Living aboard

Wansworth

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What constitutes living aboard in a marina in the Uk.Can I live on the boat and say go out for a few days every week.Fir example Chichester marina do they allow livea boards and is there a specific problem that means you are a liveaboard like delivery of mail or registration for the health service,thanks
 

Fr J Hackett

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No it would be to move there interested in your thoughts
Just you or both of you? As to living aboard in the UK although I have met several who have managed on small 26 foot boats it can't be comfortable especially in the winter. For me I would want a sizeable boat. Then there are all the problems of registering for medical care etc.
 

Wansworth

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Just you or both of you? As to living aboard in the UK although I have met several who have managed on small 26 foot boats it can't be comfortable especially in the winter. For me I would want a sizeable boat. Then there are all the problems of registering for medical care etc.
Yes I Magín it’s the paperwork …..size about 32foot with a wheelhouse😂
 

Fr J Hackett

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I think you might struggle to get the berth in the first place and is going to cost upwards of £4,000 a year. I hope at your time of life this isn't heralding a separation.
 

veshengro

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It's a long time since I lived aboard in an English Marina, and then only as a Winter resident that the Marina Manager knew would be gone in the Spring. Brighton in the early 2000's. There were a lot of 'unofficial' liveaboards there at that time and some real eyesore floating homes, but also some pretty smart well maintained vessels too with permanent residents aboard.
I was away, up the East Coast to visit my Brother on the Humber in the early Spring when I heard that Brighton Marina had clamped down on liveaboards, I don't know the full details but I was told that the liveaboards formed an official membership association to fight the decision and I believe, but cannot verify, that an agreement was reached in which some liveaboards became official residents.
I have no knowledge of the agreement, numbers or conditions etc, so my version is only liveaboard gossip.
I did hear an amusing story that the liveaboards all went en masse to Brighton Council and demanded housing as they were about to become homeless. As Brighton was already knee deep in homeless anyway, the Council threw Teddy out the pram and leaned on the Marina owners, and liveaboards magically got permission to live aboard.

All a long time ago and as someone pointed out berthing fees have increased a touch and there may be a clause in any berthing arrangement, if you can afford one, about living aboard.
In my day, mail to the Marina office was ok, parcels no, they had to be addressed and collected ashore somewhere. I only used it as a winter refit, see the family berth anyway as I went away in The Spring for a year plus. Two winters, I stayed there, Marina staff were friendly but the price increase meant next winter at home was a swinging mooring at West Mersea...:ROFLMAO:
 

Trident

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I lived aboard for a couple of years during and after lock down having planned to sail off round the world and so got rid of the house - the broker who sold me the boat and was onsite at the marina was kind enough to let me use their office address for mail and even bank statements etc - something you might ask if buying a boat through a broker who stands to make some money out of the sale...
 

PlanB

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Lots of thoughts on the subject on Liveboard forum.
A few:
Few marinas allow liveaboard now.
Even if they turn a blind eye, it is not often that they let you use the address for mail.
You'll need a permanent address (and possibly proof of it) to register with GP.
Also for bank account etc.
 
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