Are Liveaboards Unwanted? Disliked? All over Everywhere?

[liveaboardL]

Florida has a lot of laws limiting boaters to anchor in one place for 24 to 48 hours in a 30 day period, which seems more designed to keep liveaboards out, more than anything else.
Living on a boat is illegal in GA.
What can I say about the other states?
Texas has the whole Houston bay outlawed to all anchoring due to underground cables.
A lot of the news articles I've read on living aboard makes it seem like they are trying to give the impression that liveaboards aren't welcome due to:
poop in the water
theft of outboard motors
mental illness
derelect boats (citing boats w/ a tarp rain-catchment system as an example, pretending it has a 'roof leak')
anchors that plow ALL the sea grass up, ruining the environment
and don't forget those runaway uninsured boats that are so hazardous, like ticking time-bombs just waiting to explode!
what about terrorist hideouts?
& drug smuggling
they don't pay taxes, unless they're in a marina of course
oh... the list goes on

Don't forget those $10/day dinghi ramp fees.

It just seems like we're being given a bad rep.
So, where are liveaboards actually welcome? Where people admire the beauty of their ships, offer a free dinghi dock, protected anchorages w/out time limits, mandatory paid mooring fields, maybe even where fresh water can be had for a reasonable price, and not a $70 docking fee just to fill the tanks and charge the batteries. Where are nearby showers available for a reasonable $5.00? Don't tell me it doesn't exist. I've paid for $5.00 showers as a trucker. Heck, if you buy enough diesel, many fuel-stops offer free showers. So, I don't like the idea & I refuse to sneak around and steal a marina shower. Is there a nice anchorage w/ a truckstop nearby? I'll pay the standard $10/shower rate. But $70 for a day at the marina, IF they allow an uninsured boat, well, how fair is that?

I'm not trying to start a revolution. Obviously liveaboards are not the type but where are they welcomed, wanted, and given enough incentives to anchor around for a while? Don't get me started on the noise issue. Is there a reason why there's huge armed steel battle ships next to every anchorage? This is the case, isn't it?

[david7]

Here in Portland I just saw that one of the local news stations is going to do an "expose" on transient boat people and of course the only story there is surrounding people that look like drug addicts on powerboats covered in tarps. It kind of bums me out because I would like to save a little money and anchor away from the crowded marina every once in a while but I don't like feeling like a criminal so I won't. I understand some of the reasons behind restricting it but sometimes it seems a little one sided.

[nimblemotors]

Only criminals live on boats! Because they make it illegal, by definition you are a criminal.

[JibGirl]

Georgia is now open to you! As of 2012? You can apply to stay somewhere longer than 30 days and there's no upper limit.

Can't speak to the why, don't know enough about it, but, the 30 day rule no longer applies in the Peach State.

[gamayun]

Liveaboards [on mooring balls, and not in a marina, as your post implies] are given a bum rap because of:

poop in the water
theft of outboard motors
mental illness
derelect boats (citing boats w/ a tarp rain-catchment system as an example, pretending it has a 'roof leak')
anchors that plow ALL the sea grass up, ruining the environment
and don't forget those runaway uninsured boats that are so hazardous, like ticking time-bombs just waiting to explode!
what about terrorist hideouts?
& drug smuggling
they don't pay taxes, unless they're in a marina of course
oh... the list goes on

Just ask some of your local communities how much they pay to salvage abandoned boats; how often they call the cops because of unruly behavior, drunkenness, and drugs; how many resources (people and costs) they have to dedicate to clean up contaminants spilled in the waterways. I'm in no way suggesting the majority of people who buy boats are doing this, but a lot of people think this is a cheap way to live yet they don't understand the maintenance that's needed to keep a boat on top of the water so they don't have any concerns about walking away from it when they can't handle it anymore. By the way, the same rules are generally true of tent camping, RVs, trailer parks, etc. Over time, the bad apples have left their stain on everyone else.

[Greenhand]

My understanding is that while it must be at a marina, it is possible to legally liveaboard in GA. (Live-Aboard Extensions | Coastal Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Around here, it is largely the marinas who don't want liveaboards. There are local laws about the minimum liveaboard capacity, due to housing shortages in the past. The marinas usually cut off new applications as soon as they reach their quota and claim that they aren't allowed to have more.

If I had to guess, I would say we have way more people living in their RVs parked on the street than total liveaboards around here. Certainly far more than moored liveaboards and there isn't anywhere nearby that you can anchor for extended periods of time.

[Pelagic]

The Philippines are more welcoming and don't you know...
"It's more fun in the Philippines!"

[sailorchic34]

More and more folks living at anchor are considered persona non grata by the land side folks. In the SF bay it is illegal to anchor in one spot long term. Of course there have been folks doing it forever here too.

Water I get at the free pump out locations, when I use the pump out facilities. I use my own hose though. Most fuel docks will give you water when filling up. Many pump outs in SF bay are free. Of course most marines here only charge $30 ish a night or less,some as low as $15 a night. Though the high end marina's in Sausalito and SF charge more. Needless to say, I'll not be staying there any time soon.

So in the SF central bay long term anchor outs, more then 90 days with permit, or 3 days without, is officially illegal. But there are about 100 boats in Richardson bay at any time. Most have been there for years if not decades. By my admittedly lowish standards, most (70% ish) are ship shape. That is fairly clean with sail covers, etc. in sailing condition. Though even those are considered trashy by the land side folks in their 9000+ sf homes on da hill. Which is why anchoring is frowned upon. Gee probably 10 percent of the boats in Richardson bay are owned by single women.

On the other hand marina's love liveaboards. Well OK not all do. But liveaboard fees can just about double slip cost, which is why some marines love it. Of course, I stopped paying liveaboard fees years ago.

With that said, many people live full time on the hook in the California delta. Some for 30 years. Myself I'm a bit too much a gypsy and don't stay in any one location long term. One of these days, I'll need to move on. But I find the California Delta and even the Bay fairly cheap living.

Of course all anchor outs suffer from mental illness. Otherwise, we would be living ashore, working and being productive model citizens, with 2.3 children, two cars, three TV's, watching fox news and with debt up to the wazoo, and hating every minute of it. Been there done that, Thank you but no thank you.

[leftbrainstuff]

Clearly a few derelict or undesirable so called liveaboards give all liveaboards a bad name.

Ignorance by non boaties is clearly an issue.

We make a concerted effort to be good liveaboard citizens. This clearly helps to address the issue.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[flagorio]

IIRC, the anti-liveaboard movement in SF Bay was started by some rich guy in Tibouron's wife who ran off with a liveaboard from Richardson Bay. This so pissed off the guy that he started a campaign and was instrumental in creating an oversight agency for the bay. My memory fails as to names and agencies but archives from Latitude 38 may fill in the details. So we not only ruin views, poop and pollute, we run off with land lubber's wives.

[liveaboardL]

loving the replys

[Dulcesuenos]

We only hang underwear to dry on our side least likely for home owners to see. Trying to do our part...

[SkiprJohn]

Of course this is an interesting thread. I'd really like to know if there is a place either U. S or close that really would welcome liveaboards. Here in Hawaii they definitely are not welcome. Maybe there is a place somewhere where it's ok and us responsible old timers can go and not get hassled and coexist with local government entities.

[cpa]

The most liveaboard friendly place I have ever lived aboard was RI. This was 2000-2004 but I could anchor in Newport all summer, there was a free dinghy dock, I parked my car 150 feet away from the dock. also lived aboard in East Greenwich all winter. No liveaboard fees, no hassle and real cheap. It is the ocean state though. I hope it has not changed.

Florida in my mind has always been tough to liveaboard in, but then again look at the trash heap boats that litter the mooring fields, marinas, and anchorages. It is a shame that all it takes is a few derelicts to ruin it for those who live on properly kept seaworthy boats.

[laika]

A lot of marinas and townships, at least on the US east coast, seem to happily cater to "cruisers" in a very loose usage of the term, which is basically satisfied by the boat being kept clean and generally shipshape. "Liveaboards" on the other hand...

If anchored out near town, it seems the occupant(s) must be seen at least occasionally frequenting the local establishments and/or going to and fro the boat with some commercial or otherwise enterprising intent. Money, money, money.

On the bright side, it seems IMHO, that those "boat people" who act in accord with a generally "seamanlike" manner are more welcome, while those who don't are not. What that means exactly, who can tell these days, and where the hammer falls..