Yachts as sheds?

dgadee

dgadee

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Harbour near me is trying to remove old boys' boats which never go out. Users not happy, I was told, since these are mens' sheds and a man needs a shed. I said that younger boat owners need a mooring. And I had had trouble getting one moving to the area.

Another picturesque harbour, I was told yesterday, has boats which haven't left the harbour for years.

They all, of course, pay their fees annually on time and the fees are not Solent marina sized.

What would you do? Let them stay? Tell them to put a shed in their garden?
 
If a criteria for keeping a mooring was a boat leaving harbour, I suspect many Mobos would be kicked out of most marinas!

if the users are using their boats, but staying in the harbour; I’d suggest that is still using the boat. There is after all something g pleasant about just pottering about on your boat. (I still prefer sailing to an anchorage to potter about, but still…)
 
There is a small minority in out club who keep their boat there but never move out. We have bylaws that say the boat must be kept in seaworthy condition and used. Problem is enforcing the rules and the latest idea is to tag every boat and antenna each side of the entrance to log movements. all GDPR compliant but still for many of us an unnecessary expense and intrusion when we know who the miscreants are. Maybe having hard evidence will do the trick.
 
When we finally moved our long-term refit project boat to our local marina, it amazed me to find out that all of the seemingly ‘abandoned’ boats I’d spotted over the years and wondered about (…some even lusted after!) were actually fully paid-up. There’s one on our pontoon that’s a bit of a nuisance being honest. It regularly sheds (excuse the pun) bits and pieces into the water or or onto neighbouring boats (shredded tarps etc.) in bad weather and perhaps an example like that should be ‘dealt with’ somehow. It is visited by a chap in his 80s, apparently around once a year. But otherwise - pays your money, takes your choice. No great shortage of moorings here, mind.
 
Dunno
It became the stuff of seaside myth that American marinas , in order to discourage unsightly live aboard houseboats , would require every berth holder to put to sea once a year
And on a very very calm day all these floating wotnots would be towed, outboard tugged, paddled, pushed , ‘sailed’, drifted or ..lose their mooring rights
 
The boat yard where mine lives is a somewhat rustic affair. However its ownership changed hands about 4-5 years ago and the new owner took 3 steps which has gone a long way to making things a bit more sensible. 1. A mass clear up and amnesty. Skips were ordered it was easy to dump stuff that was not needed etc. 2. Measurements were taken and fees based on actual space occupied not just claimed length. 3. The fees were increased - first for new users then for all.

Its a little less like going into a scrap yard now, but it costs me twice as much - so be careful what you wish for...
 
Here in Plockton there was a special pontoon called 'The Eternal Flame' to which dinghies were moved by the Harbour Association (now CIC) if required (un-maintained boats on un-maintained moorings will probably be dealt with by a higher authority;-).
 
In the other direction, someone built a shed/barn type affair, and took it to sea once to prove it was a boat and thus under different planning rules.
 
dgadee said:
Harbour near me is trying to remove old boys' boats which never go out. Users not happy, I was told, since these are mens' sheds and a man needs a shed. I said that younger boat owners need a mooring. And I had had trouble getting one moving to the area.

Another picturesque harbour, I was told yesterday, has boats which haven't left the harbour for years.

They all, of course, pay their fees annually on time and the fees are not Solent marina sized.

What would you do? Let them stay? Tell them to put a shed in their garden?
Click to expand...
As I have previously pointed out, in the public marinas in Toulon, rule 2 states that any boat that has not left it's berth all year will have it's mooring fees tripled the following year.

https://www.portsradetoulon.com/sites/default/files/article/Fichiers PDF/2021 tarifs amarrage plaisance.pdf
 
I have been on the Lancaster canal for years and its a 40 mile gorgeous canal, i would say 75% dont move there boat from there moorings. To me it ridiculous to do so and selfish in a way. Why not buy a bloody caravan, Moorings are so wanted for real boaters.
 
There are several boats in our harbour that don't even have the boom fitted let alone any sails on. I suppose they might go out motoring once in a while while i am not there, but I suspect not. I have even had the harbour master say to me "at least you use your boat"

There is another that has shore power hooked up and whenever I go past the front hatch is up and washboards out. I swear someone is living aboard against harbour rules.
 
I suspect that for some the fees are not an issue even if they went up 300% some are in the very lucky pension situation and as they get older have less to do and hench spend less, they cannot come to terms with letting their loved boat go, eventually leaving their families with an issue. We are starting to see this at our club
 
I have to say that i do like the idea of fees doubling or trebling if not used, especially on cheap moorings - maybe not on £10k p.a. marinas!! That way the harbour authority can get some extra money in to pay for those boats when they eventually become properly abandoned and need taking to landfill.
 
In my marina, there is a condition that berth holders must take their boat out at least twice a year. Never heard of this condition being implemented.

One small club up river for smaller older motorboats has the rule that boats can only be ashore for a maximum of 12 months, then the fees rise by 50%. It seems to do the trick and have solved the problem.
 
Whilst I agree that no boat afloat or ashore in 'public' should be left to become an eyesore and/or a risk to the environment around it, it surprises me how intolerant some of the responses here are. Do you all support a bedroom tax, I wonder?! :unsure:
 
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