SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Are they cracking down in SF?

4K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  SoOkay 
#1 ·
I was reading some marina rules that seem pretty asinine. Something like "Vessels may be used for the purposes of eating or sleeping, not to exceed 72 hours within a 7 day period" which basically means you're fine to stay aboard 7 days a week if you don't stay at home more than 10 hours a day on average...seems cute.

Coming from Seattle where we have some marinas that are privately owned and have no limits, and most marinas rent from the washington state DNR and are complete nazi's about living aboard. They also have live aboard quotas (some 15% to 20% of the slips may be live-aboard slips, depending on the marina and their agreements with the DNR) and let some people live aboard.

There is also a bit of bias that basically results in crack-down on derelict vessels. I've noticed in Seattle you absolutely cannot find a slip if you call around asking for a live aboard (unless you want to pay $250k for one of those condominium dock space deals) but if you move in first, you can sometimes switch to live-aboard status with ease. Luckily I keep my vessel fairly well maintained so it doesn't look like a floating wreck.

So what's the story when it comes to living aboard in the San Francisco Bay?
 
See less See more
#4 ·
I dont know myself. Have never lived there, and am only beginning to feel the urge to acquire a cheap ( - $5000 ) boat to liveaboard after saving even that much ( unpredicatable, low income being student and selfemployed ), so have no firsthand experience.

However, i was at the Berkeley marina again on july 4th, walking around the docks. Met a boatowner with slip for his houseboat, who said he had to move out because his boat was technically classified as a houseboat, and it was not allowed to be there. If i understood him correctly, he had lived there in that boat for at least a couple years without problem up until now.

Sad that some people and governmental drones think making life harder and more expensive for people is something worth investing time and energy into.! Life should be allowed to be also affordable and liveable for even those whose passions, focus, contributions and creativity is not as monetarily rewarded as other focuses in this society which are arbitrarily valued financially more, rather than making it increasingly difficult and financially out of reach for people.

Anyway - i dont know if its a trend.? Hopefully not.
 
#5 ·
It's an insurance thing. Beyond X percentage of live aboards and the marinas liability policy goes up. More shocking to me was that the marina I'm in refuses wooden boats no mater what condition. Even if it's brand new. The insurance companies are coming to rule the world.
 
#7 ·
Insurance Companies already rule the world, people just don't know it.
 
#9 ·
It seems to me that the era of private marinas is coming to an end. The city I am currently in has two large marina; one private and one run by the port authority. Over the last few years the private marina has slowly lost various facilities such as the boat lift, refueling dock, and now, the ability to dredge the marina. This is mostly due to environmental infractions and new laws. At the same time the port facility has been adding these, and many more facilities at a very quick pace. Sure, the state facility has stricter rules regarding waste, vessel maintanence, etc., but it is also safer, cleaner, and better maintained. Almost sounds like a socialist plot!:)
 
#10 ·
It seems to me that the era of private marinas is coming to an end.
In California the trend is for municipal marinas to hand over control to private companies. This does not always mean that the tenants get better service. Another item of note is that in California, almost without exception, marinas do not (by law) provide boatyard services. Marinas and boatyards (while generally in very close physical proximity) are separate business entities providing different services.
 
#11 ·
Since you brought up the topic; our marina contract says if I sell my boat they get I think 5% of the sale price. Just because it was floating in there property when it sold.

It's always rubbed me the wrong way, anyone have the same stipulation?
 
#12 ·
Since you brought up the topic; our marina contract says if I sell my boat they get I think 5% of the sale price. Just because it was floating in there property when it sold.

It's always rubbed me the wrong way, anyone have the same stipulation?
How the hell does the marina get a piece of the action? What service do they provide that entitles them to that? That is certainly not the case in any marina I have ever kept a boat, or worked, in, AFAIK.
 
#13 · (Edited)
you know, it's as insane as it sounds. I head to read it a few times to make sure I had it right.

Although the marina is now owned by a reputable person with what I consider good business sense, he purchased it from someone with less than stellar reputation. The only thought I had was that it's still old contracts in use.

If you want, I'll dig up the contract and quote that part of it.
 
#14 · (Edited)
SoOkay, 5 percent of your boat is a good chunk of change. If it was 5 percent of a cheap boat, I would tell the Marina to "kick rocks". It would cost them more in legal fees and time than they would ever get out of it.

Tagster, putting two and two together, and once again coming up with five, I noticed that you are coming to SF Bay. Depending on how long you stay here, there are transient slips in many marinas. You will have better luck finding live aboards in the East Bay than you will in either sausalito or San Francisco.
 
#15 ·
Pretty funny that somebody living in the PRB would be shocked that there would be commissars patrolling the docks at Berkeley Marina. The sad thing down here is everything within a hundred yards of mean high tide is governed by the Bay-Coastal Development Commission (BCDC). They are the folks that restrict the live-aboard anchor-outs in Richardson Bay as well as set the max percentage of live-aboards in marinas, both public and private. For example, recently, my YC wanted to fill in a swimming pool. The permit process went smoothly until it went before the BCDC. In exchange for them signing off on the building permit they wanted us to open up our private grounds and boat yard to public access. This was so they could re-route the Bay trail from in front of our club about a hundred yards so it could follow the water's edge. Dredging down here is also prohibitively expensive. Dredge spoils are considered hazardous waste and cannot be moved from one part of the Bay to another. Nor can they be dumped in the ocean (which was declared a National Marine Sanctuary). Spoils have to be trucked away to a landfill (most common is back fill for the levies in the Delta). Port of Oakland got around this when they deepened the Estuary by pumping the spoils into Oakland Middle harbor under the guise of wetlands restoration. Aren't you glad you live in Washington? Care to re-think that move to the Bay area?
 
#16 ·
That's ok. In fact I am selling her. . . to me. She is currently legally owned by my soon to be ex wife. now what's 5% of $1.00?

I never worried about the clause. If she ever truly is sold it will happen during winter ...at a different marina
 
#17 · (Edited)
That's ok. In fact I am selling her. . . to me. She is currently legally owned by my soon to be ex wife. now what's 5% of $1.00?

I never worried about the clause. If she ever truly is sold it will happen during winter ...at a different marina
Sweeeeet. She's a nice boat. I'll give you twice what you are getting for her.:D

GeorgeB - interesting about the dredging restrictions. i would like to know how then, they can dredge out the Bay and dump it onto the sandbar off ocean beach. They spent a good part of last year doing it, and it ruined a good half mile of surf spots.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top