Overly Strict Marina Rules? Or Am I Just New to "Premier" Marinas?

[Chotu]

I may have come up with an answer that makes all future posts on the entire forum unnecessary. We will be able to shut down the forum after this.

People suck

There you have it.

Note: The reason I have a boat is to get away from people. Ha ha

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Herein lies your answer. No marina manager wants to waste time negotiating how much is too much. Binary decisions are much more clear and easier to enforce.

By your suggestion of a small wire brush or a limited amount of primer/paint, you just demonstrated how some always try to test the rule.

You should have just replied "Sure, no problem" when told about that rule. If
you tried to negotiate anything, the management may be paying a little more attention to you. You don't want that.

No need to "test the rules", just be discrete. I'm sure if you don't use power tools outside the boat there would be no problem do a little touch up with hand tools. Keep it quiet, do the work after staff goes home for the day. You should be able to do almost any needed interior work as long as you don't leave piles of equipment in the cockpit and certainly not on deck or on the dock.

If that doesn't work for your needs, find a different marina. Last one I was in for a long time had no problem with guys using table saws on the dock and making all sorts of noise with sanding, etc. At that same marina a friend just set up some kind of crane on the dock and pulled his engine recently. When I had my boat there we often used power tools outside the boat or on deck.

You don't want to go to a mooring every time a little work needs to be done. Find a more relaxed marina and you will be happier no doubt.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Makes me not want to venture further south.

"South" is a big area.
- Yeah, prime S. Florida and big chunks of the east coast are heavily built up focused on the high end but even there, you can find some areas that are a little more down to earth.
- Gulf Coast is kind of the opposite. Mostly down to earth with just a few high end enclaves.

And as someone else mentioned, if you are willing to anchor out, it's largely a non-issue.

If your motor is in good condition, consider taking the rivers down. I'm betting the marina culture is much closer to what you are used to.

[PaulCrawhorn]

I assumed he meant south of the Canadian border

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Between leaving the canal system at the Hudson and arriving in the Bahamas we will not use a marina ... the trip normally takes us around 3 months.
Don't let the marina issue keep you from the Bahamas.

Originally Posted by valhalla360

"South" is a big area.
- Yeah, prime S. Florida and big chunks of the east coast are heavily built up focused on the high end but even there, you can find some areas that are a little more down to earth.
- Gulf Coast is kind of the opposite. Mostly down to earth with just a few high end enclaves.

And as someone else mentioned, if you are willing to anchor out, it's largely a non-issue.

If your motor is in good condition, consider taking the rivers down. I'm betting the marina culture is much closer to what you are used to.

This gives me hope . But honestly... I'm not in a rush to leave my current area. So much to explore up here, and none of the hassle I constantly read about. Only issue is that thing called winter .

Originally Posted by PaulCrawhorn

I assumed he meant south of the Canadian border

Generally yes, but there is a south to Canada that I prefer to avoid as well. It's more about avoiding dense urban developed population than any exact place.

[Rumrace]

1. Only sympathy doesn’t upset me a touch.

2. Massive burden on a club. If Port Credit allowed it they would need 2,staff at the club. None of the island clubs would allow it even though all 3 have at least 1 staff around. It’s winter marinas close. Water pipes freeze ice on the dock.
As far as major work or fueling in the slip every club has same zero tolerance rules or they can’t get insurance. Insurance companies are cancelling high risk older boats. There is no legal requirement to have boat insurance in Canada but no club will let you dock without it. It’s a rule.
The insurance companies are not cancelling the sport leisure boating enthusiasts who don’t use their boats much.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

It's more about avoiding dense urban developed population than any exact place.

This is probably the bigger thing rather than being in the north/south or in Canada. I'm betting marinas close to Toronto or Montreal will lean less toward the DIY end of the scale as they have lots of people with limited water access, so pushing people towards paying for maintenance increases the profit margins even if they scare a few DIY folks away.

[captlloyd]

Just find a nice, secluded place to anchor with a Harbor Freight generator and you’re golden ! If you’re doing minimal work why do you need to be in the marina, other than electric ?

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I may have come up with an answer that makes all future posts on the entire forum unnecessary. We will be able to shut down the forum after this.

People suck

There you have it.

Note: The reason I have a boat is to get away from people. Ha ha

People suck or people who disagree with you suck?


If you have a boat to get away from people, why not untie the lines and go? The subject is marinas and marinas have people.


You can't please everyone and a marina is a business, not a charity. They can choose whatever model they feel will generate the most black on their bottom line.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by NaClyDog

People suck or people who disagree with you suck?


If you have a boat to get away from people, why not untie the lines and go? The subject is marinas and marinas have people.


You can't please everyone and a marina is a business, not a charity. They can choose whatever model they feel will generate the most black on their bottom line.

So I make a humorous post and you respond like this? Yes. You’re exactly who I’m looking to get away from. Lol

way to prove my point.

I got away and went 30 years ago. I’m back on land building another boat right now. Is that OK with you?

I’d really like to untie the lines and go right now. Would you like to come down and volunteer to work? I have plenty of tasks that you can do. Lots of great things to learn about state of the art Catamaran building. Come on down.

The only reason marinas are acting this way right now is because there are a lot of boats and it is very trendy right now. When the market falls out, which it will, like it always does, they’re going to be begging for people to store boats again. It’s all cyclical. Just like real estate. They are high and mighty on themselves right now. They can do whatever they want. I completely agree with you. However, I will laugh when they start going out of business again soon.

After treating their customers the way they have for the past couple years, they deserve every bit of crash and burn they have coming.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Rumrace

1. Only sympathy doesn’t upset me a touch.

2. Massive burden on a club. If Port Credit allowed it they would need 2,staff at the club.

Not sure where you are getting your info but as a 25yr member of PCYC I and have rebuilt 3 boats on their docks and they have a lot more than 2 staff. It's all about consideration for neighbours.i.e. No grinder or sawzall on weekends or when neighbours are entertaining and keeping things as clean as possible. I've never had a complaint.

[JPA Cate]

Yes, and honestly, if the person from the next slip came over and said they were having folks over on x day, one would probably just offer to postpone one's own work for the duration. It is only a big deal to not get your own way if you can find something else you like or want or need to do. It's pointless to rant on the internet.

I think it's really important to find compatible marinas where there is a possibility of incompatible ones. But they all have rules, and some of them have silly rules. And, businesses have no caring for the needs of liveaboards, except as it attracts customers. So, if the laundry is spotless and the ablution block immaculate, one is drawn there. In many cases, the more services a marina offers, the more costly it is, and the less welcome are people who DIY. However, there is one marina here, who still accommodates in a friendly way, the low-bucks, DIY cruisers, and offers outstanding facilities. Depends on the business model. So far, they've been excellent. One never knows how long it will last. A major rise in sea level would see them done. (Changes always happen, not only for the better, imo.)

Fwiw, Jim and I have never encountered the kinds of rules Kelsey's just encountered, so I agree with the allegation above that this is probably a population density (boats + people) issue; and that the people usually live in land based accommodations, work Monday through Friday, and only visit their boats on weekends. For them, "le weekend" is precious and scarce: and how they choose to use it (working on the boat not being allowed) is either by themselves or with others, either at the dock or going out somewhere...that choice will depend on their wants or needs, and the condition of the boat.

Kelsey, our OP, has written that she will abide by the rules, and work around what she can, and that seems a reasonable approach for the short term. Furthermore, she has applied to get back to the previous marina she occupied, where DIY is encouraged by allowing it. I think she's done well.

There are always going to be stupid rules. One marina we were in allowed only one kind of clothing to be hung out on the lifelines: weather gear">foul weather gear. The wording was "nothing of a personal nature." I remarked at the time that my foul wx gear was definitely personal to me! But then, UV [and also heat] damages "unmentionables", so would only be dried below decks, anyway. What's funny is that the people in the houses on the hills would look at the marina, and phone the city council to complain if they saw anything out of the ordinary, such as bed sheets; while their leaving clothing hanging out all day on outdoor driers to bother our views. One time, a marina's clothes line was full, and the drier just broke down while I was washing. I hung out the wash on the lifelines, and waited to be hassled. My plan was to explain about nowhere else to hang it, and the broken dryer, and tell whoever it might have been who complained, I'd bring it in as soon as it dried, sorry for their inconvenience. Never happened, though. Wash dried, folded and stowed, smelling of sunlight.

Ann

[AKA-None]

The only thing I ask is please please no metal grinding I really dislike rust spots on everything

Well and if you could be so kind as to tent or use a vacuum on your sander it would be icing on the cake

I assume that anyone spray painting doesn’t need to be reminded to not over spray

Are those to hard to figure out?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

The only thing I ask is please please no metal grinding I really dislike rust spots on everything

Well and if you could be so kind as to tent or use a vacuum on your sander it would be icing on the cake

I assume that anyone spray painting doesn’t need to be reminded to not over spray

Are those to hard to figure out?

Right? All it is is a little courtesy from everyone. Courtesy from those putting up with some heavy duty boot work and courtesy of those doing the boat work.

It’s really not that hard to work out.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Right? All it is is a little courtesy from everyone. Courtesy from those putting up with some heavy duty boot work and courtesy of those doing the boat work.

It’s really not that hard to work out.

Exactly ... it's really not that hard. All it requires is a little courtesy and civility, and a willingness to talk to your neighbour. When these things fall by the wayside, we are forced to adopt arbitrary, lowest-common-denominator, rules.