Ask a Maritime Attorney: Can I place a lien on a customer who won’t pay for the service I did on their boat?

Question:               I am a hull cleaner here in the Bay Area. I have a deadbeat customer who refuses to pay a $625 invoice, claiming we were never authorized to do the work (despite my showing her the text conversation we had where she did in fact, authorize the work.) The invoice covers two service events, both during 2021. Can I place a mechanic’s (or other type of) lien on her vessel?  If so, what is the procedure for doing so? Thanks.   Answer   We have talked about maritime liens in quite a few installments of this column, but it seems that our readers are always able to add a new twist to the discussion. In this case, the dispute will focus on whether the work was authorized by the boat owner. But we should first review some of the fundamental characteristics of a maritime lien. Maritime liens are not “placed” on a boat in the way that our reader has assumed by his question. They arise as a matter of law, not as a consequence of a clerical act. If a service provider completes a project on a boat, and if that project was authorized by the owner of the boat, the service...