36' Rule for Liveaboard

[Fore and Aft]

I once was berthed next to a 25ft yacht that had a big upright household fridge in the cockpit. The deck was just covered with junk, to the point where the guy had his dinghy tied alongside filled with more junk. He had been there a long time and it seemed the marina just wished he would go away.
Another small yacht live aboard I know had mental health issues and I was the only guy who got on with the him. The marina actually aproached me to help deal with him a few times. They even offered to help pay for a haircut for him if I could persuade him to go to the hairdresser. The marina did not want to kick him out but his berth fees did not really cover the headaches he caused.
So you can hardly blame some marinas for having a minimum live aboard size limit.
Cheers

[barnakiel]

Some marinas charge you for 36+ even if you come in a 25ft boat.


So this makes sense, if this is the case in your area.


b.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

I once was berthed next to a 25ft yacht that had a big upright household fridge in the cockpit. The deck was just covered with junk, to the point where the guy had his dinghy tied alongside filled with more junk. He had been there a long time and it seemed the marina just wished he would go away.
Another small yacht live aboard I know had mental health issues and I was the only guy who got on with the him. The marina actually aproached me to help deal with him a few times. They even offered to help pay for a haircut for him if I could persuade him to go to the hairdresser. The marina did not want to kick him out but his berth fees did not really cover the headaches he caused.
So you can hardly blame some marinas for having a minimum live aboard size limit.
Cheers

Okay, so all the junk was probably a missile hazard in a hurricane, possibly a fire hazard. I get that. The fridge... why was there an issue with that? Too ugly? Not yachty enough? Or did you have another reason in mind? I bet that neighbor always had a beer on hand for a thirsty fellow yachtsman. I have never NOT been offered a beer when passing a boat with a fridge in the cockpit and the owner on deck or on the pier. Fridge in cockpit = good neighbor. Ditto for dripping ice chest on dock. Unless it is just full of fish.



We had two crazies here. One was recently evicted due to actions that had little or nothing to do with her affliction. The other, I think is still around but on very shaky ground in spite of pleas from family to forgive and forget and here, cash this check to pay for damages. Funny how many families regard marinas as dumping grounds for relatives that once would have been sent off to the nuthouse.



But none of this has much to do with a certain size boat. The two crazies had boats bigger than mine and I don't think I am excessively insane. And I think the junkiest, most waterworld looking boat I have ever seen, was at least 50' LOA. Not that appearance makes a difference, just that such boats with vegetable and flower gardens on deck (This one had several banana plants growing in pots, a couple over 8' tall) usually are the ones that have no propulsion and no way to pump out a head tank so....



A boat for sale I looked at recently, an Out Island 41' ex charter barge that had been rode hard and put up wet for decades, had been lived aboard for several years. The owner thought the forward head was plumbed straight overboard and was surprised when the head tank overfilled. That was a few years ago and it was still full and the head unusable when we went to see the boat. The aft head was indeed plumbed straight to a through hull, and three guesses where he did his business every day. We didnt buy the boat. And we wouldn't want him for a neighbor. Luckily this was not in our marina, but on the North Shore. Somehow I imagine that with a North wind, we can probably smell him up there, crapping right overboard and the overflowing forward head fermenting month by month, year by year. By the way, no refreshments were offered when we visited. No beer = bad sign. And he was a full time liveaboard.





BTW, the families of our two crazies reportedly were VERY prompt with the quarterly slip rent for more than a decade. Just sayin.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Having been in a marina that let anyone live aboard any size, I can say generally (there are exceptions) that the type of person who will live aboard a 25’ boat is not the type of tenant that a reputable business wants around. This sucks, for those of us who are not them, but a bad egg can ruin an omelet.

Yep, it's a lot easier to point to a size limit rather than pointing out how scruffy you and your boat is.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Kita

I wonder if I have a 34ft Gemini 105mc catamaran I can count the davit to gain enough? LOL....I did have a marina say that they would charge me a little more if they stuck out there...never heard of a minimum length before for a liveaboard. Go figure I buy a 34 footer. Story of My Life,,,a day late two feet short

We never had an issue with our gemini.

Of course we kept it in good shape and didn't make a nuisance of ourselves.

We've seen this in the RV world to...if things look good, they forget to check the age/length. If you and/or the boat/RV look scruffy, they apologize but can't accept you because of the rule.

[Kita]

Makes perfect sense thank you

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Yep, it's a lot easier to point to a size limit rather than pointing out how scruffy you and your boat is.

I've had a nice marina that had no problem writing me that my top sides were getting grungy. I had no problem with that. At least I know where they were coming from and felt like they were keeping an eye on a boat I hadn't been to in months.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I've had a nice marina that had no problem writing me that my top sides were getting grungy. I had no problem with that. At least I know where they were coming from and felt like they were keeping an eye on a boat I hadn't been to in months.

You are talking about after they let you in. Using the size as an excuse doesn't work once they approve you as liveaboard.

Probably more important, you may be OK with it but others will throw a tantrum. Much easier to use a solid objective rule rather than a subjective rule.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

You are talking about after they let you in. Using the size as an excuse doesn't work once they approve you as liveaboard.

Probably more important, you may be OK with it but others will throw a tantrum. Much easier to use a solid objective rule rather than a subjective rule.

They let me in with a 31 LOA and a 22' beam sight unseen. I guess technically I was not a live aboard but nothing was mentioned about weeks at a time, I lived 550 road miles away. I believe marinas often take a bad rap. I recall one years back, Capt. Toller was a son of a bitch by some accounts. You couldn't find a nicer guy. He did me some big time favors, unrequested, but then again he didn't have to run me down for payments. I tried to pay him in advance to lifting a couple of 671s out. The old man put his arm over my shoulder and said, "Son you never pay for something until you get it.".

Point being they are businesses and like any business are there to make a profit.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Cadence

They let me in with a 31 LOA and a 22' beam sight unseen. I guess technically I was not a live aboard but nothing was mentioned about weeks at a time, I lived 550 road miles away. I believe marinas often take a bad rap. I recall one years back, Capt. Toller was a son of a bitch by some accounts. You couldn't find a nicer guy. He did me some big time favors, unrequested, but then again he didn't have to run me down for payments. I tried to pay him in advance to lifting a couple of 671s out. The old man put his arm over my shoulder and said, "Son you never pay for something until you get it.".

Point being they are businesses and like any business are there to make a profit.

The "36 ft rule" is far from a universal rule. I have no idea if your marina has that rule or something similar. For all I know they may not care if you are liveaboard in a canoe (and yes we met a guy doing just that).

From our experience, the issue is most common (but still far from universal) in Florida. The further north you get the less it's a concern but not many people liveaboard beyond the 1st winter on Lake Superior, so they can simply wait for old man winter to chase off semi-derelict liveaboard boats.

I'm not sure what the rest of your post is going on about. Nothing wrong with a business setting up rules that allow them to handle problem customers with the least amount of fuss.

[markpierce]

Here, liveaboards (specifically K dock in the Vallejo Marina) are limited to ten percent of berths. They maintain their boats in better condition than the average boat. They keep an eye out for problems too.

Now, anchored boats in Richardson Bay are another matter.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

The "36 ft rule" is far from a universal rule. I have no idea if your marina has that rule or something similar. For all I know they may not care if you are liveaboard in a canoe (and yes we met a guy doing just that).

From our experience, the issue is most common (but still far from universal) in Florida. The further north you get the less it's a concern but not many people liveaboard beyond the 1st winter on Lake Superior, so they can simply wait for old man winter to chase off semi-derelict liveaboard boats.

I'm not sure what the rest of your post is going on about. Nothing wrong with a business setting up rules that allow them to handle problem customers with the least amount of fuss.

The point of the rest was Marinas are generally easy to get along with. It's "How you hold for mouth." and your check book. If they want a 50' minimum that is their prerogative.

[nwdiver]

Often the 35 or 40 has to do with the slips available, you have a 27ft boat you pay for a 35 foot slip........you whine you go elsewhere......

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

Often the 35 or 40 has to do with the slips available, you have a 27ft boat you pay for a 35 foot slip........you whine you go elsewhere......

I'm a fan of over-sized berths, since my boat is fat.

[Hardy Bouy]

Noted 1 reference to a ‘14 day’ limit; wondering what is common number of days in month to ‘stay’ aboard. Not much time to get out this year, but I enjoy staying aboard time and again for the ease of falling asleep while thinking about the projects that could be done