Liveaboard Marinas

[CJ]

My wife & I are considering ditching the house and living aboard:rolleyes:. I do still have to work, however:mad:. Part of our planning is to check out some marinas that allow liveaboards - year 'round.

I'm finding it a bit tough to find any info on this. Seems marinas are hesitant to advertise this, probably due to the perceived 'vagabond-type' lifestyle associated with liveaboards. Does anyone know of any such marinas that would permit a couple to live aboard at their marina and can accommodate year 'round living (electric and water)? Because of the whole work thing, it would have to be somewhere between Wickford, RI and Boston (excluding anything on the Cape side of the Cape Cod Canal).

Also, anyone out there doing this now that can offer any suggestions on what to do or not to do - lessons learned sort of thing?

Thanks.

[Dave Davis]

There are places here in Newport that allow liveaboards that are pretty reasonable in the winter months--if you got to ask, you can't afford it in the summer. Newport Onshore I believe is one of them, there's a small community over there all winter, seems like Bannister's Wharf is another.

In our experience living aboard (elsewhere) the key to success is not looking like a vagrant. Our boat was ready to get underway and we sailed the boat regularly. We kept low key also by not connecting to shore at all. Cell phone, hauled ice twice a week, and solar panel for electrics. That meant no A/C, no refrigeration, no plumbed hot water. Anything beyond what we could store in the dock box we put into a storage locker (not much). Ok, bikes were on the quay in a rack.

The boats with flower pots, gear strewn all over the pier, rotting sails, and anchored to the bottom by growth are usually the ones that cause marinas to get sketchy about liveaboards. These same folks are the first to hassle the marina for 100 amp power, phone, cable, wi-fi (these days). It's a wonder what they do with their sewage too, as you never see them move to a pumpout and the 5$ for a pumpout boat seems unattainable. Don't swim next to their boats.

From what I've seen here, the best routine for privacy and value appears to be to use a mooring during the season, and move to one of the user friendly places in the winter.

[Thorne]

Dave has excellent advice. Sounds like they were closer to the 'sneak-aboard' end of the spectrum, with the "boats with flower pots, gear strewn all over the pier, rotting sails..." being the other end at "live-aboard" status.

Often it is best to visit several marinas and talk to the live-aboards. They may try to discourage you, or not be honest due to sneak-aboard status -- but when they speak truthfully you'll get the best info possible.

For example, we have a **marina** here in Richmond CA with a good rep, but the new-ish **harbormaster** has an awful one, and the liveaboards hate him.

Best of luck!

[willmarsh3]

I know a "live-aboard" at my marina who does well for the marina owners by serving as a sort of night watchman. The fact that he's present seems to help discourage would be thieves and vandals. Of course he keeps his boat ship shape and ready to sail like Dave Davis describes.

[Michael s/v Sannyasin]

Yea, I think that "don't ask, don't tell" is pretty much the policy at a lot of marinas. For liability sake, among other reasons, they might have to take an official position of prohibiting live-aboards, but many seem to turn a blind-eye. My tiny marina probably has 5 or 6 live-aboards, and one of them was hired to be the dockmaster for a while.

I think as long as you're not causing a problem, nobody is going to care.

[paladin]

There's been several discussion on this topic on this forum.....it might do you well to research them...