Monopoly marina ownership makes disabled veteran homeless

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

I miss the old days where you got to know the OWNER, could DIY just about anything you want in the yard as long as you clean up after yourself, liveaboards weren’t a problem as long as you were quiet, clean, and polite.

I'm afraid the days of yore are long gone.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

I miss the old days where you got to know the OWNER, could DIY just about anything you want in the yard as long as you clean up after yourself, liveaboards weren’t a problem as long as you were quiet, clean, and polite.

Those places still exist, they're just few and far between. I very much appreciate my boat being docked at one of those places. And at the marina I'm based out of, the owner does plenty of work in the yard as well. It's not uncommon for him to be running a lift on haul or launch days, etc.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

I miss the old days where you got to know the OWNER, could DIY just about anything you want in the yard as long as you clean up after yourself, liveaboards weren’t a problem as long as you were quiet, clean, and polite.

You left out white, straight, noncontroversial, and Christian.

[C420sailor]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I'm afraid the days of yore are long gone.

Agreed.

My marina wasn’t yet bought by Safe Harbor, and it’s pretty small, so it may not be on their list. Who knows. It was previously owned by a guy who really prioritized the everyday boater. The shop/office doubled as a chandlery, full of ropes, hoses, all sorts of hardware. There was always dock space to come in and top off your tanks, wash down your boat, etc. Service wasn’t cheap, but it was good. Then he aged out and sold it to a new guy. New guy built an outdoor bar and seating area, had a food truck come in. Cool. Except now the dock is dominated by all the guys on their massive yachts coming in to the bar. Obnoxious, drunken ******** all over the place. No parking. You can’t get any work done, and the hired help is woefully inexperienced and does terrible work. The chandlery was emptied out and now they just sell shirts and hats for the bar. The entire focus of the marina is now on the bar. Instead of a marina with a bar, it’s a bar with a marina.

And he jacked up the marina and service prices too. It’s all about the $$$.

[Davy J]

Originally Posted by ShoreFun

One party wants to let businesses do what they want and the other is trying to keep the interests of the people in mind.

Anyway things to consider when you vote.

This is very, very good advice..... don't vote for that one party, they will tell who can fix your boat, which insurance company you must use to pay for it, all the while jacking up rates for said insurance, and only give you two months to sign up for coverage. Did I miss anything?

Anyway, things to consider when you vote..........

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

Agreed.

My marina wasn’t yet bought by Safe Harbor, and it’s pretty small, so it may not be on their list. Who knows. It was previously owned by a guy who really prioritized the everyday boater. The shop/office doubled as a chandlery, full of ropes, hoses, all sorts of hardware. There was always dock space to come in and top off your tanks, wash down your boat, etc. Service wasn’t cheap, but it was good. Then he aged out and sold it to a new guy. New guy built an outdoor bar and seating area, had a food truck come in. Cool. Except now the dock is dominated by all the guys on their massive yachts coming in to the bar. Obnoxious, drunken ******** all over the place. No parking. You can’t get any work done, and the hired help is woefully inexperienced and does terrible work. The chandlery was emptied out and now they just sell shirts and hats for the bar. The entire focus of the marina is now on the bar. Instead of a marina with a bar, it’s a bar with a marina.

And he jacked up the marina and service prices too. It’s all about the $$$.

The old man that had a user friendly marina, here years back, died. His kids sold out, the boatyard became condos. Another one became large condos with price tags in the millions. Waterfront property has too much value for user friendly marines. It all comes down to the $.

[OS2Dude]

Originally Posted by markpierce

Was the purpose of marinas to provide low-cost housing or for boaters to stash their boats?

You are just SO helpful. People have lived on boat for decades. As long as the boats are maintained, what is it to you?

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

I miss the old days where you got to know the OWNER, could DIY just about anything you want in the yard as long as you clean up after yourself, liveaboards weren’t a problem as long as you were quiet, clean, and polite.

I know the owner of Safe Harbors as well as the CEO of both SH and Sun and they are great people who care about their reputation and customer satisfaction.

They also care about how onerous government regulations are over the boating and marine industry and how those compliance issues affect the prices we, as consumers, have to pay so - be careful who you think has our interests at heart when you vote. Perception isn't reality.

[Calif.Ted]

Different giant corporation same crap, harbor owned by county and built 50 years ago with most slips for boats under 35' and "regular" guy owners. Slip increases were limited to cost of living to max of 3% every 2 years. They brought in an "investment" group to manage and oversee long overdue repairs and redevelopment. Just got notice my 35' slip will be going from $19.26/ft. to $26/ft. ($673 to $900) October. 2 liveaboards near me have already left and I liked them, they kept an eye out for my boat and if I was short a tool one of them would have one. They are pressing all the local contractors (riggers, divers etc.) for larger portions of their income and have doubled slip rates for commercial users, brokers, small charter operators.
https://bellwetherfinancialgroup.com/news/
I know exactly whose best interests these guys are concerned with.

[Clivevon]

Why politicize this thread?

Because it is a political situation. The primary purpose of business is to make money, full stop. It can make choices about how it does that (rape & escape, or farm & sustain) but its still about making money one way or another.
One important purpose of government is to regulate business - to decide what is or is not acceptable. That is politics. You cannot regulate if you are not in charge.
So don't blame the business - blame the voters who allow them to behave like that. Its politics.

[Clivevon]

And the people - like you, maybe - who own the businesses, via their investments, pensions, & mutual funds...

[Clivevon]

Originally Posted by Jammer

You left out white, straight, noncontroversial, and Christian.

???????????????????

[jewt]

Originally Posted by Gulfstarcapt

There is a conglomerate marina ownership corporation that just won't stop buying marinas. Based in Dallas, Texas, this giant company started buying every marina on the east and gulf coast. As soon as the 2017 tac cuts gave them millions to spend on buyouts, all the local "mom & pop" local marinas became targets. Then after a year of advertising and making 'friends' with the communities, they started flipping the big switch.
Rate increases, contractor restrictions, increased insurance requirements and yes, live-aboard restrictions.
As a retired, but still working, navy veteran, I planned to continue living on my boat until I was physically unable. Then, this company outbid everyone around to take over management of a small, quaint, but popular municipal marina. After just 2 years, they decided to enforce a seemingly arbitrary policy of "no new live-aboards after August, 2020" . Funny thing is they decided to start enforcing this in April of 2021. I now have until August 1st, 2021 to " not live aboard". It's fine to keep my boat at the dock, they said. I just can't spend every night on it. I wouldn't have a boat this size if I wasn't living on it. Now, this disabled Navy Veteran will be homeless.
Yay corporate America!

Look into the bases nearby like Parris Island or MCAS Beaufort. There also "used to be" a few "inexpense" marinas on Hilton Head (talkin'early 70's when I was flying Harriers out of Beaufort but living on Hilton Head).
GOOD LUCK!

jewt

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by OS2Dude

You are just SO helpful. People have lived on boat for decades. As long as the boats are maintained, what is it to you?

Don't conflate the purpose of enlightenment with that of helpful - I infer he was attempting to former

[4arch]

There are a couple of midsized mom and pop marinas for sale near me. They are both well kept, well run facilities and both have small swimming pools but otherwise are fairly basic in their amenity levels. They’re in a small town that attracts a lot of seasonal retirees and weekend boaters but does not otherwise have a large full time population or many employment opportunities outside of serving this population. They are listed for sale at $4 million each.

Short of the current owners being willing to provide seller financing, I see very little hope that these places ultimately stay out of corporate hands. Precious few mom and pop buyers can come up with $4 million cash and/or financing and of those who might, it’s an even tinier subset who’d be willing to take on the dirty work of managing a marina’s day to day operations. The $4 mil put into an index fund would kick off more interest than mom and pop could likely take home as income from the business.

Whatever the reasons and whatever the right or wrong of it, we got from a place where a middle class couple in the 1960s and 70s could buy these places and earn a comfortable living as owner/operators to a place where that door has all but been shut.