Penalty for Staying Aboard in Marinas in FL!?

[Geoduck]

Fair play? Freedom? Free anchorage? Free anything?
WAKE UP!! YOU'RE HAVING A NIGHTMARE!!!!!

[MrGrauadler]

You must have been tongue in cheek when you said, "The alternative is government control or ownership of the economy, not something I think any of us would advocate" Or, you have been away from the media for at least 3 years. It seems sadly that there are plenty of people that advocate exactly that.

[delmarrey]

When I lived aboard in Mission Bay (years ago) they had power meters, cable TV, phone service and water. We paid for everything except water whether or not you were a live aboard. And that's the way it should be, to maintain a good rep with the public IMHO.

[rebel heart]

Standard practice in San Diego. Usually around $100 per person, per month, in addition to all other charges.

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by Jetexas

My marina in Houston charges an extra $50 a month for liveaboards, but it's kind of a crap hole. The nicer places charge more.

Where is that? I am looking for a marina that allows livaboards in Houston area, Thanks.

[bobconnie]

Gee theres been live aboard fees for ever on the west coast!!depending on wether or not the electric is metered or not!! makes the difference in the price, it's higher if the power is not metered, the rest of the charges are for garbage water service ect seems fair to me !! down here in Louisiana at least in my area the docks are on folks waterfront on the bayous and are real cheap but all ya get is a couple of three good pileings and a small dock and a power meter and pole and 1 or 2 parking places maybe water maybe not but CHEAP 100 to 300 tops with much more to offer so ya gotta pay or go somewhere else ! ot much other choice Just my 2 cents

[unbusted67]

I don't see what the fuss is about. Say you are a marina owner/ manager and you have a 50 boats paying $100/month just to be stored there. Then someone decides to move in to your marina. Not only do you have to see their ugly mug every day, now you need to have water, electric, showers, parking, and laundry.

What? As a live aboard do you expect that to all be for free? Live aboard fees have been around for a long time. We paid them in San Diego, we pay them in Boston. No big deal, you get what you pay for. If you don't like it go pick up a mooring.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by SharAndy

Been trying to find a marina for a short stay in St. Pete or Clearwater, FL. Every marina is charging the regular per foot rate PLUS another $250 - $300 a month because we would be staying on the boat at the marina! What is this???
Never in our 4+ years of cruising in US waters from Canada to FL have we run into this. Is this a local thing or is FL now screwing all boaters????

For me your post is a little vague. If I assume the price per foot is per month and a liveaboard fee of $250 is added, I really don't find this too much. You're using electricity, water, showers, bathrooms and any other facility which requires maintenance. Here in Ca., it is the norm. Example:- for a 35ft. boat in Berkely, Ca. is $9 @ ft. per month. Then another $150 for liveaboard. A hotel would cost you $3000 a month.
You call it a penalty but is it? I think it's a fee. You're not a victim, you can move to somewhere else.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

...........You call it a penalty but is it? I think it's a fee. You're not a victim, you can move to somewhere else.

It's good advice to shop around and maybe move. We recently spent a week at a marina in the Florida Keys where two marinas, about ten miles apart, had similar amenities. One was about $700 and the other $350 for the week. In addition, it should be noted that from Florida and up through the Chesapeake daily transient rates can be easily found from $1 to $2.50/foot/day, while from New Jersey north $2.50/ft/day is an inexpensive find. We usually find $8 to $11/foot/month in the southeast US, including Florida and moorings at $200 to $300/month. Unfortunately, many liveaboards are limited in their ability to select cheaper options because they need to be within a commuting range to their work.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

New Jersey north $2.50/ft/day is an inexpensive find.

This was certainly my experience when I spent a summer in New England. Decided I wasn't rich enough for that part of the world. When I was picking up crew for the trip south I thought it would be convenient to get a slip for a day or so while we were loading luggage and groceries. Best deal I could find was indeed $2.50/ft plus charge for AC power plus fees and taxes, total about $120. That's for one night for a place to tie my dock lines and walk down the pier to land instead of taking the dinghy.

For half that I rented a nice hotel room with a king size bed, kitchenette, HBO and free breakfast. When I pointed that out to the owner of the marina and the fact that half his slips were empty it made no difference.

Wonder if this attitude has anything to do with how bad the boating industry is doing in the NE?

[Sailorman375]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

Where is that? I am looking for a marina that allows livaboards in Houston area, Thanks.

Bill,

Not sure they will allow boats with a mast in the wrong place