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Old 10-03-2019, 06:27   #1
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Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

I am curious if this is how most are treated at liveaboard Marinas. I have been spending some of my free days off from work checking out local Marina's expanding out from the hospital i work at and things were going very well, most places were extremely nice about renting a slip, but the minute I mentioned liveaboard, many the attitude just changed drastically and they didn't seem so interested in showing me more or talking to me more about the Marina. I found that if i ignored the question of wanting to live aboard that i could get much better tours of the Marinas, many i come to find don't allow staying on the boat more than a few days a month overnight.

Anyways, it seems that most want around $650 to $1200 to rent a liveaboard slip, which seems very high since i have spoken to a few who said they pay in the $200-400 range to live at a Marina.
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Old 10-03-2019, 06:56   #2
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

Umm, yes.
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Old 10-03-2019, 07:07   #3
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

I think this happens most in the US.
I can't understand why people accept this kind of terms ,when you buy a boat you don't want the boat only to go out and sail , some people use it as an office , others as a house , others as a vecation or guest house , other as temporary house .
Anyway just want to say that I find this as very bad attitude from marinas .
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Old 10-03-2019, 07:08   #4
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

It would help to know where you're located. But no, I get just the opposite attitude and treatment when I live aboard for two months of the year in a beautiful marina in Italy near Venice for only $300 per month.

Much of it does depend on how one presents themselves and the boat. When I was living aboard for four months of the year in Shoreline Village, Long Beach, CA eight years ago, you could really tell who most of the liveaboards were by all the junk on deck and the parked, beat up old vans filled with junk in the parking lot. Who wants to look at that all the time?

Still, there were some like us in our Hunter at the time, nobody would've known the difference. No junk on deck, no car filled with junk in the parking lot over night... just another boat. The marina isn't afraid of people living aboard in well-kept boats, they're afraid of having to go through the trouble to evict bums on boats and/or dealing with abandoned junk boats without working engines.
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Old 10-03-2019, 07:22   #5
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

It really does depend largely upon how you present yourself and your vessel. At least, in my experience. We have lived aboard in the Bay area for 4 years now. Very mixed reactions depending upon the marina staff and their experience, coupled with yours.

Best to you.
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Old 10-03-2019, 07:31   #6
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

from what I have seen it is open season on live aboards in Florida. hefty fees are usually added to the normal dockage price. and for some reason the sailboats have been singled out as problems. problem is with many marinas the boats are parked for 10 years at a time. the owners become territorial and many times the boats suffer as well. it is best to view yourself as a full time cruiser with the idea that you and your boat will keep moving.
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Old 10-03-2019, 07:33   #7
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

My marina in N-FL seems to love liveaboards(Shields marina in St Marks,FL).


The marina likes the extra income of having someone there buying stuff at the store, the other people around like the added security of having someone there at night and the parts department don't seem to complain either. Very reasonable rates(around $8 a foot I think), no added fees for liveaboards, Awesome ship store(6000sq ft), fuel, showers/bathrooms/Wash/dry,wifi, fresh water(spring fed river), 8 miles to the ocean, and about 30 minutes to Tallahassee.

The only cons are no haul out service(18,000lb forklift) and fixed docks but Carrabelle isn't far and there's some really good marina's there that cater to liveaboards. You guys are just in the wrong part of Florida.

Stop by in passing through it's a nice spot.
https://www.shieldsmarina.com/
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Old 10-03-2019, 07:51   #8
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

To a great degree the same principle from land based real estate will apply: location, location, location.

Some marinas in fancy neighborhoods don't want no stinkin' liveaboards cluttering up their nice waterfront. Others welcome them.

The clean, neat decks principle also applies. Bad experiences with previous sloppy tenants can make things more trouble for the next guy.
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Old 10-03-2019, 08:22   #9
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

Location? And as said if your idea of live aboard is piling everything you own on deck and the dock then I can see most places evicting you or discouraging the behavior all together. Unless, it's the norm in which case you can expect grills, bikes, broken bikes, every form of box doing duty as a dock box. In general everything that might be in someones garage all piled up near the boat. I am a part time live aboard and other times use the boat as an office. I am home based in a Marina Boatyard and they have standards and more importantly they enforce the standard. Most Marinas frequented by transients on the East Coast have standards and rules also. Bikes are in bike racks, grills are generally provided at a central location. Most boaters have seen it all. Guy sets up table saw on the dock and cuts plywood. A guy laid out 20 plus interior panels on the dock and proceeded to spray varnish. Who wants that crap going on upwind of your boat.
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Old 10-03-2019, 08:35   #10
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrWesson View Post
My marina in N-FL seems to love liveaboards(Shields marina in St Marks,FL).
...
Stop by in passing through it's a nice spot.
https://www.shieldsmarina.com/
Thanks for the recommendation & link MrWesson.
Quick question if you don't mind; looking at the charts, I'm seeing very thin water (for us) some sections of 4-5' on approach to the channel - is that correct from your experience or am I reading it wrong?

Thank you!
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Old 10-03-2019, 09:39   #11
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

I might stay in one place for months, but I'm never a liveaboard. I'm a cruiser passing through, just slowly.
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Old 10-03-2019, 09:44   #12
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

Here is an extreme example of why we are sometimes treated as you describe...

I took this photo last summer at a marina in Alaska.

This vessel prompted some new local rules and regulations.

It is up to the rest of us to be exemplary...

Cheers! Bill
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Old 10-03-2019, 09:46   #13
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

Three marinas in my area just changed the terms of their contracts to exclude live-aboards. It seems to be a trend. From a corporate standpoint, it's easier not to have live-aboards: less use of facilities, fewer people, fewer problems. From a pure "how do I make the most profit with the least bother" excluding live-aboard makes sense, and that's why marinas are doing it. It's a crappy thing to do, but they are chasing the almighty dollar.
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Old 10-03-2019, 09:48   #14
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

I believe that what you have encountered is common - maybe not all the 'attitudes', but the fact that it is difficult to find live aboard space. You don't say where you are, but in the PNW it is hard to find year 'round live aboard slips since most marinas are limited to a certain percentage of their slip total for live aboards. We have been told this is usually in the 10% to 15% range and so most places have waiting lists for living aboard slips.

Most of the marinas we have gone to are very cordial to us - as Kenomac noted, we keep a clean & tidy vessel and harbormasters like that - but they are pretty firm on whether or not there is live aboard space available. There are quite a few folks who use their boat as a 'second home' staying on it for only a few days at a stretch, but that varies by marina. We have found that being in the marina for a period of time and being a 'good' resident can let the staff get a good opinion of you and perhaps 'bend the rules' a bit; like moving to the top of the wait list.

Almost all marinas we have encountered, from Alaska to the south end of the Puget Sound, will attach a live aboard fee to the regular slip fees. Most of the time water is included but electricity is handled differently at each marina; usually depending on whether or not each slip is or can be individually metered.
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Old 10-03-2019, 09:53   #15
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Re: Are live-aboard's really treated this way?

From my experience the liveaboards;
  • Seem to think the entire dock belongs to them and will place their possessions blocking access to my boat
  • Play loud music late at night
  • Appear to drink way too much
  • Fail to follow marina rules (no swimming from docks, no fishing)
  • Become abusive when politely asked to refrain from the above
I actually had to get a peace bond (restraining order) against one who insisted on loudly verbally abusing me so I can see how some marinas may not encourage these people.
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