Save the Sailors

RoyS

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Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
My marina, Baypointe Marina in Quincy, MA, is kicking all sailboats out at the end of this season. Out of approximately 500 slips there are only six sailboats left. Last Fall they kicked out a new year round use sailor telling him he could not store his boat over the winter there and to move on. The rest of us were grandfathered in. Other sailboaters who, for years, stored their boats in the marina yard for the winter, but stayed elsewhere in the summer, were told to go elsewhere. This Fall, all remaining sailors have to leave. Our Marina is owned by Marine Max. Anyone else experienced this weird kind of discrimination?
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
snowmobile owners spend lots of money, cross country skiers do not
the mexican restaurant on the water in sister bay wis. has very nice docks, the owner will run down and chase away any sailboat that tries to tie up.
there was a joke in yachting magazine 50 years ago about the difference between motor boaters and sail boaters and it went something like this: the typical motor boater was a shirtless guy with a big gut, lots of gold chains around his neck, cocktail always in his hand and never left the dock. sail boaters were the shadowy figures slinking around between the storage buildings stealing toilet paper out of the bathrooms. :)
lets face it, as a group, we are cheep. :)
 
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
Did you ask them what's going on? It seems odd. In our area, I think we have more sailboats than power by a narrow margin. I just looked at their website and it appears they welcome sailors. "Those who frequent the marina come from a wide array of backgrounds and sailing preferences."

Ken
 
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May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
....... or more politely, we are do it our self ers
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Low rider don't burn no gas.....

I'm going to guess it has to do with fuel sales. I have two 3 gallon fuel tanks on my sailboat that I fill with fresh gas at the beginning of the season. I usually have to toss a few gallons at the beginning of the next season because I didn't use up all of the gas. I'm having a good year if I burn 3 gallons. Saturday I actually sailed out and into my slip so I burned exactly no gas.

If I were running a marina business and fuel sales made up 50% of my revenue, and I had a waiting list for slips.....:shhh:

Can you ask your marina manager what his reasons are? If you really like being there, maybe a "fuel convenience fee" can be added that is waived once you buy a certain quantity of fuel. ??????
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
We have just the opposite situation. No stinkpots at all except the club boats used to monitor sailing classes and races. But it has always been that way, we have not kicked them out.
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,885
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
I think we have 5-6 powerboats in our 250+ slip marina.. The owner is an active sailor! A part of our marina:
YUN00023.jpg
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Here's part of your answer: https://www.marinemax.com

They sell powerboats. It sometimes helps to make the sale when you offer a slip for the boat.

Powerboaters as a group are not a DIY group, so there is more money in the service part of the business for the marina if there are more powerboats.

More fuel sales to powerboats.

Years ago I was talking to a marina owner who said he much preferred sailors as a group, they were an easier group of people to work with and caused fewer problems. However, he said, sailors don't spend money in marinas.

Finally, we humans like to be with people who share similar interests. A marina full of powerboats is more attractive to other powerboaters than a marina full of sailors.
 
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Dec 23, 2016
191
Catalina 27 Clinton CT
They sell powerboats. It sometimes helps to make the sale when you offer a slip for the boat.


Looks like it is time to take big midnight dumps in front of every new boat they sell with a new slip. What are they going to do? Kick you out????
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,045
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Hey, the wind is free … why not everything else? Isn't that how we think? :cool::cool:
Mariner's is virtually all sailboats … the owners don't want to kick out the sailors, so they bought another marina just a little bit down the way for power boats. That's where they have the fuel station and, hopefully, a restaurant someday. I think it would be nice if we could have a pool, but that's another story.
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Looks like it is time to take big midnight dumps in front of every new boat they sell with a new slip. What are they going to do? Kick you out????
Have you arrested for vandalism???
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
snowmobile owners spend lots of money, cross country skiers do not
the mexican restaurant on the water in sister bay wis. has very nice docks, the owner will run down and chase away any sailboat that tries to tie up.
there was a joke in yachting magazine 50 years ago about the difference between motor boaters and sail boaters and it went something like this: the typical motor boater was a shirtless guy with a big gut, lots of gold chains around his neck, cocktail always in his hand and never left the dock. sail boaters were the shadowy figures slinking around between the storage buildings stealing toilet paper out of the bathrooms. :)
lets face it, as a group, we are cheep. :)
This is so the answer. Jodi noticed this on Sunday. We had been sailing and power boating in the same week, and she asked me, “why do sailors always complain about the price of maintenance and things, and powerboaters never do“? I don’t think it’s just that sailors are cheaper, I think on the average they are further down the social-economic ladder, So more frugal. Of my friends, a lot of them own 26 foot Powerboats. Each of them spent well over $125,000. If you look at what the average sailor who owns a 26 foot sailboat spent, I imagine it’s closer to $10,000. So you see threads here about the cheapest way to do this or the easiest way to do that, these power guys just shrug, then charge it and have a mechanic do it, and buy a New boat every three or four years.

There’s other dynamics at play it well. I think Sailors are much more attached their boats. While I could afford a new one, I actually love my boat. My brother-in-law buys a new boat every three years. He treats it like his car.

All of this means more cash in the till from powerboaters.
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,040
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
Fuel and not to mention the engine work. A marina on the East End of LI thought they wanted rid of sailboats. They became unfriendly towards us. The Great Recession cured a lot of that. They became pretty damn friendly when all those power boaters were selling their gas hogs to a non-existent market. Prices spiraled down and boats stayed on the hard making only storage fees for the yard. I still maintain yards can make money on sailboats but few understand how. In the yard there were at least 20 PHRF boats all of which would buy smooth bottoms, fairing, folding/feathering props, rigging, sails , electronics, etc. The yard had no idea how to service that market. All of those services would require investment and that particular yard was a cash cow for the owner. Money out - none in.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Fuel and not to mention the engine work. A marina on the East End of LI thought they wanted rid of sailboats. They became unfriendly towards us. The Great Recession cured a lot of that. They became pretty damn friendly when all those power boaters were selling their gas hogs to a non-existent market. Prices spiraled down and boats stayed on the hard making only storage fees for the yard. I still maintain yards can make money on sailboats but few understand how. In the yard there were at least 20 PHRF boats all of which would buy smooth bottoms, fairing, folding/feathering props, rigging, sails , electronics, etc. The yard had no idea how to service that market. All of those services would require investment and that particular yard was a cash cow for the owner. Money out - none in.
I know the point you’re trying to make. But I have never ever seen a powerboater paint their own bottom. Sailors? 75%.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,045
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I'm part of the 25%. I actually think it's a pretty good deal, all things considered.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
I know the point you’re trying to make. But I have never ever seen a powerboater paint their own bottom. Sailors? 75%.
That's because powerboats don't have keels. Who wants to lay on their back in the mud to paint the bottom? At least with sailboats most of the hull is high enough that it doesn't require crawling around in the mud. :poke:
 
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TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
My marina, Baypointe Marina in Quincy, MA, is kicking all sailboats out at the end of this season. Out of approximately 500 slips there are only six sailboats left. Last Fall they kicked out a new year round use sailor telling him he could not store his boat over the winter there and to move on. The rest of us were grandfathered in. Other sailboaters who, for years, stored their boats in the marina yard for the winter, but stayed elsewhere in the summer, were told to go elsewhere. This Fall, all remaining sailors have to leave. Our Marina is owned by Marine Max. Anyone else experienced this weird kind of discrimination?
That is weird. It must be for the bigger higher spending power boats. New England, coastal Maine especially, sailboats are predominant in most harbors. I hope you find space in a more sailing friendly harbor.

Be sure it is full of sticks:
Rockport Harbor aerial large.jpg
 
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