The marina sold your boat. The extra money is still yours.
Marina and storage lien sales satisfy the yard’s bill — not erase your ownership of every dollar above it. Same for lender repos under the UCC. If the sale cleared more than the debt, that surplus is claimable.
How boat surpluses happen
Boats get lien-sold over comparatively tiny debts — a season of unpaid slip fees against a five-figure hull. The lien statute in every state lets the facility keep its debt and sale costs; the excess belongs to the owner or must be deposited where the owner can claim it.
Financed boats repossessed by lenders run the standard UCC rail: accounting on request, surplus owed to you, damages for noncompliance.
Read the full guide- Lien sale price
- $45,000
- Slip fees + sale costs
- − $8,200
- Excess owed to the owner
- $36,800
Illustration — the facility’s sale accounting and the lien statute set the real numbers.
Marina & boatyard liens
Possessory liens enforced by sale after notice. The statute’s excess-proceeds clause is your claim — most owners never read it.
Lender repossessions
UCC Article 9 applies to boats exactly as to cars: § 9-615(d) surplus, § 9-616 accounting, § 9-625 damages.
Old sales still pay
Unclaimed excess often sits with the facility, a court, or state unclaimed property for years. A records check settles it fast.
Boats recovery — questions answered
The marina says nothing was left after fees. Do I have to take their word?
No. You are entitled to an accounting of the sale under the lien statute (or the UCC for a lender repo). If the sale price minus the real debt and costs doesn’t support "nothing," that is a claim.
My boat was sold while I was out of state. Is the sale even valid?
Lien sales require statutory notice. Defective notice can create liability beyond the surplus itself — worth checking either way.
Find out in minutes if money is waiting for you.
The check costs nothing and there is no obligation. Tell us what you lost — we search the records and tell you the truth about what we find.