Good comments. A bit off the ops question but for me you've made a great point about the proliferation of "fishing" boats. Gosport has the same - 5 am departures, their stink etc and no real berth zoning of aforesaid into one corner of marina either. Not sure what some marinas have against those who stay on board for long periods. It is somewhat an unjust policy and the more who question and 'fight' it the better!
Hi, yes I've read these reasons many times. I'd counter what you say however on a number of fronts, some specific but some generic in relation to the power balance between the marine industry in general and the users. I understand the planning thing thid has become an urban myth from decades ago ( when it may have been pertinent) and its best not to perpetuate today. Moreover, practice on the ground over the same decades in many marinas, - by both the civic authorities and the marina operators - has shown this to be, in English law, acceptable practice. If you wanted to continue to cite the planning t and c argument, the marinas could easily do as many caravan and mobile home sites did (and continue to do) and have an 11 month continuous norm in any case. So, this is the the bottom line. First , marina operators ought to in any case focus more on meeting customer needs and requirements - and only being able to live aboard for no more than X weeks in a given short period of a couple of months is just not doing that (and frankly many charging regimes it might fairly be argued are somewhat excessive for a merely providing a 'boat park'). Second, it all needs to be a lot more transparent from the marinas side and, probably, the civic authorities, In this way, alas, it is necessary to challenge the perceived norm and practice, especially where there is basically an unchallenged cartel in the provision of marina services in parts of the country, and where (for various unhealthy socio -political reasons not to go into here) there is an unacceptable and utter dominance of a wealthy user-base who care not a jot what they are charged. A sector of society wanting to live afloat (or just to be on their boat longer than some other users), or frankly being unable to live in a 'standard' bricks and mortar dwelling for whatever reasons, should not be treated as some awkward segment of society who can't be accommodated - because they can, as has been shown up and down the country. As boat cruisers we should fight any restrictions and somewhat illogical and random limitations in the use of your boat, whether it be for just sitting on it for days on end or moving place to place. To summarise, we need: more transparency and consistency of practice from marinas and civic authorities; for marine services to make far greater efforts to meet the needs of all their market segments - more capacity is needed, for sure too; and for users of aforesaid segments to challenge and, indeed, 'fight' for what is fair and proportionate....and staying for extended periods on your boat fits slap-bang in that category.
This is not a political question. If you want to live afloat then you have to fit in with what is established. The "them and us" attitude does not help. Marinas are not the answer to housing shortages. Marinas are (in general) private property and the owners can operate them however they like, consistent with the law which is what they do. Their business is to provide parking for leisure boats. Those who want to live aboard do not make up a significant market sector and in most cases they can fill all their berths with their prime targets. It is of course the case that many tolerate liveaboards who manage to fit in such a way that does not impinge on the rights of other users. It works because the marina owners have control over who they let berths to. There will always be a local "cartel" or even monopoly simply because there is a scarce resource that in most cases cannot be expanded.
Thank you Solent Cruiser very well said. What harm am I doing living on my boat? Due to the unbelievable greed of the housing market. Builders solicitors estate agents etc I can not afford a house. I do not know how the prices keep going up. How do young people start a family when a simple 3-bed house is needlessly so much. In Poole, it costs £450 a month to rent a room in someone's crappy little house. Even if I could afford a house I would much prefer to live on my boat even in winter in England. It is the best thing I have ever done. These moaners. jobsworths would they prefer me to live on the streets or have the government house me. rather then let me find another way. ?Yes, I do not pay council tax but I would pay it if the laws were made easier for liveaboards'. We are not a burden on society. We find a way in difficult times. I am a dedicated yachtsman, not a dosser.
