Abandoned sailboat draws no bidders at Suffolk County police auction

A sailboat, with a starting price of $100, drew no bidders at a Suffolk police auction Wednesday in Great River.

The 28-foot abandoned sailboat, a yellow 1978 24-foot Neptune, had washed up on shore roughly five years ago, police said.

SCPD Capt. Lee Wiedl said after the boat wound up at Bellport Bay, the SCPD reached out to its previous owner, who no longer wanted it. 

“We were able to contact the owner and the owner didn't want the boat,” Wiedl said. “They gave the title to the county, so we've been storing it since.”

Michael Lukens, owner of Lukens Marine Services, of Islip Terrace, which provides mobile repairs and maintenance services, said that since the craft was abandoned by its owner, it is likely to need plenty of repairs.

“It might have been capsized, so if water has gotten into the boat you have to find cracks in the fiberglass, or if there's any structural issues with the vessel,” Lukens said. “If the owner just let it go, it's probably been a neglected vessel.”

According to Wiedl, the funds that would have been generated from the purchase of the sailboat would have been given to the Suffolk County general fund. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday morning, police held previews for potential bidders. Wednesday, police waited for 30 minutes after the start of the auction at 9 a.m. But while a few people stopped by to take a look at the sailboat, none made a bid. 

Lukens said it will likely need a lot of restoration to get it back into the water.

“Right now, it's probably not in, like, sailable condition,” Lukens said. “It's definitely going to take some time and money to bring it back to its original condition.”

Although the starting bid would have been $100, Lukens said repairs for this sailboat can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000. He did say the process of repairing the vessel can be a rewarding and satisfying experience, but also time-consuming and expensive.

Wiedl said the boat will remain in the possession of the Marine Bureau, which will determine its future.

“It's still going to be county property,” Wiedl said. “We'll decide if we want to try to it auction it in the future or what we're going to do with it.”