St Pete Forbids People From Staying Overnight on Their Boats???

[JebLostInSpace]

I agree working with yards/marinas in Florida is a PITA. They don't allow a lot of things that yards in less dense areas are fine with.

That said, I don't think it's all that unusual to disallow staying on board while in the yard. And that probably doesn't impact their business all that much because most people don't want to anyway. Always climbing up and down the ladder, no power in many cases, no water in some cases, no restroom facilities in many cases. All of this makes living on the boat in the yard super annoying, so many people make other arrangements. I was recently in a yard in Cambridge, MD that had no facilities, so I arranged to stay elsewhere even though they would have let me stay on board there. If the yard were also a marina as you say, it would be easier to stay aboard and use the marina facilities, but many yards are not marinas and don't have those facilities.

I guess it's a little late to offer advice now since you have the RV plan worked out. But if it had been me, I would have looked for a cheap AirBnB, or checked with my cruising friends in the area to maybe crash on their boats if anybody was nearby. But I wouldn't have assumed it was okay to live on the boat on the hard.

As for the distinction of being a "liveaboard." In my mind, you clearly are a "liveaboard." You don't have a home that's not the boat. You live on the boat. You live aboard the boat. This may matter to the yard, and will matter to many marinas as well. My understanding is there are different requirements for yards and marinas who allow liveaboards, including sewage and trash disposal that non-liveaboard marinas don't have to worry about. Not that those seem like such huge hurdles to me, but it seems like lots of places, especially in Florida, are increasingly caring about it.

Anyway, hopefully you can get your much needed rest on the RV over the next weeks, and then finally get back to cruising and let this be an annoying memory.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Still have no idea what I’m going to do about my bottom paint because it’s about a three month wait in this area. And I tried them all. Snead Island, everybody around here. Anybody that can haul 25 foot beam. They don’t have any availability for bottom paint.

They don't have bottom paint? Or they don't have availablity to do it for you?


Unclear what you're saying. If they can haul your boat, they can apply paint, right? Does it have paint already?

[massnspace]

This is a brand new boat that was confused for a hurricane-damaged boat???

Can we see some pics of your boat?

And, of course you must ask ahead of time if staying aboard is allowed. Of course….

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

They don't have bottom paint? Or they don't have availablity to do it for you?


Unclear what you're saying. If they can haul your boat, they can apply paint, right? Does it have paint already?

They don’t have room in the schedule for three months. That’s about the going wait.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by JebLostInSpace

I agree working with yards/marinas in Florida is a PITA. They don't allow a lot of things that yards in less dense areas are fine with.

That said, I don't think it's all that unusual to disallow staying on board while in the yard. And that probably doesn't impact their business all that much because most people don't want to anyway. Always climbing up and down the ladder, no power in many cases, no water in some cases, no restroom facilities in many cases. All of this makes living on the boat in the yard super annoying, so many people make other arrangements. I was recently in a yard in Cambridge, MD that had no facilities, so I arranged to stay elsewhere even though they would have let me stay on board there. If the yard were also a marina as you say, it would be easier to stay aboard and use the marina facilities, but many yards are not marinas and don't have those facilities.

I guess it's a little late to offer advice now since you have the RV plan worked out. But if it had been me, I would have looked for a cheap AirBnB, or checked with my cruising friends in the area to maybe crash on their boats if anybody was nearby. But I wouldn't have assumed it was okay to live on the boat on the hard.

As for the distinction of being a "liveaboard." In my mind, you clearly are a "liveaboard." You don't have a home that's not the boat. You live on the boat. You live aboard the boat. This may matter to the yard, and will matter to many marinas as well. My understanding is there are different requirements for yards and marinas who allow liveaboards, including sewage and trash disposal that non-liveaboard marinas don't have to worry about. Not that those seem like such huge hurdles to me, but it seems like lots of places, especially in Florida, are increasingly caring about it.

Anyway, hopefully you can get your much needed rest on the RV over the next weeks, and then finally get back to cruising and let this be an annoying memory.

Yes. When the thing is finally sailing someday, maybe it will all be a distant annoying memory. That would be great. Looking forward to that. And resting on that RV for a bit.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by massnspace

This is a brand new boat that was confused for a hurricane-damaged boat???

Can we see some pics of your boat?

And, of course you must ask ahead of time if staying aboard is allowed. Of course….

My boat was hit by three hurricanes that were category three or more. It sustained a lot of damage in one of the hurricanes. The first one. There is a lot of cosmetic damage.

For that one, I was in California and looked up on a news screen in a restaurant to notice “huge hurricane hitting Florida in 2 days”. I am mediately tried to book a flight but the airports were already closed. I immediately started driving. Route 10. Didn’t make it in time. An entire mooring field dragged into a concrete seawall. All of the boats piled together and slammed into each other for the whole hurricane. Many of them sunk. I was on one of these moorings.

Then there is also all of the cosmetic damage that my helper did over the last year. Decks destroyed with epoxy drippings, brand new hatch all scratched up and epoxy drippings, deck painting not masked and dripping down the side of the boat. Composite chainplates installed but no masking so epoxy all down the sides of the boat. New battery bank destroyed by not watering, inside damage from insect infestations and water ingress. I am a bit upset about a lot of the things that were abused and neglected on the boat over the past year. It was a two steps forward two steps back sort of situation. At least I got some things done. But the price was also pretty high in additional damage.

Then also there is a bunch of cosmetic hurricane damage all up and down the hulls and at the ends.

[MicHughV]

It's interesting to follow this thread.

From my perspective, the entire marine environment has changed.
Mooring balls everywhere, Restrictive haulout yards, expensive marina's, no anchorage areas, or limited anchorage areas, no liveaboard rules and the list goes on.

Not sure when, if ever, things will get a bit more relaxed. Environmental rules certainly seem to driving a lot of it, plus a host of other reasons.

[rslifkin]

I think once that mast is up, it's time to start heading north towards more friendly states! I get the impression (not just from this thread) that Florida (at least some parts) is a nice place to visit by boat, but a sucky place to try to boat full time.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I think once that mast is up, it's time to start heading north towards more friendly states! I get the impression (not just from this thread) that Florida (at least some parts) is a nice place to visit by boat, but a sucky place to try to boat full time.

I definitely agree. That is kind of the whole point here. It’s no good to motor this thing all the way up there. That’s why I’m trying to get the mast up here.

Also to just sail this thing.

It’s really funny. Down here in the urban areas people are jerks. It’s like you mix New York City together with some palm trees. And throw in some homeowners associations. That’s a good description of the marinas and what not here.

No, this doesn’t hold true in the less urban areas. Parts of Florida are still good. But of course they are getting fewer and fewer because so many people move down here.

The only reason I chose to do the build here was that you could use epoxy year-round without heat. Now that the boat is past that stage, I will definitely be coming up to the more friendly areas.

I actually almost built it on the Erie Canal in an industrial place that was for rent right on the water. The heating bill looked to be $20,000 each winter though. Not sure if I saved anything by doing it down here or not. Probably not considering all the hurricane damage.

I would never in 1 million years have thought the north east would be more friendly than down here. Because on land that’s not always the case. There are plenty of restrictions and stuff up there. But there’s also a sense of freedom and individuality that they don’t have in Florida.

Culturally, it’s an interesting situation.

I mean, I probably could’ve got this done a lot easier and definitely wouldn’t have had to leave my boat if I did it in something as crazy as a Newport Rhode Island. That’s like the yachting capital of the entire north east. Equivalent to Fort Lauderdale. But people are friendly. And we have a bit of a perfectionist work ethic up there as well. You don’t turn out shoddy work. Which I have noticed in spades down here.

It’s a fine place to visit. Great place to use your boat. Just not a good place to deal with land in the urban areas. And it’s weird. There have been some anchorages suggested to me. Especially one here in Saint Petersburg. I read a lot of detail on this Anchorage. Apparently you have to stay on your boat at all times or you will suffer break-ins and theft. It says that reading some of the reviews of the Anchorage.

So all of that kind of stuff kind of drags on it as well. There is so much crime here in the urban areas it’s insane.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

It's interesting to follow this thread.

From my perspective, the entire marine environment has changed.
Mooring balls everywhere, Restrictive haulout yards, expensive marina's, no anchorage areas, or limited anchorage areas, no liveaboard rules and the list goes on.

Not sure when, if ever, things will get a bit more relaxed. Environmental rules certainly seem to driving a lot of it, plus a host of other reasons.

Yeah. It has definitely changed down here. I think you hear more about it here than anywhere else because there are more boats here than anywhere else. Especially this time of year.


I still maintain that the rural areas are not so bad. And that’s what I am going to be sticking to. I am all done with the cities here.

And that’s why I want to see if I can bring my motorcycle on the boat. Because I will be isolated out there unable to have a social life in the rural areas. I once the rig is up I will mention that to them for the next phases.

The project goes in multiple parts. First the mast, then the running rigging, then odds and ends. One part tells them what they need for the next part. Makes sense.

[gonesail]

i said it 20 years ago. it's boring and predictable .. but .. boating is a rich man's game .. especially in places like Florida. go ahead and break out another thousand

[MicHughV]

That's my take on it too...boating has become a rich man's game. Our area marina now sports dry lifts for the center console fishing boats sporting quad 350 hp outboards. Never see them go anywhere though. Your basic single engine center console now has to reside on your driveway or some storage yard.

Mind you, pulling up anywhere in a 52' cat is bound to have people thinking...oh, another millionaire and his toy...

[sailorbobdeb]

We've been picked up at a couple different marinas in St. Pete by Enterprise Car Rental. Additionally we Ubered to the rental car office once when we didn't have a bunch of 'stuff' to load into the rental vehicle. Just in case you end up needing to go in that direction.

[carlosproa]

[Q.



And that’s why I want to see if I can bring my motorcycle on the boat./QUOTE]


Chotu
You probably have already built or purchase your dinghy. But I keep thinking of why we have not seen a dinghy designed to carry a small moped 🏍️.

In my head I can see building a dinghy catamaran where you can strap the moped from 4 straps, and be able to have a built in bridge between the hull so when you hit the beach, you can just wheel out the moped.
Heck I think you could even design a set of paddle wheels on each side and use the rear tire of the moped to turn the paddle wheels to drive the dinghy

Of course with today’s electrical bicycles, there is a whole new freedom to be had if you can place it safely on a dinghy

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Whoops. I thought I was responding to you when I responded to MVeebles.

I was trying to show you about the ride sharing. And I always use a Rome2rio.

But you know what? For all of this inconvenience? All of this lack of communication? This stupid policy? It’s their responsibility to get me to the RV. That’s my stand.

@ Chotu:

Well, just read that they will give you a lift to your RV. Wonderful! And, with luck, the rest will fall into place, too.

To me, dealing with people, whether they are Customs officials or riggers, or anywhere in between, it is really important to remember that how you behave towards them will affect how they feel about you, and that latter is what you hope to be favorable. You are in an asking mode. They have permissions or skills of which you want the use or advantage. So, make an effort to be really nice. Sometimes they may be having a bad day. Bring them some pleasure.

Ann

PS. Scary being below and hearing them talk about ripping you off. Jeez.