Why Do Marinas Seem to Hate Liveaboards?

[cooper]

Jetty hoppers are an interesting phenomenon. These are people who have very little interest in going somewhere on their boats and instead stay to the maximum time allowed on a jetty and then move to the nearest adjacent.....then move back.....If you have a number of them then the jetties are permanently full. Indeed I know of some who "actively" swop places. The end result is thems that make the rules say no overnight stays....

[kchumley]

Originally Posted by timinfla2

I hope I'm not being redundant by asking this but is there a listing of clubs and/or marinas that allow liveaboards? I'm specifically interested in the Boca Raton area.

Thank you!

-Tim

Hey Tim -- do a google search using "skipper bob liveaboard marinas" and you will find multiple hits on live aboard marinas in the area.

[JeffGIP45]

Transients also 1.) buy more diesel, 2.) spend more to pump out, 3.) pay more for needed supplies at the marina - live aboards go to the local, cheaper alternative and 4.) spend more at the cafe/coffee shop.

[Sal DeSimone]

Restricting pecentage of time that you can use your personal property, boat, is palpably repugnant to property ownership in USA. I had lived aboard my boat in Long Beach Marina, CA from 1959 (Slip rent was $.25 per foot per month, no Liveaboard fee, $15 month for my 60 footer) to 1986 to when I retired and left CA (Slip rent increased to $9.50 per foot per month plus liveaboard fees, total $770 per month). The substantal increase was pure avarice as the City of LB had revenue surpluses at the $.25 per foot rate. Comparative expense to a marina for a liveaboard to a non liveaboard cannot be measured as most unoccupied boats have very complex electronic, water purification, air conditioning, security, etc. systems running continuously. The security factor cannot be overstated as I personally safeguarded my gangway from crimes, drownings and boat loss on hundreds of occasions. CA Marinas have turned into over regulated, very expensive boat parking lots as compared to the happy boating enviornment of 50 years ago.

[Einarr]

Hello all, I am fairly new at this, dont even have a boat yet.

I have just spent the last 2 hours reading all 7 pages of these posts. And I have noticed several common denominators in all of it.

1. A good portion of the marine managers are not boating people, they are corporate people. It seems that we could correct this problem by encouraging boaters and liveaboards to become the managers.

2. That it is the trashy, unkempt unseaworthy boats that are causing the dislike and discontent. It also seems that WE could correct this by talking to the management of the marinas and ADVOCATING standards that would limit this as a problem.

3. That marina rates are going up as a result of big corporation buying out the little guy. Seems that we could correct this one as well. Simply by forming our own 'Slip owners corporation' and buying a marina. That way the Boat owners get to make the rules.

4. That there are many people that hook it. This is great. Wish I could. But that there is a great lack of dinghy docking. See points 2 and 3.

5. That many cities and counties are legislating liveaboards out of existance. Vote, run for office, get elected. That is why we have elections.

I know that many who are liveaboards are people who hate the system and enjoy the freedom that boats provide. But it is their game and wether we like it or not to win the game or even come to a tie, we have to play by their rules.

[Einarr]

One additional thought.

Would it not be better to take all of that stuff you dont need, sell it and put the money in a long term interest account and use it for cruising kitty?

Seems to me that it is money wasted twice, once in not using it and secondly haveing to pay sotrage fees for it.

[Sandero]

Whatever the real reason, they'll say it's because of insurance.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Sal DeSimone

Restricting pecentage of time that you can use your personal property, boat, is palpably repugnant to property ownership in USA....

Unfortunately, for most of us, the slip in not our personal property - it belongs to the Marina owner, and how we use his property, is up to him.

[hasuehounds]

I Live in a marina ,Nc.. The marina I live in allows short term and ownership slips. One of the reasons i purchased my slip is it allows liveaboards, has a wonderful club house with many amenites and laundry and is always clean

It also was a wonderful investment..
It is one of the few marinas in the area that allows liveaboard
the transients come and go but the liveaboards who own the slips make
the marina, they care about how it looks and how its taken care of and it shows each day

Other places weve stayed in the past transient liveaboards came and went and paid no attention to anything but using the bathroom and showers or laundry.. manytimes they left a mess or their boat was a site.. there were a few marinas we turned into that we didnt stay as they were just too lived in!!!!! UNKEPT and the boats really showed it

Kathleen
s/\v Legacy
ask me about my slip for sale

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by hasuehounds

One of the reasons i purchased my slip is it allows liveaboards, has a wonderful club house with many amenites and laundry and is always clean

It also was a wonderful investment..
It is one of the few marinas in the area that allows liveaboard
the transients come and go but the liveaboards who own the slips make
the marina, they care about how it looks and how its taken care of and it shows each day

.........................
ask me about my slip for sale

Um... if it's so great, why are you selling the slip?

[hasuehounds]

Originally Posted by ssullivan

Um... if it's so great, why are you selling the slip?

Its time to move on. It was a lucky chance of fate we purchased the slip, we had been looking forward to moving south to winter in bahamas.
The day we closed on the slip I was in an accident i shattered my femur (right leg)
Obviously i couldnt walk and moving the boat was out of the question since i spent alot of time in the hospital and in rehap..
So it was ablessing in disquise we had gotton the slip, now Im well and the boat is ready we want to sell it to someone who will enjoy the town and the area and living aboard..


Kathleen
s/v Legacy

[PDEVOLEJR]

I lived aboard for a period of about 5years. I lived aboard in South Carolina, Alabama and Florida. The only place I had any trouble with was Florida. In Florida if you are a liveaboard the state wants the marina to collect a lifeaboard tax from you and most marinas don't want to be bothered.

[hasuehounds]

Keith
I think you hit the nail on the head. Most marinas like liveaboards when it suits their purposes, like filling empty spots in the off season.
I know the marina we live in encourages slip rentals, but has just recently had a rate hike in prices per foot over the winter.
They dont encourage long range stay as when it gets busy and people are in and out and need a slip for the night they want to have an opening not someone taking up space
There are all kinds of liveaboards, weve shared docks with people with kids, people moving thru and people who planted roots.. Some were very nice some were noisy and pesty and some just didnt bother you..
I think its the people who live at the dock, how they respect others and how they represent themselves that makes a differnce in liveaboards.

Kathleen
s/v legacy
oriental nc

[David M]

Perhaps most marinas simply don't like the additional costs of people living on their boats? Liveaboards generally mean additional trash, additional power, fuller parking lots with junker cars that cant move, crap on the docks, additional water, yapping dogs, junk boats that look ugly and never move, additional sewage and additional wear and tear to everything. Of course not all liveaboards are like this but enough of them are like this.

Like most things, it could amount to simple economics. Most marinas I have been to are businesses and not public housing projects. If someone does want to liveaboard then they should pay more to compensate the owner for their additional burdens.

[PDEVOLEJR]

David.

Any marina that I ever used as a liveaboard charged for power and water, garbage and etc. You were also told what you could or couldn't keep in the marina. I have even stayed in marinas that wouldn't accept houseboats or sailboats as they claimed they were the worst offenders of the things you mention.