It was a great story. Patty has a cousin in his 40s named Marty Johnson, but he is no naval architect and he is fortunately still alive.
There are seedier tales of salvage operations however, including some local stories of owners of boats who didn't really need any more help than a tow accepting offers of assistance after getting out of burning marinas on their own, and then facing lawsuits for a percentage of their "salvaged" vessel. It is legalized piracy - at least these guys get a contract in advance.