Evicted from the marina!

[fwebster]

Whoa, this thread is really getting testy, but I have to wonder since it is titled “Evicted from the Marina”, did the guy get kicked out for filling his boat with gas, OR was it for a major violation of his Marina contract?

I have so many rules and regulations in my contract, any of which I could be asked to leave the marina for violations of. I have to wonder, especially in this time when marinas are actually losing customers to the economy. Hell in my contract I can’t even bring in some outside technician to work on my boat! Maybe this guy was on the edge from other things in the past and this was the perfect excuse to give him the boot!

You make a very valid point............ I suspect that the long list of rules you agree to when you sign a marina contract is more about making the customer aware of the rules and making them a matter of contract rather than posting the list and making compliance voluntary. No privately owned marina wants to run customers off and I bet if you knew all the circumstances there were probably other reasons that the infractor was asked to leave. Having been a "student" of the business at our marina for about 20 years, I know that is the case here. Management works hard to be sure we have a good group of customers and the drunks, the nudists, the party all nite-ers, the constant complainers, habitually using uninsured and incompetent contractors, etc. don't last. I know of 4 evictions (about 500 boats in storage here) in 20+ years and every one have been for more than a rules violation.

 

[hack4alivin]

Bill, since you pay your marina charges on time and are a good neighbor they'll probably give you a "by" on the first offense or two. :thumbsup:

I got a good laugh out of that one! :grin:

 

[Turtlesboat]

You have nudists at your marina?

 

[rondds]

"Had"

 

[hack4alivin]

You have nudists at your marina?

Saw a boat one morning over at Fairlee Creek that was loaded with nudist….. OMG they had more rolls than Dunkn Donuts! Not a pretty sight!

 

[douglee25]

You guys need to check out the nudist group that Rob talked about year in FL!

Doug

 

[sdarc]

….. OMG they had more rolls than Dunkn Donuts! Not a pretty sight!

Those rolls were their "floaties" :wow:

 

[mwph]

Whoa, this thread is really getting testy, but I have to wonder since it is titled “Evicted from the Marina”, did the guy get kicked out for filling his boat with gas, OR was it for a major violation of his Marina contract?

As I posted earlier, I don't know the history behind this particular tenant. Our owner is a pretty gruff/hard nosed guy, but I'm almost sure an exception could or would have been made if the need was there. I'll learn more this weekend.

As for vacancies & hard times hitting the marina business.... 1) we have some empty 30' slips but this was in a 40 footer & they stay pretty full with long time tenants. 2) Last years tornado took a HEAVY toll on our marina. We lost an entire dock of 40+ foot covered slips and damage to a couple other 35 & 40 foot docks. With all the slip & general revenue that comes with them, I doubt the boss is just kicking people out for the fun of it.

 

[hack4alivin]

As I posted earlier, I don't know the history behind this particular tenant. Our owner is a pretty gruff/hard nosed guy, but I'm almost sure an exception could or would have been made if the need was there. I'll learn more this weekend.

As for vacancies & hard times hitting the marina business.... 1) we have some empty 30' slips but this was in a 40 footer & they stay pretty full with long time tenants. 2) Last years tornado took a HEAVY toll on our marina. We lost an entire dock of 40+ foot covered slips and damage to a couple other 35 & 40 foot docks. With all the slip & general revenue that comes with them, I doubt the boss is just kicking people out for the fun of it.

I did not mean to imply that is was just “for the fun of it”. As I said in my post there are many rules and regulations written into your contract than can get you immediately throw out of a marina. I would guess fueling your own boat would be one of yours; I know it is my contract. So, that being the case and this person being caught in the act, the marina exercised its contract clause….whatever their reason.

 

[rondds]

Some interesting clauses to look for in your contract...
1. no outside contractors
2. outside contractors must check in at the office. This is to be sure they are insured, but they may be charged an "entrance fee," which is tacked on to the boat-owner's bill
3. absolutely no DIY (this includes changing a prop on your outdrive or a zinc on your engine)
4. if you put a "For Sale" sign on your boat and if it sells, the marina gets 10%

 

[Pakmule]

I love owning my own dock.

 

[tdappleman]

Sometimes it's good to have the boat on the trailer..... I fill the truck and the boat at the same time at my neighborhood station.

 

[Bucit]

I love owning my own dock.

+1 Having my boat on the lift outback is the only way to go!

 

[wvsundancer]

As mooring chairman at our "Boat Club" (read private membership) we have rules about no fueling on the docks at anytime for any reason. WE have a fuel dock with an attendant. No jet ski's thank you very much.. We allow the general public to purchase fuel at our dock as long as they are willing to abide by our rules. If you are caught filling your boat from cans we will invite that member to find dockage somewhere on the river but not at our boat club. Stupid is as stupid does

 

[hack4alivin]

Some interesting clauses to look for in your contract...
1. no outside contractors
2. outside contractors must check in at the office. This is to be sure they are insured, but they may be charged an "entrance fee," which is tacked on to the boat-owner's bill
3. absolutely no DIY (this includes changing a prop on your outdrive or a zinc on your engine)
4. if you put a "For Sale" sign on your boat and if it sells, the marina gets 10%

These are all in my contract, except the DIY, they do allow that, at least I think they do….. We got one of those long legal documents that everyone must sign but no one reads. Hell they might hold title to my boat by now and I don’t even know it. Of course our marina is owned and operated by MM, so the slip rental agreement reads like a sales contract. I’m surprised I don’t have to go to the settlement table every year!

 

[AKBASSKING]

Way to go Turtle!

I don't get these marinas that have all these rules about working or gassing your boat. I for one would never stay at such a socialist place! As far as filling up with cans, so long as the can is approved for gasoline or diesel and the owner takes care when filling, there is no difference than going to a fuel dock other than your wallet is a little fatter...... Really? I have a choice and that is to act with my feet and my money. Yep it is my money and I choose who does what on my boat not the marina.....

 

[fwebster]

It is an individual situation..........in a lot of places, there are very few slips available, particularly for wide beam boats. If I were to lose my current slip, I don't think I could find another 16 ft wide slip in town, so that tends to color my viewpoint about my socialist marina. Am I going to quit boating or drive an additional 3 hours hours every day to go boating because I let my ego interfere with making a smart decision? Nope............but, I'm lucky. We have a great marina, drive up parking behind the boat, covered slips, excellent management and superb mechanics that can fix a boat right the first time and not make a mess, and the marina loves it when I work on my own boat.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Way to go Turtle!

I don't get these marinas that have all these rules about working or gassing your boat. I for one would never stay at such a socialist place! As far as filling up with cans, so long as the can is approved for gasoline or diesel and the owner takes care when filling, there is no difference than going to a fuel dock other than your wallet is a little fatter...... Really? I have a choice and that is to act with my feet and my money. Yep it is my money and I choose who does what on my boat not the marina.....

We have a neighborhood dock, so I have come to learn about some of these issues. My impression is that it boils down to being able to buy insurance and in many cases the rules such as no DIY, and approved vendors only are made by the insurance carrier. It's the same thing as little kids being required to wear PFDs on the dock.

Fueling is a huge risk because the cost of an oil spill gets vicious real fast and the blame does not fall on the donkey that did it, but on the property owner. No question many marinas don't push back too hard, but my take is that they are between a rock and a hard place.

Henry

 

[hack4alivin]

It is an individual situation..........in a lot of places, there are very few slips available, particularly for wide beam boats. If I were to lose my current slip, I don't think I could find another 16 ft wide slip in town, so that tends to color my viewpoint about my socialist marina. Am I going to quit boating or drive an additional 3 hours hours every day to go boating because I let my ego interfere with making a smart decision? Nope............but, I'm lucky. We have a great marina, drive up parking behind the boat, covered slips, excellent management and superb mechanics that can fix a boat right the first time and not make a mess, and the marina loves it when I work on my own boat.

Ditto!

 

[comsnark]

"Socialist marina".

I suspect prohibiting fueling your own boat (implicitly mandating use of the fuel dock) and prohibiting DYI repairs and outside contractors working on your own boat are the marks of something *other* than socialism.

I once put a boat on the hard in a yard for a winter in a yard that "strongly discouraged" DYI work, and also tended to lock gates at 5pm to 8am. Boy. . .what a *pain* that was. I don't do business there anymore.