floating junk yards

[heerenleed]

Why do so many liveaboard boats look like floating junk yards? This morning I walked from the boat to the parking lot, and it really schocked me to see that half of the liveaboard boats in my marina (there's some 15 in total) succeed in making their boats and the immediate surroundings look like a junk yard. No wonder many marina's don't like to see us arrive. Also, why do liveaboards try to live like they own a house that floats, ie putting garden furniture on their pontoons instead of using the cockput if they wish to sit outside, leaving rusty bbq's ashore when they do't use it.

The recent story about a liveaboard family kicked out of a C&N marina does not surprise me at all. Marina's try to look attractive to both resident and visiting yacht owners.

We should at least try and look like proper yachts. The best way to do this IMHO is actually moving the boat from time to time. Some Dutch marina's put this in their contracts: the obligation to take the boat out at least a certain number of times per annum

Hope this post is controversial enough to get some reations....

happy sailing

Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands

 

[HaraldS]

Does your living room at home look like the demo rooms set up in the furniture houses?

But I agree, marinas are not aimed at liveaboards, but more at people who want to keep shiny status symbols in an impressive surrounding.

 

[Guest]

Just to put you straight the family in cardiff always kept their boat and sarrounding looking like a show home and where very popular - hence the uproar. The issue was possibly that the boat looked like Noas' Ark but thats no excuse for such shoddy treatment, it had looked that way for some years with no complaints. I agree though that if you use a marina it is importand to consider others - Livaboards dont litter the pontoons and othere TIE UP YOUR HALYARDS so we can all sleep, sorry thats my pet hate!

Roly, Voya Con Dios, Glasson, Lancaster http://www.voya.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk//MW1/Intropage.htm

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Sorry I have to agree , some liveaboards do look like junk-yards It the same some council house tennents keep their houses like Sh--houses Its the Gypo in them, same with caravan owners some are wonderful others dumps .We liveabard for 4-5mts of the year with two kids ,but my wike would hate to think that we could be spotted. by the rubbish that we have accumulated .cheers bobt

Bob T

 

[heerenleed]

What do you mean, my living room at home..... I live aboard.

But I think I need to be more precise on what I really mean. If you think I really like "shiny status symbols in impressive surroundings" you are mistaken. If you could see our marina you would know. It is quite rural, extremely simple, but it tries to look friendly. No clipped lawns. We try to make it bloom with wild flowers. The average boat is under 30 ft, and Mercedeses and BMW's are rare in the parking lot.

Half of the liveaboards do their best to keep their surroundings pleasant. It's the other half I was talking about. Littering their pontoons with things they could and should stow on their boats. It's typical. It's the boats that never move that cause the mess. I wonder why they live aboard. I start thinking it's because its a cheap alternative to living in a house. Not the conviction of wanting to combine living and sailing a boat.

BTW, I hate boats that look like they just came out of a showroom.

See what I mean?

cheers

Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands

 

[heerenleed]

This is exactly what I mean. Living aboard does not keep us from keeping the boat ready to go places at any moment.

cheers

Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands

 

[heerenleed]

Thanks. I tried to look up the earlier thread but could not find it. It was probably older than I thought. You are quite right, this is no way to treat people, and certainly not at such a short notice. There must have been some sort of hidden agenda from the management of the marina, like needing the mooring for a friend or something similar. You should try and find out who's taking the mooring once left by the family in question.

I could not agree more with you about the bl**** hallyards. Also, in bad weather it's the liveaboards who tie extra mooring lines and look after the entire fleet in stormy nights when no HM is in sight.

cheers

Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands

 

[HaraldS]

Sure see what you mean. I was just asking for a bit more tolerance, but I guess there are limits. I was just thinking that a liveaboard boat naturally looks different, simply from the different needs that arise.
It's a small space that people have to live on so they tend to spread out. I think the acid test is, how long does it take you to pack up things and put to sea?

 

[heerenleed]

Perhaps I'm lucky. In my marina the tolerance problem is not existing. The HM is also owner of the marina, he is quite happy with us, if only because there are always people around to avoid propblems.

The non-liveaboards are quite happy with us as well, for the same reasons. But no-one likes to spend his leasure time in a garbage disposal site. That is passing the limits.

I think I would pass the acid test. We take 3 minutes, just the time to disconnect shorepower and telephone line. But again I may be lucky, our boat is large enough to keep everyting inside. The time we motor out of the river is more than sufficient to stow whatever is lying about in the cabin.



Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands

 

[luckyjimbo]

And put the bloody hose pipe back when you finish

.

 

[ccscott49]

Re: And put the bloody hose pipe back when you finish

What you don't have your own? I do, then I can always use it when I WANT to!

 

[wakeup]

Rumour has it the reason the marina company wanted to get rid of the noahs ark boat was that it was no longer a boat. i.e. it did not have an engine or sails or a way of steering and contravened their insurance becasue it was not legally a boat.

I dunno if this is true but it sounds plausible. Whereas there are other boats in that marina with livaboards that do regularly take their boats out to sail.

yada yada..<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by wakeup on Wed May 29 10:19:18 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[heerenleed]

That story sounds plausible indeed.
I do not know the UK regs. but in the Netherlands no marina would be allowed (by the authorities) to have anything other than moving boats.

Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands

 

[Paul_on_a_Nic]

Re: And put the bloody hose pipe back when you finish

I sopped using the pontoon hose when I saw someone put the end into their blackwater tank to flush it out!

 

[Mirelle]

I agree. I am an ex live aboard and may do so again.

 

[firstspirit]

Dear Peter,

I confess you have me gripped, what exactly is half of 15?

Lets be safe for the minute and give your side the one extra and say for the sake of it 8 are tidy and clean and 7 are floating junks. 8 and 7 is 15. I am glad that I don't live where you are and the national politics don't run the same way. On this kind of statistic you would be getting rid of almost half of the population for not sharing your view. Having a bit of a harsh head isn't taking notice of democracy and obviously, of what alot of people choose to belive in. Caravans, boats, flats, tents, railway sidings, cardboard boxes, whatever, who gives a damn what people live in or look like. If people are happy and not hurting anyone?

If marina operators want dosh, they take it from where they can, even sruffy liveaboards. But please do not judge or try to get rid of people just because they do not come up to your standard. Try a shot of mediocrity for goodness sake, or better still just don't look at these palaces that offend you, or is that just too simple? I don't suppose you keep watching the telly when you don't like what's on it do you?

As for why people live aboard, I'm sure there are lots of different reasons. Being cheap is not one of them I assure you. I suggest, that it may be, to feel that one has escaped or can escape from that fanatical, ordered, tidy, clean, predictable safe environment that living in a house can sometimes bring on, which of course, everyone is entitled to do, if they so wish.

I am encouraged by your approval of wild flowers but I only wish your natural chaos appreciation of wild flowers, could extend to your fellow humans. By the way, I think most of your wild flowers over this side of the waters would be nuked on site. probably classed as weeds! But then who decided what is a weed and what is a flower, probably someone like you I'm afraid. Straight line border plants, nice regular patterns, I'm going to be sick... 'scuse me! Please, let nature get on with it and us all.

Seriously I take exception to general health and safety issues of course but applied to all vessels all the time. So come on, Peter, get a grip, let democracy reign, let freedom of the people flower and for goodness sake chill out. Try combing your hair backwards or doing something less silly than looking at other people being free and expressing themselves.

 

[firstspirit]

Rumours are very dangerous animals because nobody accepts that they started them or had anything to do with keeping them alive, so whilst your honesty is applauded, that you don't know if something is true, some people will continue to repeat you posting and as in the case of all games of chinees whispering, somebody always forgets the little details!

 

[firstspirit]

You mentioned something about not finding an old thread, well this old kipper has done it for you, give it a whirl!

I kindly suggest you look at a posting from Nictsi Yachting monthly Scuttlebutt 20.03.02. You may be better informed!