Yacht Club Rant

[foggysail]

Geez, just like the condos that keep popping up around where I live! Rules, rules, rules....

[Lake-Effect]

We're currently dry-sailing a trailer-sailor out of a Toronto-area yacht club (going into 7th year), and considering options for getting a slip either here or at another club.

... I like belonging to a yacht-club. It's more of a community, and it's also less cost than a marina, overall. Don't forget reciprocal rights, which ensure a (usually) warm welcome at reciprocating clubs. Our club is nice but not posh; it's a self-help club with an annual commitment of 30 work-hours; every year I go over.

To mr-canada's dilemma: I believe most yacht clubs make co-owner members jointly and severally liable for any club debts on the co-owned boat. Check your club's fine print for co-ownership. If that's the case... they have you; best advice is to pay the outstanding amount and harangue your co-owner for the money.

From the practical side... again it's probably the quickest resolution to pay on behalf of your co-owner.

Long-term - do you really wanna partner with someone that irresponsible?

A gentle nudge re work-hours: the club requires hours put in on what the club need done, not on what you happen to feel like doing. They're work hours, not entrepreneur-hours. New members should expect to end up with some menial but not too taxing stuff (dock maintenance, launch/haulouts, mast-crane, gardening, officer of the day, etc). Once you get to know the club, and they know you, it's much easier to find your niche.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by foggysail

Geez, just like the condos that keep popping up around where I live! Rules, rules, rules....

Annoyingly rules are often needed where groups of people are involved. Groups of more than 1 ........as otherwise yer get folks who think up own rules and which surprisingly work in their own favour. and some of them can then get surprisingly p#ssy when others don't follow them .

In OP's case seems his co-owner is a frequent late payer - yacht club sends the bill, up to him whether to pay on time or not (I am sure the rules cover consequences for non-payment when due - and likely include non use of facilities, which don't matter when out of the country)........But out of the country hardly a problem nowadays, it's not the 18th century is it? ........my reading is that if OP wants the mooring holder to be chased up (direct or via wife, or cat?) for payment then that down to him............or he writes the cheque and seeks re-imbursement (and I am sure the Joint ownership agreement covers at least the basics like mooring fees!)......otherwise I can see that the YC have a point, why should they spend time and effort pandering to the lazy?.......plus at $1700 a year I doubt they truly care!, including about saving a few dollars.....on that note, probably OP ruffled a few feathers about deals that have gone to "freinds & family" which has not helped either.....despite suggestions having been made for the best of intentions.

[Bash]

You gotta pay to play. If this comes as a shock, get out of the game.
Volunteer hours are not about associate members reinventing the club. Serve on race committee for a single regatta and be done with it. If you're lucky, they'll let you blow the horn.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

......plus at $1700 a year I doubt they truly care!

OP said his debenture + first-year for associate membership was $1700; I'm certain his annual membership alone will be considerably less, since it is a self-help club.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

OP said his debenture for associate membership was $1700; I'm certain his annual membership is considerably less, since it is a self-help club.

I missed the debenture bit , but simply forgot that the $1700 included an "Initiation" fee and wasn't only the annual.....but nonetheless, $100 of $1700 pa IMO the principle still applies - pay for everything due.

[David M]

I would resign from the club. I don't think you can win here because you have no power to make them do what you would like them to do.

[mr-canada]

Ive read all the rules, bylaws, constitution, even all the notices about the key swap. Nowhere does it say or make mention that one member, associate or not, will have their rights affected by the payment history of another, co owner or not.

I totally understand that the slip needs to be paid for. It likely has already been paid for by now by the partners wife. IMO, i should have gotten keys and a stern warning that my partner needs to pay for his slip or he might lose it which would render my boat homeless and effect me.

I had to spend an hour going to the club to get these keys and an hour on the way back. The reason for my ranting is elevated by this. The moorage bill, because the slip is not mine, doesnt come to me so i had no idea that this was a problem. Its not a big club, maybe 80 boats, so i cant imagine that this situation is so common that it couldnt have warranted either an email to me warning me id need to get this guy to pay else i wouldnt get keys or a phone call to his wife to warn her of same.

On the volunteer hours, its important not to be mistaken that i was dreaming up ways to change the club. I suggested the embroidery in the first place and after a few months they found a commercial provider - it was my idea, they liked it, and now i cant get any hours from it. On the net access, i responded to an article in a newsletter where they were trying to implore more people to sign up for the service because rather than making the club money, they were getting billed by the provider.

Im considering moving the boat and buying out the partner. It is very disappointing because there are a lot of people in the club that i have met and liked. It is just really annoying to pay up myself in full and have them complain to my partner about my music, restrict my access and tell me to talk to my partner, it makes me feel like i just paid $1700 to be treated like his child which is not why i took out an associate membership.

These problems may blow over and there may be a new president next year, keys havent been changed in nearly 10 years, etc. So i may just be ranting for the sake of ranting. My biggest problem is that it feels like my membership rights are being extorted for the delinquency of my partner and that there would have been many ways to deal with this problem aside from just bullheadedly refusing me my membership priveliges.

I

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by Bash

You gotta pay to play. If this comes as a shock, get out of the game.
Volunteer hours are not about associate members reinventing the club. Serve on race committee for a single regatta and be done with it. If you're lucky, they'll let you blow the horn.

I agree, yacht clubs have some odd rules at times, but you can live with it or hit the road.seriously, the last thing you want to do is be a newbe and start making suggestions on how to make things better.
I've been a yacht club involved for most of my life andthere uasally a reason why something is done the way it is. And most of the time, its not clear.
I've even seen rules that were far outdated but left on the books because it was part of the club when it started many , many years ago and kept only in the name of respect.
If it were me, I would write a nice letter to the board asking for full membership and if they will still accept you after the rucus you've caused. I would then set back for a couple years and watch , learn, and give a helping hand when needed.
If you want to change things about the club, do it from within.

[mbianka]

Personally, I never felt the need to join a yacht club. Don't care for docks as I prefer being out on a mooring or at anchor. I guess some have "their rules" and regulations and people who love to enforce "the rules". Not really why I go sailing. I've got other places to spend the dues money I save. Beside the beer tastes just as good in my boats cockpit as it does at the Yacht Club bar.

[zeehag]

this is why i do not join yacht clubs nor would i live in a place wherein there are homeowners associations, land yacht clubs for immobile homes....we lose enough of our freedoms for what purpose..
is just as easy to own and sail a boat without the bs from someone else....

[mr-canada]

Originally Posted by David M

I would resign from the club. I don't think you can win here because you have no power to make them do what you would like them to do.

Yeah, i do hear you there. As i have no voting rights and cant run for the board, i know that theres little i can do, i cant even vote for or against my own resolution if i were to bring one to the floor at an AGM. All my associate membership buys me is keys and access to the facilities - no moorage. That has been withheld from me rather flippantly only a few months after ive paid for it.

[SURV69]

Forget the yacht club . . . I'd never have a co-owner that I had to rely on.

I say either get hold of his wife or pay the bill and collect it from your partner.

As far as the key's concerned, you probably have a right to one . . . but that doesn't mean you'll get one.

You could always get an attorney to ensure your rights, but keep in mind, your partner is the real problem here.

[mr-canada]

The moorage has likely already been paid. Im not going to go any route that includes an attorney, boating is supposed to be my fun time and if it requires an attorney its only to get my boat out of there for good to bring it elsewhere permanently.

[SURV69]

I think a lot of this was said in your first post . . . first sentence.

As an associate you have no mooring rights.

Evidently, at present, your partner also has no mooring rights . . . he's not paid up.