Yacht Owner Being Sued After Sinking $2.45 Million Yacht in Hawaii

When we take a look at a story like this, we can’t help but think that this whole thing has become an absolute disaster. It’s amazing how quickly a nice day on the water can turn to serious litigation.

People around the yacht community are probably familiar at this point with the story of Nakoa, a vessel that ran aground in Hawaii back in February 2023. As if grounding a vessel that cost at least $1.45 million wasn’t enough, the owner of the vessel is now the target of a lawsuit that seeks $2.45 million.

The suit accuses Jim Jones and his wife of taking the vessel on a personal trip which apparently violates the sales agreement, according to the lawsuit. The suit continues that, at the time of the grounding, there was no qualified captain on board. It also says that nobody was keeping watch to make sure that the vessel stayed in place while anchored which is what eventually led to it making its way to shore. Appointing a person to watch over the ship is said to be standard maritime practice.

Instead, allegedly, the parties responsible relied on a digital anchor alarm to let them know if the vessel had become dislodged and was floating freely.

As such, the Nakoa ran aground in Maui and caused substantial damage to both of the vessel and the environment around it. The lawsuit seeks to recover $1.45 million that was lent against the yacht back in December 2022. It also seeks an additional $500,000 for the work that it took to haul the vessel off of the shore and $500,000 in environmental destruction as pieces of the yacht have been littered all over and the carcass of the vessel now resides under the surface of the water off of the shore of Maui.

Below, videos from eSysman SuperYachts and Boat Zone break it down.