Denied berthing due to age

[[208542]]

setting the scene a bit, i’ve lived on boats my entire life, on my own since 16 years old, i’m 25 now. marine electrician by trade but do all sorts of boat work. never used to have such a difficulty getting a berth in a marina or boatyard in years gone by…

in one area i’ve been denied berthing at 20 ish yards / marinas leaving me no choice but to live on anchor. everyone just saying no liveaboards except for 3 places, which are all citing age related issues.

i have a unit at one of these yards that i store stuff in / work from, but they won’t allow me to berth there because i’m too young?

i’ve got my new boat on hard standing at another yard nearby, have been staying here on and off to get it ready to go into the water but they’re now also saying i’m too young to be berthing here full time?

this doesn’t make any sense to me and surely is a form of age related discrimination? i don’t cause issues at these places, keep everything fairly tidy, keep noise to a minimum and don’t go throwing myself into other peoples business/lives unless invited to do so. don’t party and very rarely have visitors even. i also always pay in advance / on time, i earn good money so the financial thing isn’t an issue as far as i’m aware.

surely a boatyard can’t throw you out for being too young? it all seems very weird to me.

to add to this i don’t have a contract with any of these places, getting anywhere to sign into a berthing contract with me in the last couple years has proved nigh on impossible.

any thoughts?

 

[wonkywinch]

setting the scene a bit, i’ve lived on boats my entire life, on my own since 16 years old, i’m 25 now.

I had to smile at this comment (as I'm sure 90% of the forum members will). My "entire life" since age 16 spans more than half a century, it's a breath of fresh air to hear it referred to in less than a 10 year period!

The problem is probably due to be under 18 and the full legal responsibilities you have when you reach that age. Can you find an over 18 ("of full age" they used to call it) guarantor?

Edited for RTFQ reasons!

 

[Mistroma]

I had to smile at this comment (as I'm sure 90% of the forum members will). My "entire life" since age 16 spans more than half a century, it's a breath of fresh air to hear it referred to in less than a 10 year period!

The problem is probably due to be under 18 and the full legal responsibilities you have when you reach that age. Can you find an over 18 ("of full age" they used to call it) guarantor?

The OP said "I'm 25 now".

 

[Tranona]

Doubt it is anything to do with your age per se. They are just using that to hide the fact that they don't want liveaboards on their property. You have no rights to a berth for a boat to live on and most marinas/boatyards do not have planning permission for residential use. As general principle they do not have to give a reason for refusing you a berth when you do not meet their T&Cs which will almost certainly contain a no liveaboard clause in some form or other.

 

[Mark-1]

I think Tranona is right. They don't want liveaboards full stop and age is just an excuse. If those places have existing liveaboards I'd guess people slipped in under the radar and are hard to get rid off once they're in. All the more reason they don't want more.

 

[ylop]

Age is a strange excuse, it is potentially a protected characteristic but what are you going to do? Sue them and then still want to live there? They can refuse anyone without a reason so it seems strange to invent a reason - perhaps your interpretation of "i don’t cause issues at these places, keep everything fairly tidy, keep noise to a minimum and don’t go throwing myself into other peoples business/lives unless invited to do so. don’t party and very rarely have visitors even" and theirs is different.

If this: "i earn good money so the financial thing isn’t an issue" is true its probably easier just to conform and get a flat!

 

[[208542]]

I think Tranona is right. They don't want liveaboards full stop and age is just an excuse. If those places have existing liveaboards I'd guess people slipped in under the radar and are hard to get rid off once they're in. All the more reason they don't want more.

yeah it just seems a really odd way to put it, especially considering these places are full of people living aboard under the radar. 20 odd of them at the yard i’m at now for example.

Age is a strange excuse, it is potentially a protected characteristic but what are you going to do? Sue them and then still want to live there? They can refuse anyone without a reason so it seems strange to invent a reason - perhaps your interpretation of "i don’t cause issues at these places, keep everything fairly tidy, keep noise to a minimum and don’t go throwing myself into other peoples business/lives unless invited to do so. don’t party and very rarely have visitors even" and theirs is different.

If this: "i earn good money so the financial thing isn’t an issue" is true its probably easier just to conform and get a flat!

just seems a weird excuse to use. when you say conform and get a flat i don’t live on a boat because i think it’s cheap housing or a walk in the park or whatever, i do it because i enjoy spending a good half the year out and about travelling around the country and like boats and being outdoors. if i didn’t it would literally make no sense to live this way.

 

[ylop]

yeah it just seems a really odd way to put it, especially considering these places are full of people living aboard under the radar. 20 odd of them at the yard i’m at now for example.

If there's 20 odd people living aboard all year round and they've only told you to move on then its something you have done/doing. If 3 places are all citing age its very odd - but I'd suggest word has got round you are best avoided. Are you sure there's nothing you've done which "age" is a polite way to say immature? e.g. an aura of cannabis surrounding your boat? a hot-headed argument with another resident? or even just you are being too conspicuous about living aboard (there's council tax / rates / planning headaches why most marinas welcome visitors, even long term visitors but not live aboards).

just seems a weird excuse to use. when you say conform and get a flat i don’t live on a boat because i think it’s cheap housing or a walk in the park or whatever, i do it because i enjoy spending a good half the year out and about travelling around the country and like boats and being outdoors. if i didn’t it would literally make no sense to live this way.

If you are travelling you aren't "living aboard" in the sense that most marinas/yards worry about, which makes it even more likely that there's an underlying reason they don't want YOU.