Does anybody know why......

[Guest]

you can't live on a boat in a marina in the UK? I assume it is something to do with council tax....? How many months of the year onboard equates to living on it? Is there a way around it? Is there anybody already doing this? I ask because we will need to live aboard for about 18 months (to save cash) before we go off cruising. Unfortunately we can't marina hop because we have jobs. Any ideas?

 

[Guest]

Does the same apply to moorings and canals ?

 

[Guest]

eh ?

I know people who live on boats in marinas. who says you cant ?

 

[Guest]

So do I,,,,,,

at least six boats, plus it gives some security to the rest of us.

 

[Guest]

Dover Marina......

St. Katherine Dock - possibly others but these are the two that I have looked at. No, I don't know why, but they have it in their small print. I understand caravan/ camping sites have the same rules. Would hate to sell the house and then find out that we have nowhere to live (violins please).

 

[Guest]

Re:I met a family living on one in Shamrock Quay NM..

NM

 

[Guest]

live aboard

Not so long ago i was in a marina in Milford Haven. Now I don't want bother for someone so i wont say which. There were 3 or 4 liveaboards there and they received a 50% rebate on their dues for just being there to prevent bother. Small fee also paid for night security if required. Don't think anyone owns up to the tax man.

 

[Guest]

The marina police

Perhaps it's just Dover - the tone of their rules and regulations just makes me want to hand over the cash and not inconvenience them with leaving my boat with them. I would lie awake at night waiting for the "Dover Marina Police" to come and arrest me as rule 3.4.4 of their tariff booklet clearly states "no person may live on a craft nor use it as a houseboat in the Marina" (punishable by keel hauling no doubt)

 

[Guest]

You\'ve got me worried!...

I had no idea that there were marinas where you couldn't live aboard your boat! If anyone has more inforamtion on the subject, I, for one, would be very grateful to hear about it. We don't have anywhere else to live! Nor are we in a position to be able to afford a boat and somewhere else. We, like most ordinary people, can just about manage one home and a reasonably frugal lifestyle. Ours happens to be a floating home. The last time she was in the UK was, admittedly, quite a few years ago, but when did certain marinas start having no live-aboard rules, I wonder, and why?

 

[Guest]

When beaurocrats get involved. nm..

,,,

 

[Guest]

Common sense gets stifled under a paper mountain...;-) nm

nm

 

[Guest]

Try Chiswick-on-Thames

There's a neat litle pontoon on the tidal Thames just upstream of Hammersmith and I thought it would be fun to leave my masts down-river somewhere and keep her there next winter. Answer: This pontoon is available only to "visiting residential vessels." Great address, by the way.

 

[Guest]

Sounds great but..

my job is in Ashford and Tim works in Dover. I mentioned St. Katy's because because I used to live in London and that's when I last looked into the liveaboard thing. At the time I thought it was just London that had these ridiculous rules but apparently not.

 

[Guest]

I think such a rule is fairly common.......

but don't make a nuisance of yourself, don't hang washing over all the place, make yourself useful and then most places will turn a blind eye, and be thankful that there's someone around.

 

[Guest]

And sometimes, I think, the local council won\'t allow it ....

....because they know what filthy, polluting sort of people all yachties are.

And I think some marinas aren't prepared to deal with emptying holding tanks and so on, too.

 

[Guest]

The Legend ?

Nice family, we're moored next to them. They've bought a garden centre on the welsh border I think and havent been living on board over winter (cant blame them with the storms).

 

[Guest]

It\'s 12 and....

... another problem is "Security of Tenure2 and their not being able to evict you from your home.

MDL have this in their contrasct but a good few people get around it. All you have to do is go stay with a friend for a couple of nights. How many people sleep in the same bed for 365 nights every year (hope that doesn't bring out the wags!)

Steve Cronin

 

[Guest]

I've got a mate who lives aboard in Brighton Marina - he's been there for over a year, refurbishing his boat before sailing to sunnier climes. Likewise on my pontoon in Chichester Marina, there's someone living on a motor boat. I suspect there is rules and regulations set by individual councils, bit it depends on how the marina operates them.

 

[Guest]

Re: You\'ve got me worried!...

Yes, it's true, you can't just live aboard your yacht in an average UK marina. The reason is because of various council regulations (you are liable for council tax, for one thing), which makes it prohibitive for the marinas. Most marinas don't seem to mind much beyond that, except possibly that you just might establish permanent rights to a berth.

But hundreds of people do live aboard in marinas. We lived in one for two years until last year. You just sign the marina agreement promising not to live aboard, smile sweetly and go right ahead. Don't cause too much fuss (a high profile in the berth-holders association might be a bit risky). Take the yacht out from time to time to show willing (though not everyone even does that). Get a postal address ashore and don't use the boat or the marina office as your address.

You can tell the marinas where this happens. The tell-tale signs are television ariels hoisted on masts, and cabin lights showing during off-season weekday evenings.

Very occasionally the local council will have a purge. Its happened just once in the last 20 years here, but other councils are more antagonistic, and these need to be avoided.

Try to pick a marina with electricity included in the price. That's what decided where we ended up!

BTW many yacht insurances forbid living aboard, something else to watch.

 

[Guest]

Marina police ... bark worse than bite?

The Dover Harbour Board police responsible for the marina (I won't name them) were always very pleasant and chatty to us people who were errr ... 'staying' ... on our yachts.

The sight of a 'bobby' riding a bicycle along the pontoons on his evening round is something you don't see everywhere. Dover marina has an excellent security record, which given the area is remarkable.