Bottom Painting at Marina

billwood · #1 (**permalink**) 02-10-2003

Would like to hear from others in the North East and their marina''s policy of boat owners painting their own bottom (of the boat of course!).

tsenator · #2 (**permalink**) 02-10-2003

I think most aalow you to do it. Most if not all the Brewers chains allow it (At least the one I''m in at Stamford CT does).

I have heard of a few on the north shore of Long Island NY that say you can''t (Which I say is a crock). I would winter my boat else where if they said that.

But if you want to keep a boat someplaces they make you winet it there or there is no garauntee of a slip next year. There are a lot of boats and only a limited # of marina/slips, so they got ya by the short and curlies. Its their way of being able to raise rates and get ever larger profits.

pirateofcapeann · #3 (**permalink**) 02-10-2003

Most marinas specify that only yard personal are allowed to work on a boat. The way I understand it, this is an insurance requirement. If you get hurt while working on your boat, you may be able to sue the marina for damages. But if you have signed a yard contract which clearly states that you can''t perform the work that you were doing at the time, then the marina can''t be held liable for your injuries. This may be where you get the idea that legally, you can’t paint your own boat or do any other work on it. But at most marinas, this is for their protection only.

Now I ain’t no land shark, but I’m sure there are plenty of ‘em who own sailboats as well as read these message boards. I would be interested in hearing from some of ‘em to help us fellow sailors who are not so versed in these matters to understand how this really works. Yea, I know I’m really asking for some free counsel but I’m asking, as one sailor from another.

Thanks, Pi

paulk · #4 (**permalink**) 02-10-2003

Insurance isn''t the only possible culprit. State D.E.P. people can close marinas if too much copper is leaching into nearby marshes. This can easily happen if owners don''t sand with a vacuum sander and carefully spread (and pick up) tarps under their scrapings. It''s hard enough making sure employees are following DEP requirements. What recourse does a yard have against someone whose paint chips foul the water and cause the yard to be shut down. Not launch him? He''d sue. To stay open, the DEP makes yards in environmentally sensitive areas jump through hoops. This is especially true if they can determine with some certainty the source of the pollution. If the yard is on a bend in an open stretch of river and marshland and they find copper in the substrates - guess where it came from? If you''re in an industrial slough like the Rippowam River (Stamford) that has had factories dumping stuff into it for hundreds of years, oil barges and cement mixing going on nonstop - the DEP can''t point a lot of fingers at one source, and you get to paint your own bottom. You pays your money and takes your choices.

hamiam · #5 (**permalink**) 02-11-2003

I''ve kept my boat at various marinas in Rhode Island and Connecticut for the past 15 years. With the exception of one year when we kept the boat inside, I have been able to do any/all the work including bottom painting. More and more marinas have been going toward requiring owners to put down tarps and/or use a vacuum sanding system in order to prevent leaching of copper into the environment. I believe this is quiet reasonable. I guess as long as you know the deal before you sign that storage contract..

billwood · #6 (**permalink**) 02-12-2003

Yes, the concern is with the environmental laws. In NY State the regs say that only if the boat owner "leases" a specific space from the marina can they paint their own boat bottom. Are land storage payments the same as leasing space?

Brodie · #7 (**permalink**) 02-13-2003

The marina where I keep my boat allowed me to paint the bottom of my boat if I used either a brush or a roller, covering the ground with a tarp of some type. I was not allowed to do any heavy scraping or use a sprayer. An other marina in the area would not allow the boat owner to paint their boat.

928frenzy · #8 (**permalink**) 02-13-2003

I''m not allowed to do any work on the exterior of my boat from the toe-rail down, without the marina''s permission. I was allowed to put on the registration numbers and replace the zincs. The scraping, painting, compounding/waxing, and changing the name will either be done by them or a contractor they hire (but I will pay). I knew all this before I signed the contract, and I''m OK with it.

~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~