Is it right and fair to live aboard a vessel that cannot navigate?

[thinwater]

How many boats can navigate... but never do? They are even maintained, but never move. Does the same fairness test apply?


Immobile houseboats, that are lived in by people who like the waterfront, are getting far more use out of the marina than a guy that keeps his trophy there but never moves it.


Tricky. Fairness is just a made up word, unless you define it as an engineer does (a measurable departure from smooth).

[StoneCrab]

Have any of you ever been to the West 79th Street Boat Basin in the Hudson off of New York City? I was there 20 years ago. Due to rent control, they couldn't raise the slip fees until someone moved out. The "boats" are very interesting as they had been modified for their stay-put role. I particularly liked the tomato plants growing in pots on the upper decks.

I checked out some images on Google to see if it still looked that way. It appears that either they changed the rules or the older crowd has mostly passed on. Only a few of the homes still remain.


Free mooring balls in the river off of this basin. You pay a daily fee for the dingy tie-up though.

[dennismenace111]

Originally Posted by StoneCrab

Have any of you ever been to the West 79th Street Boat Basin in the Hudson off of New York City? I was there 20 years ago. Due to rent control, they couldn't raise the slip fees until someone moved out. The "boats" are very interesting as they had been modified for their stay-put role. I particularly liked the tomato plants growing in pots on the upper decks.

I checked out some images on Google to see if it still looked that way. It appears that either they changed the rules or the older crowd has mostly passed on. Only a few of the homes still remain.


Free mooring balls in the river off of this basin. You pay a daily fee for the dingy tie-up though.

Key West is that way... housing costs are such that the worker bees in the bars and restaurants and such cant afford to live in Key West. Some live as far away as Homestead. Key West harbor is full of live aboards. Locals who cook our food, pour our beers, and clean our hotel rooms.

The problem is when the boats are abandoned and either sink or break free and cause damage, then someone else has to deal with the problem.

Had a good friend who had to replace his dock at considerable expense after Irma just because some junk boat got blown up on the dock. He had to pay to remove the boat and to rebuild his dock... Out of his own pocket. Homeowners didnt cover it.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by john61ct

If fairly priced dignified social housing were provided as a right to all citizens

as is the case in nearly every civilized society with anywhere near the wealth of the U.S., and many poorer ones,

Shirley, you jest?

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by john61ct

If fairly priced dignified social housing were provided as a right to all citizens

as is the case in nearly every civilized society with anywhere near the wealth of the U.S., and many poorer ones,

then the public resources intended for other uses would not need to be used for the poor to avoid being completely homeless.

Firstly, that's not really the case in most of the world any more than it is in the U.S., and secondly, how are you going to combine that with a lack of immigration enforcement? The U.S. already has people who don't want to enforce borders, but who want to declare universal income/healthcare/college education/housing as "basic human rights".

You can see how that math doesn't work, can't you?

[john61ct]

This whole thread is political, but don't want to feed that aspect. But I did say citizens, and of course the math can work.

[dwedeking2]

If I can drive my boat out to a bouy and back is there now something you can do that you couldn't do before?

If the answer is no, then mind your own business.

[a64pilot]

The bottom line is that most Marina’s are private.
If they want a rule that says no boats under 50’ or no sailboats, or only green boats are allowed, well then that’s they way it is.
You move to one that your allowed into. You don’t have any kind of right to demand to be allowed.

I know nothing about rent control, but it sure sounds like a good way to guarantee a building will become run down over time.

[Rumbottle]

Whether the vessel (motor or sailing yacht, barge, powered or not powered) is afloat at a marina or anchored off a marina, it should be 'sea-worthy', to the extent that it must be capable of staying afloat in all weather likely to be experienced for a reasonable period of time whilst unattended. If a marina or local authority is happy to have the vessel alongside or at anchor and the fees are being paid the yacht would normally be morally and legally able to stay.

[rosatte]

I’m running into this problem now bringing my boat up from WA into Canada and no slips to be found I m looking for a marina which will allow work to be done on the boat as I’m allmost done with a complete refit most marinas around vancover are stuffed full of liveaboardsand offer no space for somebody who is out cruising even in the off season a slip can’t be found and no my boats not a Catalina 34 sold her now have a union cutter 32

[jmschmidt]

Marinas will usually not allow boats that are not seaworthy. They typically require a boat to get underway once every few months. Some are monthly, mine is twice a quarter but not in the same month.

[motion30]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

Marinas will usually not allow boats that are not seaworthy. They typically require a boat to get underway once every few months. Some are monthly, mine is twice a quarter but not in the same month.

Must be different requirements in different parts of the country. I kept a boat in the marina for 25 years on the Chesapeake I never once heard anybody speak a requirement that the boat was able to leave the slip and return

[Thumbs Up]

The bottom line is that most Marina’s are private.

Not in Hawaii

[motion30]

The law in Florida that is if you are a cruiser you were allowed to stay an unlimited time at anchor. The standard they seem to be using to determine that is if your boat can Propel itself. I believe there needs to be some standard as there is still a lot of junk at anchor endangering property and other boats

[motion30]

What I see a lot of is somebody takes possession of a piece of junk they would not otherwise own if they had to pay a Marina fit. Often times it does not run or even have no motor . these boats are poorly attendant and often not seen by the owner months at a time. Then it is up to the people who attend their boats at the Anchorage to deal with that boat just to protect themselves