Liveaboard Fees - again

[Mike Cunningham]

Originally Posted by Mike Cunningham

In our marina, instead of causing more "drama" for the staff, the live aboards actually help out with anything from boats gone astray to over filled trash cans. Now that summer has finally arrived in New England, this weekend showed the difference between the helpful, full time live aboards and the "weekend warriors". By Sunday evening, the party crew had trashed the joint. To be fair, yes the marina population explodes exponentially on weekends and holidays, and in truth, it is only a subset of slip/mooring holders (and their guests) who are responsible for the mess, but I do not see it happening during the time frames wherein only live-aboards and some of the heavy users and fishermen are there. Your broad stroke characterization of live- aboards as some kind of burdensome drama queens is, in my experience, misplaced.

The above was not intended for sailorboy, but for the previous post to his.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by svMarite

Sorry doesn't hold water that argument. We live aboard and shower onboarding, pay for electricity, water is nominal. I dont wash my boat everyday. We use 200gal every 3 weeks.
The power boat next to me takes 500 goals and washes his boat every weekend...
I do agree with 150/30=5 a day and that's not that bad...
Most live aboards I know shower in the clubhouse, hotwater costs, cleaning etc I get it.
We bought our slip to avoid all that. Just pay $50 HOA and tax on property. Halfed our costs.

Wait, did you just tell me my argument didn't hold water, and then agree with it?


lol

[davenrino]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Yes, crazy not to have metered electric, at a healthy profit margin per kWh.

I can see that for regular store-and-go customers, but

why would any sane businessman allow that for liveaboards?

Should definitely be strong incentives in place to encourage energy conservation these days, get people to be as self-sufficient as possible.

Hawaii has one of the highest $$ per kwh in the world @ .28 which is why I have PV on my house. To our marina's credit, they don't charge anything additional and my monthly bill is under $10. They also don't rape us on fuel prices even though they have the only fuel dock on that side of the Island.

[Dougtiff]

I would like to know where i can obtain a live aboard slip for an additional $ 150 per month, i pay $250 .

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Dougtiff

I would like to know where i can obtain a live aboard slip for an additional $ 150 per month, i pay $250 .

Texas....I see you’re in California, the state where everything is expensive.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Dougtiff

I would like to know where i can obtain a live aboard slip for an additional $ 150 per month, i pay $250 .

Newfoundland (Corner Brook), Belleville ON, Thunder Bay ON, Spragge ON.

These are all the places I've kept boats over the years. We liveaboard for months at a time. Never been charged any additional fees.

It's certainly possible to find such places. You just have to be willing to go off the beaten path.

[Beatnickbiker]

Originally Posted by OS2Dude

Most places do not really want live-aboards. Besides the extra interaction and 'drama', a some live aboard boats start to look trashy. There is one in our marina that looks more like the Wanderer at the beginning of Capt Ron than at the end... I spoke with the owner once and he said it takes him a day or so to get his boat able to leave the slip so on the rare times he does he will stay out for a week or so.

Agreed about the extra drama , drug dealers , and trashy un- seaworthy boats
But the obvious has been overlooked. First off $150 a month liveaboard fee isn't to bad. the marina in Alameda ca where i use to pay $100 a month extra in 2005 is now $392 a month liveaboard fee on top of $12.00 a ft for the slip. Real estate has gotten so expensive people are cashing in and buying boats to live on or use as there floating office and the marinas know this . Not to mention the limitations the local governments are putting on the marinas to only allow ten percent liveaboards because of the environmental impact to the water.we all know how to use the Y valve on the head enough said on that . If anyone has any helpful info on marinas on the puget sound that look the other way when it comes to how much time you spend on your boat please let me know i can afford $700 a month for a liveaboard slip but so far its not looking to promising. .

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Texas....I see you’re in California, the state where everything is expensive.

It costs a lot to regulate and control everything.

[john61ct]

And Mother Earth says, “Because I’m Worth It"

[markpierce]

No one has a moral right to occupy a berth, let alone one intended to live aboard. For some, this will require rethinking their living arrangements.

[Trekka]

At my marina there are definitely trashy looking boats. Not cared for. Very old dock lines. Need staff pumping out couple times a year - and I’m not talking the head. None of them are liveaboard boats. This year and past dealt with a lot of abandoned, neglected, way behind on marina payments boats. Not one was a liveaboard.

Liveaboards recognized when a big boat came unmoored during a storm and got attention to it before it could damage other boats and dock infrastructure. LA’s call security when they see something amis or questionable. Liveaboards usually know who has not been on the docks before. They are here enough to have a good sense of out-of-the-ordinary. Liveaboards raised the alarm when a crew that had been stealing from boats in regional marinas by coming in late at night by dinghy, bypassing the shoreside security barriers, tried that here.

Liveaboards know what is going on, but sometimes management would prefer nobody was looking over them. Previous management was making a killing in the dark, we could say...

Electricity is metered. Bathrooms cleaned year round. (Much more often during peak seasons when LA’s are a fraction of the users.) Lounge is lit 24/7 year round whether anybody in it or not. (When no one was using it the flat panel tvs were stolen...).

But there is a real attitude that LA’s are getting away with something, though they trade off a lot by living in something other than a dirt dwelling 2 or 3BR with full kitchen, multiple baths, and garage.

Whether I was a LA or not, I would want my boat in a marina with them.

[capeharj]

All of you missed the boat, so to speak. The liveaboard fee is imposed by the taxing jurisdiction. It's a government method to discourage liveaboards. They see it as a way of getting property taxes on boats that are not considered in the taxable value of the marina.

[Hugh17]

I agree with your assessment of “why” liveaboard fees. Some marinas charge them because they “can” or perhaps market conditions dictate an opportunity.

I wouldn’t stay anywhere with a liveaboard fee unless the monthly fee was substantially below market prices.

If I’m paying for my boat to be slipped in a marina and paying electric by meter or flat rate then the marina is assuming my boat and I can be there from 0 days to 31 days each month. I certainly don’t get a discount for using my boat less than 31 days, so what’s the justification for charging if I use it more often?

[SailingPNW]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

you know

all I did was ask the question to see if people had a logical answer to the reason

No one has expect for "because", and if that doesn't work it must be me needing attack because I asked

Actually lots of people have given you valid reasons, you just don't want to hear it, and because people didn't agree with you you said they were being mean and you called them babies. However here are the reasons typically:

1. Insurance costs
2. Wear and tear on marina facilities
3. Consumption of additional marina resources (water, etc)
4. Increased impact from dealing with liveaboard drama by the marina staff
5. Loss of parking space availability
6. More junkyard boats with people who dont have room for all their stuff (not as big a problem as non liveaboard)

Add to this that most marinas are not making huge amounts of money and in a lot of areas are full. I think my marina currently has a 2-4 year wait depending on the size of the slip.

So there are plenty of reasons for a liveaboard fee. Now I think $150 is quite reasonable, now if you don't and feel your marina charges to much, you should probably look for another marina, or try living at anchor.

[Mark Stillwell]

We lived aboard in Florida Gulf Coast. Electricity was metered. For $150/month liveaboard fee we got unlimited water, clean bathroom/showers, swimming pool, pumpout 2X per week at the slip, secure gated community, safe well maintained walking paths, friendly helpful staff, quarterly party, access to propane grill...

We felt this was a fair price for what we got.