and animals/marine life.
  • Two longtime residents told The B-Town Blog that they had never seen boats this large wash ashore here. Both wondered how and when they might be removed, noting that the sizes of them, combined with tides and weather may make it a big project.
  • Removing these derelict boats may be difficult, and it is unknown what will happen next or how long they will remain in their new/current locations.
UPDATE April 9, 2018: A two-man crew was on the smaller boat on Monday afternoon, April 9, and one man told The B-Town Blog that he was working to get the vessels off the beach. He had a plan to use tires and other floatation devices (i.e.: larger water bottles) that he said could work – at high tide – to float the smaller boat off the beach. He also had a winch affixed which he could use. The larger, southernmost boat looks like it could possibly be removed easier than the smaller boat, which is slightly higher on the beach. This man also said that this latest beaching happened when the battery in the smaller boat died as it was towing the larger boat to the Des Moines Marina. Also, the King County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit responded to our questions:
Did the boat owner try to remove them? We still don’t know who owns the boats, it appears they are just abandoned and there is no identifying marks on the boats to determine who owns/owned them. The person who claims responsibility for the boats has told the Coast Guard that he was going to move them two separate times, and has not. How/why did they wash ashore again? They are the same boats, only moved about a half mile North. The City Of Burien doesn’t want to deal with them. Originally they were on private property, and the state declined to take an active role. WA Dept of Natural resource, derelict vessel program is who would be involved. How/when can they be removed? Who pays for it? State can reimburse the City up to 90% if the city wants to pay for it in the start but an email has been sent to the City nothing more has been done so far. Whose jurisdiction do they fall in? KCSOMarine? City of Burien? The state? Original spot Homeowner (private property), now moved a half a mile we have to try and determine where they are now (county, city or private property). What happens if they damage private property like bulkheads? If it is on Private property the homeowner will be responsible if on City property then the city would be responsible.
Below is raw footage from a live Facebook video, along with photos taken by Scott Schaefer Sunday afternoon (click images to view larger versions/slideshow): ]]>

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