Legal Battle Erupts Over Two Yachts Held Hostage in Charlestown

Universal Hub is reporting that a legal storm is brewing in the neighborhood. Two yacht owners and a Miami-based boat company are accusing Charlestown Maritime Center of illegally holding their unfinished yachts hostage in a messy fallout from Boston Boatworks’ bankruptcy.

According to a lawsuit filed today in Suffolk Superior Court, the plaintiffs—residents of Marblehead, Gulfstream, FL, and a Miami yacht company—had already forked over $6.5 million for their BB44 yachts before Boston Boatworks folded in January. Just before shutting down, the company transferred ownership of the unfinished hulls to the buyers, fully aware that completing them would be a costly and complicated endeavor.

But now, they say Charlestown Maritime Center is refusing to let them claim what’s rightfully theirs. Instead of handing over the hulls, the landlord allegedly locked them up with chains, blocked them in with heavy equipment, and even had sheriff’s deputies step in to prevent access—all in an apparent attempt to recoup its own financial losses from Boston Boatworks’ collapse.

To make matters worse, the landlord allegedly hauled the hulls out of the building and dumped them in a parking lot, exposing them to the elements and potential vandalism.

The yacht owners are now asking the court to force Charlestown Maritime to release the boats and invalidate a legal claim the landlord filed to keep them locked up. They’re also seeking double or even triple damages, plus legal fees.

Charlestown Maritime’s owner, Michael Rauseo of Beacon Hill, has until July 30 to respond to the suit.

You read the full complaint here.