So Many Beautiful Boats Rotting Away in Their Slips . . . Why ?

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by zeehag

not constantly in many cases is once every 10 yrs then they wonder aloud why their boat isnt running well.............

I'm skeptical of concept that many people use their boat once in 10 years...
Regardless, using it often and ensuring it is properly maintained are mutually exclusive things.
What is interesting here is how some people make suppositions about why people don't use their boat as often as others might think appropriate.
It may seem a strange concept but some people may have better things to do.

[Target9000]

It happens.

We bought an old boat and have been showing her a lot of love. Every now and then one of the old dock queens ends up being someone's dream.

[Blue Stocking]

every boat has a soul--some are on a sabbatical

[MichaelC]

It is a side effect of the modern era. Fiberglas boats will stay afloat no matter how badly they are ignored. And most people have too much **** to take care of. Land debris gets put into 'storage units'. Boats get left at 'marinas'. Owners of both complain of unhappiness.

[PieRatPeat]

"It may seem a strange concept but some people may have better things to do."

His lips are moving, he's trying to communicate, but I just don't get what he's trying to say...

[DWJ]

The real truth is that these boats are owned by people with Kids.
When my kids were little I was carting them off to soccer, birthdays, to what ever. My free time got sucked up by their social calendar. Plus I live 70 min from the boat so my wife and I didn't get much use our boat for a long time.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Piney

Any one of yours local marinas has literally thousands of beautiful sailboats just rotting away in thier slips, completely neglected. I just dont get it.. This just seem to me as nothing more than another symptom of the pure gluttonous greed that so permeates our society. Why buy a boat to just let it rot away? is it a staus thing? It pains me to see these when I would love to own and be more than happy to give these deserving craft the loveing care they require.

About 3 years ago, a newer 30ish foot sailboat moved into the slip next to me, it has not moved since. she just sits there growing mold chafing away at her dock lines. Somebody must be making payments?, paying slip fees?. The tags has not been renewed since 2008. It literally has never moved. Why buy a boat if you cant or wont use it?

It is really sad and bothersome to see a boat that I would kill for dying a slow death because of neglect.

It's probably an economy thing. Where I am, boats that have been left unpaid for months sit in slips, molding and deteriorating. It's sad but it's a reality. It's very hard to take care of a boat if you're in a desperate struggle to keep the house.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Jamel

I was in Marina Del Rey, California, it has a huge marina infact it has its own post code!

I asked the broker at CYA" where do all the boats go to on long weekends and holidays...to Catalina Island"? The answer was ..."most just never move...anywhere"!

Dock sailing -- very safe!

[delmarrey]

I call'm "Space Takers".

In some places where a slip is hard to find it pisses me off that some guy has abandoned a boat to just taking space when others that would like the slip has to go on a long waiting list.

For now I'm on the hard while rebuilding. There are many boats around me where I have not even seen the owner(s) in the past 10 years. Some of the stories are sad.

One guy worked on his for 6 years doing modifications. Shortly after he finished he acquired a liver disease and died a year later. Had it out one time.

Another had circumnavigated his boat for 3 years and put it on the hard in 1993, and it's still there with the wooden masts rotting away on the ground. He's 92 YO now and has finally decided to sell it.

Another was refitting a strip planked hull for about 4 years. He ended up getting cancer and just gave the boat away.

One behind me, the guy lost his job and could not pay for the space and sold it dirt cheap just to pay off 3 months back space rental.

On the other side of me the guy bought it with dreams of traveling the Islands here, but first wanted to replace the motor. He pulled the motor and found it was a huge job with rotting support woods and soft decks and just walked away leaving the boat for auction.

Across from me and down a couple spaces, I heard the guy bought the sailboat and took it out a couple times until the wife fell off. It hasn't been out since and I've only seen him once in 10 years.

And on, and on, and on.................. The stories are endless.

In the mean time, I work on mine a lot and take it out a little each season to proof my work, then back on the hard. Next year I hope to float'r permanently. Hopefully, I can get a slip.

[ausaviator]

I don't see that leaving your yacht in the marina taking up a spot and not using it for 5-10 years is selfish if you are paying for it. Each person has their own circumstances. Often people look at yachts and think that they are never used when often they are - you just aren't at the marina when the owners are there.

[sarafina]

Our boat had a lull for a decade... I am sure everyone around our slip fussed and fretted about her as she sat, year after year and decayed.

I was grown up and married and off living my life, Grandpa was really getting beyond taking her out... many of the friends he used to take on fishing trip were dead or too old themselves. He still went down every Saturday morning, when he was able, but when I came back to California the Sara was looking pretty sad...

Took alot of our weekends, just cleaning her out and scrubbing her down and fitting her out again. She was sound, and just needed engines tuned up and fuel changed mostly. I ran up from the city during the week to meet the mechanic, over see the work we didn't do ourselves, put the finishing touches on her.

Did the whole holding tank install drama, new bedding, new gear in the galley. My grandmother's cast off pans had been there for decades and she wore em out before she EVER let Grandpa have them for the boat. And really; no 30' boat needs 2 dozen ashtrays. Really. As far as we were concerned it didn't even need one!

I found myself with sanding paper and brush, re-varnishing areas that were damaged, but she was always under a covered dock with a big bamboo roller shade dropped down to protect her transom. So it wasn't too bad.

Some of the bimini and dodger needed restitching. I replaced a zipper I think. Fresh batteries and new bilge pump and switch.

It kept us busy for months.

But I won't ever forget my Grandpa's face as we motored him out onto the river for the first time in years or how he looked as he watched us pull out of the slip and head out for our first trip.

So there can be happy endings too.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by ausaviator

you just aren't at the marina when the owners are there.

I'm probably there more then the workers/employees, during the warmer months. Besides when they're covered in moss...............

E.G.
.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by PieRatPeat

"It may seem a strange concept but some people may have better things to do."

His lips are moving, he's trying to communicate, but I just don't get what he's trying to say...

you never owned a plane!

[Hotel L]

Originally Posted by sarafina

Our boat had a lull for a decade... I am sure everyone around our slip fussed and fretted about her as she sat, year after year and decayed.

I was grown up and married and off living my life, Grandpa was really getting beyond taking her out... many of the friends he used to take on fishing trip were dead or too old themselves. He still went down every Saturday morning, when he was able, but when I came back to California the Sara was looking pretty sad...

Took alot of our weekends, just cleaning her out and scrubbing her down and fitting her out again. She was sound, and just needed engines tuned up and fuel changed mostly. I ran up from the city during the week to meet the mechanic, over see the work we didn't do ourselves, put the finishing touches on her.

Did the whole holding tank install drama, new bedding, new gear in the galley. My grandmother's cast off pans had been there for decades and she wore em out before she EVER let Grandpa have them for the boat. And really; no 30' boat needs 2 dozen ashtrays. Really. As far as we were concerned it didn't even need one!

I found myself with sanding paper and brush, re-varnishing areas that were damaged, but she was always under a covered dock with a big bamboo roller shade dropped down to protect her transom. So it wasn't too bad.

Some of the bimini and dodger needed restitching. I replaced a zipper I think. Fresh batteries and new bilge pump and switch.

It kept us busy for months.

But I won't ever forget my Grandpa's face as we motored him out onto the river for the first time in years or how he looked as he watched us pull out of the slip and head out for our first trip.

So there can be happy endings too.

Awesome story...can you post pictures of your boat?

[Cheechako]

It is amazing, and once they sit for a year or two they wont start, then they need work, then they cant be sold...etc etc
Some people just walk away, People get old and just dont go there anymore but think they might, People buy a boat, use it a couple of times and one of the couple doesnt like boating. Rather than argue they quit using it. Others get divorced and the boat just doesnt seem fun anymore etc etc... anyway, all those spent dreams are a bummer!