Boat stuck on St. Croix River in Hudson is 'nightmare' for man who left it there

Twin Cities

Worth six figures when it was new, the 54-foot eyesore is the latest derelict boat causing headaches for the city of Hudson, Wis.

By Matt McKinney

A large powerboat that’s been beached for months on Beer Can Island in the St. Croix River has drawn complaints, social media infamy and enough water that its rear is sinking.

It’s not clear when it will be removed, or by whom, even as the Hudson (Wis.) City Council last month responded by writing a new ordinance calling for fines of up to $1,000 per day for abandoned watercraft.

The skipper who beached the vessel earlier this summer said he’s been hounded by his Afton neighbors over it, enough that he plans to move out of state.

Grayson Talbot McNew said the situation is “a nightmare for me. My boat sank, and I’ve had people prying into my personal life. I’ve had death threats.”

McNew said Friday that he recently sold the 54-foot Bluewater Intercoastal to someone; he declined to say who. McNew, who twice has run for the Minnesota House of Representatives, said it was his first “and last” boat. For now, it sits within view of downtown Hudson — an eyesore, but not an uncommon one.

Hudson City Administrator Brentt Michalek and Hudson Police Chief Geoff Willems said Monday that the city is awaiting the new owner’s contact information.

This isn’t the first time Hudson officials have found themselves looking for an owner of a derelict boat left on Beer Can Island. It’s a popular spot for boaters to beach their watercraft and camp overnight; it’s not uncommon to see a boat at the same spot for days or even weeks. And it seems each fall there’s at least one that never leaves.

Three of those boats are now stored at Hudson’s city impound lot at 1421 2nd St., Willems said:

The Bluewater Intercoastal that ended up on Beer Can Island could become the newest boat to land in the city impound lot. The city plans to reach out to the new owner once they get contact information, Willems said. The new owner will get a reasonable amount of time to remove it, he said.

If the impounded boats go unclaimed, the city may auction them off or donate them, Willems said. For Michalek, the recurring nuisance of abandoned boats on Beer Can Island shouldn’t be a city issue in the first place.

“Those islands are not technically owned by the city,” he said, and yet it’s become a city issue to remove abandoned boats before they become navigational hazards or cause further environmental damage by leaking oil, fuel, coolants or other hazardous liquids into the river. The islands were likely created by dredging, Michalek added, and ownership wasn’t immediately possible to determine.

Michalek said he wants the Department of Natural Resources to remove the boats as they become environmental hazards.

A spokesperson for the Wisconsin DNR said Monday that the agency typically leaves the issue with local municipalities; it doesn’t get involved unless a boat sinks or if there’s a spill associated with the sinking, spokesman Zachary Wood said.

The City Council on Sept. 16 passed a new city ordinance that adds boats to the abandoned vehicles ordinance. The new rule calls for fines of $100 to $1,000 per day for abandoned boats, along with a jail sentence of up to 30 days.

Michalek said the ordinance is the city’s best effort. The city estimated it would cost $6,000 to remove the 54′ Bluewater boat from Beer Can Island, a bill that includes floating a barge with a crane onto the river, lifting the boat, draining it and then fixing the leak that led to its partial sinking.

“It’s not a cheap endeavor,” Michalek said.

“When you buy a big boat like that, you have to expect that you have to keep maintaining it,” he said, adding up the costs of fuel, insurance, finding a place to dock it, and a way to haul it around. “You’re not hauling it out with your small truck,” he said.

“I think people get into these things without thinking it quite through.”

Matt McKinney is a reporter on the Star Tribune's state team. In 15 years at the Star Tribune, he has covered business, agriculture and crime.

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