Lost lime green Dagger

[Susan Bolding]

I lost Lime green Dagger on West Fork of White River between Brentwood rest area and Wooley bridge. Please call me if located. 479-799-1510

[kru1]

A little more information please. Dagger makes many different boats, and Brentwood to Woolsey is a six mile stretch. Did it go under a strainer and never surface or did it float downstream and away from you?

kru

[Susan Bolding]

Will check on make. I believe it went down River about 3 miles from take in. Came back with help to get kayak full of water but it was not there.

[kru1]

Shoot, that doesn't sound good.

I'm sure you didn't just leave it floating in the water and the river is dropping so if you had it on shore it should still be there. Sounds to me like someone came across it and are now the proud new owners of a Lime Green Sit-In Dagger Kayak.

Is there any chance you went back to the wrong location to retrieve it?

Get as much information about as you can, blemishes etc and post up pictures if you have them. Sounds like we need be looking for it not only on the West Fork but every other river as well.

The only good thing is if it is still in the water, it can't go further down stream then Riverside Park in West Fork.

kru

[Susan Bolding]

It was full of water stuck, I thought, in some rocks. I am sure I was at right location.

[kru1]

Ok, so it was pinned against rocks.

Can you describe the location, I'm very familiar with the river. Was there a dirt road or ford? Was there a house nearby, if so what color. Was there a deer in a cage? Was it pinned on the left side of the river if looking downstream or the right or was it in the center or the river? Was there a creek or tributary coming into the West Fork, if so left or right side looking downstream?

Any information you can provide will be helpful.

kru

[Susan Bolding]

It was in middle of River facing downstream. The house we walked up to was not friendly and had a rebel flag across the whole front of his house which was on Hwy. 71. His yard was two houses pass where I dumped.

[Cowper]

This has me thinking, maybe we need another "pinnned" post that says something like "I found a boat, can I keep it?"

Many people have some misguided belief that if they find a boat in the river, there is some type of Maritime Salvage law or "finders keepers" rule that applies. I don't know the specifics of Arkansas law, but I do know "right" and "wrong".

If you find a trailer on the side of the road, with a flat tire, NO, you can't just keep it and all the contents. The rightful owner is coming back for it. If it is creating an unsafe situation, you CAN move it to a safer location where the owner will still find it.

If you find a car stuck in the ditch, even if the door is unlocked and the keys are in it, NO, you can't just take it. It is not your car.

If you find a 4 wheeler in the woods, it is not your 4 wheeler.

If you see a bicycle on the sidewalk and it isn't chained to a light pole, NO, it is not yours to take. That is stealing.

And if you find a boat pinned on the river, or sitting on the bank, NO, that is not your boat. If you can unpin it, then you can move it to higher ground and tie it up there. If you are afraid others will "steal" it, you can take it and report to local authorities and post on message boards like this one until you find the rightful owner. But it is not your boat. To just take it and keep it without making meaningful efforts to locate the rightful owner is stealing, not "salvage". The only exceptions I would see is if the boat has been totaled, to the point that it has no value and has become "river litter".

With found gear, some practical things come into play - if you find something of minor value like a low end paddle with no name or phone number, then no, I wouldn't expect anyone to spend an extraordinary amount of effort to try to locate an owner and return a $20 paddle. But with something like a boat, or a dry bag that contains items which might have sentimental value, there is no question in my mind as to what is right.

[Susan Bolding]

Thank you for your comments. I will be working Audubon camp next week without Internet connection. I will check when I get back and hopely River is down so I can walk it.