I’ve repaired a customer’s boat and will probably need to file a lien to get paid. I can then sell the customer’s boat right? Can I sue the customer if I don’t get enough money to cover the repairs? If I get extra money from selling the boat an I required to refund it to the customer?
Unfortunately, you have posted your maritime question on a site that discusses construction liens. The bad news is that unless the vessel under repair has some extraordinary circumstances that makes it real property (very rare cases of vessels permanently affixed to land) and you are a licensed contractors, this is not the place to seek guidance. The good news is that Florida statutes and/or federal admiralty law provide for a variety of remedies, including the potential imposition of maritime liens for goods and services provided to the vessel.
All that said, these are extremely technical statutes that require strict compliance and you are unlikely to get any of the steps discussed above done correctly without the advice of counsel. Look at the Florida admiralty and maritime law questions and responses on AVVO's website and you will find a wealth of information on this issue from excellent experienced maritime attorneys. You can contact any one of them to discuss the specific facts of your matter. Best of luck.