Marinas ...Boat sizes

[OldDan1943]

I welcome the dock master to come with the tape, measure my boat and tell me just how long it really is, including the RIB in the davits because I dont know.

 

[ssobol]

Have traveled over 40K miles in our two trawlers and stayed in a few marinas over 20 years. The only place we were ever measured for overall length was in Coinjock, North Carolina, where every boat is bow pulpit/anchor to swim platform in order to jam as many boats as possible onto their face dock. Have only been there once, back in 2002, so perhaps things have changed, but I doubt it.

In the transit season Coinjock is packed. They have one long side tie dock. They try to fit as many boats in as efficiently as possible. We showed up one October when everyone was headed south. I called on the radio and they asked what boat I had and how big. When I told them, they said "You really should have reserved in advance, but we'll fit you in." I was docked under the bow of some megayacht. So they actually sold some of their dock space twice that day. By the time we got up in the morning all but 1 or 2 boats had gone. We didn't even hear them leave.

 

[dhmeissner]

We moved to Port of Poulsbo. I had asked for a 38' slip for our 35' boat. We measured to 40' by Beavis & Butthead.

We are paying for a 40' slip. I'm not bitching, it's less than 1/2 the price of Seattle.

 

[tadhana]

We are full time cruisers on the US east coast and Canada. We are in probably 25-30 marinas a year. Most marinas accept our MFRs length at 38 feet. But in the last few years we have seen more marinas charge for swim platform and anchor pulpit. This is particularly true in the marinas in SC and GA where there is a strong current and so boats are tied along long docks parallel to the current flow. One boatyard in Deal MD has measurements painted on the side of the Travelift well. They count the bow pulpit, stern platform or any other part of the boat which they can! When you are paying by the foot to haul, power wash, block and store your boat, the extra length begins to add up.

 

[foggysail]

People like you are why Marinas need to measure. It's called an honor system for a reason.

YEAH! I can envision so called 'honest' people running to their town/city tax collectors to tell them that another toilet was added to their home...........or that they just built a new shed so they can be properly taxed. Yeah, sure, right on

 

[foggysail]

I tell them the model Grand Banks 36.
Never had a question.

If they got an attitude I would leave within minutes.

I would also

 

[smitty477]

I welcome the dock master to come with the tape, measure my boat and tell me just how long it really is, including the RIB in the davits because I dont know.

Best time is when it is on the hard or in the sling with a plum bob and tape.

 

[smitty477]

YEAH! I can envision so called 'honest' people running to their town/city tax collectors to tell them that another toilet was added to their home...........or that they just built a new shed so they can be properly taxed. Yeah, sure, right on

Extra toilets do not add taxes where we are.
Nor do sheds that do not have concrete foundations.
But boats that do not know there overall length when requested do run the risk of not having enough room on the fixed dock faces that are common among many marinas around here.

 

[jimisbell]

YEAH! I can envision so called 'honest' people running to their town/city tax collectors to tell them that another toilet was added to their home...........or that they just built a new shed so they can be properly taxed. Yeah, sure, right on

You need to move to Texas. They dont care about those things....not taxed.... We are a financially conservative state, not a Communist state.

 

[Northern Spy]

Every transient boat is measured in Powell River (aka Westview) with a surveyors wheel. If every boat is measured, then it is equally fair, right?

It's a buck a foot per day. Commercial vessels pay 25 cents per foot.

My son, who worked there for a while, reported a few people left in a huff. But a few also came back chagrined when they realized how far away the next harbour is. [emoji3]

Permanent boats pay for the slip length or the boat length, whichever is longer.

 

[OldDan1943]

Hmmm, my AT is documented as 34 ft then add in the added length of the RIB in the davits, I guess I can safely tell the girls at the bar, it is 39 ft or 40 ft. LOL

 

[foggysail]

You need to move to Texas. They dont care about those things....not taxed.... We are a financially conservative state, not a Communist state.

Oh really? I just checked where Texas is for property taxes. Effective 2019 Texas tax on a $194K home is $3,544 vs Massachusetts (used to be known as Taxachusetts) is only $2,365. Yeah.........they can ignore an added toilet when they are ripping off the taxpayers to begin with.

 

[Cartouche]

Up in Canada it is always LOA Home ports will always measure, and you pay the longer of either Boat or dock. Transient we always say what our LOA is keeps you above the frey in a dispute IMO Winter assure Square footage is coming this year, Makes sense, slim boat takes up less room.

 

[Jeff F]

Up in Canada it is always LOA...

Canada is a pretty big place!

 

[LarryM]

Oh really? I just checked where Texas is for property taxes. Effective 2019 Texas tax on a $194K home is $3,544 vs Massachusetts (used to be known as Taxachusetts) is only $2,365. Yeah.........they can ignore an added toilet when they are ripping off the taxpayers to begin with.

Well, I guess if you ignore that 5.05% Massachusetts State Income Tax it might seem higher, but remember, Texas has NO State Income Tax, so maybe the playing field is more level than you think . . . all things considered.

OK, back to Marinas and Boat Sizes and such

 

[BDofMSP]

I'm struggling to understand why a marina would NOT charge you for the entire space you're taking up. That is exactly their business model. They have X total feet of dock space, which limits their dock revenue to a multiplier of that. Short of an advertised promotion ("Swim platforms free this week!") why would they not charge? Whatever it is you have parked there is taking up space they can't sell to someone else.

 

[foggysail]

Well, I guess if you ignore that 5.05% Massachusetts State Income Tax it might seem higher, but remember, Texas has NO State Income Tax, so maybe the playing field is more level than you think . . . all things considered.

OK, back to Marinas and Boat Sizes and such

Good point......and now back to boats

 

[BandB]

You need to move to Texas. They dont care about those things....not taxed.... We are a financially conservative state, not a Communist state.

The only tax Texas doesn't have is sales tax. Has one of the highest property tax burdens and has sales tax at 8.25% in most areas.

Texas actually has over 60 different taxes including some very unique ones.
-2% extra on fireworks
-$3 on lead acid batteries ($2 if less than 12 volts)
-$1 per barrel on oyster sales....now I wonder if any connection between this one and the next one I'm listing
-$5 entrance fee to any business with live nude entertainment and alcohol.

We brag about the lack of certain taxes in FL as well, but the reality is all local and state governments require money and they get it through taxes, just different taxes in each state.

 

[jimisbell]

The only tax Texas doesn't have is sales tax. Has one of the highest property tax burdens and has sales tax at 8.25% in most areas.

Texas actually has over 60 different taxes including some very unique ones.
-2% extra on fireworks
-$3 on lead acid batteries ($2 if less than 12 volts)
-$1 per barrel on oyster sales....now I wonder if any connection between this one and the next one I'm listing
-$5 entrance fee to any business with live nude entertainment and alcohol.

Yes and NO. That list is a list of things I largely dont use, so I am not taxed on them. And a tax of a dollar on a BARELL of oysters is hardly outrageous. And property taxes......Well, it depends on how you appraise the property.......My house appraised in California would be over 2 million. Here in Texas is $250,000. So my taxes are lower on the same house.

 

[BandB]

Yes and NO. That list is a list of things I largely dont use, so I am not taxed on them. And a tax of a dollar on a BARELL of oysters is hardly outrageous. And property taxes......Well, it depends on how you appraise the property.......My house appraised in California would be over 2 million. Here in Texas is $250,000. So my taxes are lower on the same house.

And in New Mexico or Oklahoma or Louisiana your property taxes would be lower. Can't compare to California and then claim to be low.

Actually Forbes has a chart on total tax burden by state. NY is worst as five are worse than California. Texas is #5 with an overall 7.6% burden, trailing TN, WY, SD and AK. NY is 12.7% and CA is 11%.

Wallethub rated NY at 13% and CA was only 11th worse at 9.5%. Texas was only 18th at 8.2% while AK, DE, TN, FL and NH were top 5. TX had the 10th highest sales and excise tax burden, the 11th highest property tax burden and no income tax.

Interesting although hardly conclusive on anything other than Alaska.

 

[foggysail]

And in New Mexico or Oklahoma or Louisiana your property taxes would be lower. Can't compare to California and then claim to be low.

Actually Forbes has a chart on total tax burden by state. NY is worst as five are worse than California. Texas is #5 with an overall 7.6% burden, trailing TN, WY, SD and AK. NY is 12.7% and CA is 11%.

Wallethub rated NY at 13% and CA was only 11th worse at 9.5%. Texas was only 18th at 8.2% while AK, DE, TN, FL and NH were top 5. TX had the 10th highest sales and excise tax burden, the 11th highest property tax burden and no income tax.

Interesting although hardly conclusive on anything other than Alaska.

https://wallethub.com/edu/t/states-with-the-highest-and-lowest-property-taxes/11585/

 

[BandB]

https://wallethub.com/edu/t/states-with-the-highest-and-lowest-property-taxes/11585/

That's just property taxes though.

Here is their total burden.

https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494/

 

[jleonard]

My marina charges by the width of the slip. Length doesn't matter.
Winter storage is by overall length.

 

[dhrowe]

Sales tax only charges if you buy stuff. Income tax is is no matter what you spend. So if I spend part of the year on the boat would they only tax me 8/12 s of my income?? Yeah right.