Are they cracking down in SF?

[tagster]

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?

[USCGRET1990]

Wouldn't surprise me...after all, it IS California!

[sharkbait]

I've found that if you maintain a low profile you can get away with just about anything here.
The nail that sticks out is the one that gets hammered down.

[oceansea]

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.

[danjarch]

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.

[Hotpuppy]

Originally Posted by USCGRET1990

Wouldn't surprise me...after all, it IS California!

You mean Cali-Wacko-Fornia?

[JT1019]

Insurance Companies already rule the world, people just don't know it.

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Hotpuppy

You mean Cali-Wacko-Fornia?

Pretty amusing, considering where you're from.

Many marinas here in the Bay Area, both private and munincipal, allow a certain percentage of their tenants to be liveaboards. In the better marinas, this is seen as a good thing, liveaboards providing a modicum of security. In other (read: less expensive) marinas, the "sneakaboard" issue is a problem, POS boats providing a place for those looking to live on the cheap to crash. The Berkeley Marina is a prime example.

[patrickbwells]

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!

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by patrickbwells

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.