Threshold for Liveaboard?

[Ben]

Hi all,
What do most marinas consider the threshold to be considered a liveaboard? I work from the dirt home, but can see a scenario when I would work more from the boat.

I imagine it is when more than 50% of the month is spent on the boat, but I really don’t know. Thanks

 

[Lepke]

Ask your marina.

 

[Portage_Bay]

It will vary by marina. Some are days out of a week. Some days out of a month. Some allow you to back one block of days up against another. Some don't.

 

[Comodave]

Yes, many marinas have their own definition of a liveaboard. Some definitions are set by ordinance by the local or state authorities.

 

[STB]

For the marinas I know, you can be on your boat every day. But, you can only sleep on your boat consistent with some limits. I'd write "overnight accomodation", but my offer for a nocturnal schedule didn't impress at least one marina.

So, basically, I think if you sleep more than a small few hours on your boat in a 24hr period, it counts.

 

[tiltrider1]

In the PNW the port authorities chose 14 days as the threshold hold. This came from Washington State DNR using this verbiage for differentiating campers from squatters of public lands.

 

[mvweebles]

Pier 39 Marina San Francisco (FYI - anyone want to purchase my lease on a 40x14 foot slip? Effective slip rent is under $10/ft/mo). FYI - "BCDC" is the governing body controlling such things as this in San Francisco Bay.

As others have said, restrictions vary widely. As a person who quietly lived at a non-liveaboard marina for many years, my sense is the rules are mostly there for one of two reasons. First, to make money. Second, as a lever to remove disagreeable liveaboards, meaning quiet, nondescript liveaboards are allowed.

In the past, some public marinas had what was commonly referred to as the "3 day rule", where one could sleep on their boat 3 days in a 7 day period. WE ARE NOT A PUBLIC MARINA. We are a private marina, and WE DO NOT have a "3 day rule". 9 days max monthly (30 days), no more than 48 consecutive hours and the vessel should leave the dock at least once during that period. Do not inconvenience yourself, or us by ignoring this BCDC legislated restriction on vessel use."​

Good luck -

Peter

 

[Benthic2]

How would anyone know how many hours or nights in a row you had spent onboard? Do these places make you sign in and out?

 

[mvweebles]

How would anyone know how many hours or nights in a row you had spent onboard? Do these places make you sign in and out?

Most marinas now have electronic entrance keys. They can easily track your entrance and exit if they so chose.

 

[Portage_Bay]

How would anyone know how many hours or nights in a row you had spent onboard? Do these places make you sign in and out?

I don't know how they track liveaboards at my marina but they do. The rules here are 3 days out of 7 and you can not back to back your stays making it 6 days in a row out of 14. I'm aware of two instances where they told the violators of the rule they had to move off the boat at the end of 3 days.

 

[psneeld]

Marinas know if they check up on it my marina is staffed 24hrs and they are sharp enough to know who is tbere a lot.

Many marinas on the East Coast dont have security so electronic tracking other tha video is probably out

 

[OldDan1943]

IF you own the slip, .....
IF you live quietly.....
IF you dont hassle the staff and treat them well...

They used to have 24hr days..... I would go grocery shopping once a week or buy parts to reset the clock.

 

[tiltrider1]

The truth is there are many sneak aboards. The ones who are quiet and keep a clean boat are Usually ignored. It’s the ones with multiple cars in the parking lot, dog crapping on the dock and the boat looks like a junk yard, these are the ones that get caught.

Problem is are you willing to invest in the life style with the threat of being evicted. I am not.

 

[STB]

How would anyone know how many hours or nights in a row you had spent onboard? Do these places make you sign in and out?

At my marina...

- Electronic gate access after hours

- Night security guard's fire watch log, i.e. as the security guard rounds they log any boat with lights on and the boat of any owner they see, such that, in the event of a dock fire, they know which boats to evacuate 1st.

- They aren't fools and know what is going on, but are reasonable with reasonable people versus counting minutes.

Some people don't go in or out after hours, or call people on the inside to let them in and (a) cover their windows such that light cant get out, e.g. with 1" foam or (b) Always.leave certain lights on "for security" such that they can't bebused to determine occupancy.

 

[Ben]

The truth is there are many sneak aboards. The ones who are quiet and keep a clean boat are Usually ignored. It’s the ones with multiple cars in the parking lot, dog crapping on the dock and the boat looks like a junk yard, these are the ones that get caught.

Problem is are you willing to invest in the life style with the threat of being evicted. I am not.

Not meaning surreptitiously. I mean from the sense of what is the general criteria. I might go down 4 weekends a month. Curious about marinas guidelines.

 

[tiltrider1]

Not meaning surreptitiously. I mean from the sense of what is the general criteria. I might go down 4 weekends a month. Curious about marinas guidelines.

What is a weekend? Friday and Saturday night, or Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. If the former I can’t see were you would cross anyone’s threshold for liveaboard. If the second, you might run into an issue. It would be a rare marina that would take issue with 3 nights a week. Most marina’s won’t even know you are there.

 

[rwidman]

Yes, many marinas have their own definition of a liveaboard. Some definitions are set by ordinance by the local or state authorities.

This is the answer I would have posted if you had not beat me to it.

 

[rwidman]

Most marinas now have electronic entrance keys. They can easily track your entrance and exit if they so chose.

That is not at all true. Some marinas have electronic entrance keys. Most do not.

 

[rwidman]

I am going to speculate that in many, perhaps most cases, it is local laws that govern living aboard boats in marinas and if a marina takes any action as far as liveaboards, it is to protect themselves in regard to those local laws.

In some cases, a marina's operating permit may prohibit "liveaboards", in other cases the operating permit may limit the number of liveaboards and may even define the term.

At my marina, the staff are pretty aware of who lives aboard their boat because they see them day in and day out. If you see a guy walking up the dock every morning with his shower kit or his briefcase, it's pretty clear that he is living aboard. If his boat is on the weekly pumpout list, he is probably living aboard.

And of course if you get your mail and packages delivered to the marina, there's a good chance that you are living on your boat.

If you want to live on a boat in a marina, it's best to make sure that you will be allowed to do that before you buy a boat and sign an annual lease.

 

[PPandE]

What is a weekend? .

I vote for noon to noon on consecutive Wednesdays.

 

[OldDan1943]

Not meaning surreptitiously. I mean from the sense of what is the general criteria. I might go down 4 weekends a month. Curious about marinas guidelines.

It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
If you do not ask the marina for their guidelines, you can plead ignorance.

 

[Shrew]

A lot of this is regional. In places where there is a defined season, such as the Great Lakes or New England, this is not really an issue. At least it's not in New England.

In these locations, most of the marinas shut down completely by around Nov. 1.

There are MANY snowbirds who live on their boats from Mid-May until Columbus Day (Early August).

Overpopulated areas where you can live aboard all year I'm suspect are much different.

 

[Comodave]

It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
If you do not ask the marina for their guidelines, you can plead ignorance.

And then they evict you. How good is that? Better to find one that you can legally liveaboard.

 

[gsholz]

I have never encountered issues staying a week or two weeks working on the boat. The boat was about 8 hours away from home. Not something you drive every day.

 

[FF]

Mail and UPS delivery is a give away.

 

[Ben]

It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.

If you do not ask the marina for their guidelines, you can plead ignorance.

They usually make you sign something.

 

[OldDan1943]

They usually make you sign something.

I guess I have the advantage of owning my slip and laying low plus I respectful of all the dock men, the office lady and the dock master. Plus I tip good.

 

[Spinner]

In searching out marinas recently, an otherwise promising Marina allowed only 2 nights per month onboard ….

 

[HTurner]

My non live aboard marina lease allows 15 overnights per month. We have electronic fobs for gate, there is a marina patrol. No problem staying over night, just let them know.


My marina is a municipal owned marina. For live aboard, boat must be a minimum of 30' and background check is required.

 

[psneeld]

Another great exercise in that often a question on TF is difficult or can't be directly answered because of so many different realities, experiences, possibilities.......

Asking specific and not generic or broad questions helps if looking for a specific answer. If you want the full range of possibilities....ask away!