Live Aboard Marina Near Savannah, GA

[msfranny]

Good day,

I will be moving to Savannah for a job, but I still want to live aboard my boat. Unfortunately, the state of GA does not allow liveaboards! I am looking into marinas in Hilton Head, but that is a long drive to downtown Savannah! Does anyone know of nice marinas that may be closer to Savannah?

Thanks!

[AnchorageGuy]

Have you tried Isle Of Hope? There are also several in Thunderbolt. Talk to the marinas and see if there is something they can work out. Sometimes it means staying off the boat one weekend a month.

[Vasco]

Try Isle of Hope or Thunderbolt. There's a couple of marinas in I of H and quite a few in Thunderbolt. I think Isle of Hope is closer to Savannah.
Isle of Hope Marina
Thunderbolt Marine Inc.

[AnchorageGuy]

There is an echo in here

[Vasco]

I'm slow in the mornings, took me a while to find the links.

[Gashmore]

The way the law is written you can't live aboard more than 30 days a year in Georgia and the marinas are required to inforce it. I was told by a marina in Brunswick that as long as I left the boat for a few days a month it would not be considered "living aboard" but that was before DNR started really cracking down.

Up until recently the law was only being enforced on derilicts and really scroungy houseboats or if someone complained but they have gotten a lot more strict this year. The law was intended to get rid of some old floating wrecks on the Savannah and Altamaha but it was very poorly written so it applies to all liveaboards. You can't even let a cat live on a boat more than 30 days. DNR thinks it is a silly and almost uninforcable law but they have to try. There have been a few efforts to get the law ammended but most have been weak and unorganized.

If you don't mind anchoring out and your draft is not excessive you might consider the May River in SC. Blufton is about 20 miles from town.

[msfranny]

Thanks for your suggestions! I am hoping that I may be able to circumvent the liveaboard restrictions, but as you've said--they are enforced. I am also planning on checking out Hilton Head and assessing the commute. Any more suggestions, again, are appreciated. I am pretty unfamiliar with the area.

Cheers!

[LittleFlower]

Any luck on living aboard in Savannah? I, too, am considering a move to that area and would like to know the skinny.
Teresa

[slow leak]

Rules. Laws. Regulations. I was hoping to travel between New York and Georgia, wintering in Georgia. I didnt know about this law...yet another law. So much for a life of peace and freedom. Maybe I'll name my boat the George Orwell.

[dailysailor]

The DNR has passed a new law on liveaboards in Georgia.

As of January 1, 2012, if you wish to stay aboard your boat in a marina with sewage pump out facilities for longer than 30 days, you may apply for an extension beyond the 30 days. The notice doesn’t seem to have any limit on the length of time you can stay aboard, just the regulations relating to the boat and also to the marina – you have to have a mechanism to secure your holding tank, the marina has to have adequate pump-out facilities, etc.

You can read more information at Georgia Liveaboards - Find the best marina to dock your boat

[djmarchand]

Ft McAllister Marina is on the Ogeechee River a few miles off of the ICW and about 10 miles SE of Savannah. It is a real laid back place and I doubt if they pay much attention to DNR regs. And it is the cheapest marina near Savannah.

[speciald@ocens.]

Maryland has a similar policy BUT if you have another mailing address, you are not a live aboard. We use St. Brendan's Isle (a mail forwarding service for cruisers) in Florida.

[justdoit]

We just stayed at Isle of Hope for 4 nights. Nice facility and friendly staff. The drive into Savannah was not long. We used the courtesy car. It looked like there were some liveaboarders there. Patty is at the desk and very helpful. May be worth a call.

[Phantoms]

Live-Aboard Extensions | Coastal Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources

I know this is an older thread, but here is the link to the Georgia DNR Coastal Resources Division regarding live-aboards in Georgia along with a link to the ruling and application.