I have mentioned several times when I address this website about the marina's disappearing around the Tampa Bay Area. Today I read in the paper that another small marina is being sold to DEVELOPERS to build condo's. This marina is in Tampa close to the Howard Franklin bridge. These DEVELOPERS are going to remove a 4 story building and build Condo's. That will mean about 40 mariners will have to find a new place for their boats. I am one of them. In the Tampa Bay Area especially on the Tampa side of the bay I can't think of one marina that is available. Please write county and State officals about this problem. We are running out of slips for the average mariner in Tampa.
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And it's spreading...
an article in a local magazine describes the same problem here on the Chesapeake Bay. Marina owners can't/don't hold on because of the increased taxes and offers they can't refuse. It doesn't look good for the small boater.
an article in a local magazine describes the same problem here on the Chesapeake Bay. Marina owners can't/don't hold on because of the increased taxes and offers they can't refuse. It doesn't look good for the small boater.
Waterfront propery ...
It's a very limited and highly sought commodity. The landscape is ever-changing and it probably will be necessary to lobby for much greater government spending on purchases of property for recreational purposes. We have to be willing to spend a great deal more on our slip rentals if we hope to compete against the housing market. Either that, or buy a house or condo with a slip. Just wait until we start seeing the Re-Development wave begin to hit this market. The feathers will be flying then!
It's a very limited and highly sought commodity. The landscape is ever-changing and it probably will be necessary to lobby for much greater government spending on purchases of property for recreational purposes. We have to be willing to spend a great deal more on our slip rentals if we hope to compete against the housing market. Either that, or buy a house or condo with a slip. Just wait until we start seeing the Re-Development wave begin to hit this market. The feathers will be flying then!
Watson's Bayou Marina
Watson's Bayou Marina is being turned into condo's that I can't afford. My days as a sailboat owner are numbered. I sure wish that I was rich enough to afford a waterfront condo. But I am not a fortunate son. The whole nature of florida is changing rapidly into someplace that I don't want to be and soon won't be able to afford anyway. What will working people do after the rich take their tax breaks and buy up everything nice??? Live in tailer parks in old strip mines??? Gross over statement but owning a boat is becoming much harder.
Watson's Bayou Marina is being turned into condo's that I can't afford. My days as a sailboat owner are numbered. I sure wish that I was rich enough to afford a waterfront condo. But I am not a fortunate son. The whole nature of florida is changing rapidly into someplace that I don't want to be and soon won't be able to afford anyway. What will working people do after the rich take their tax breaks and buy up everything nice??? Live in tailer parks in old strip mines??? Gross over statement but owning a boat is becoming much harder.
Losing Slips
The article in Chesapeake Bay magazine about losing marinas stated that Maryland boat owners may soon be in the same situation as those in California and Florida regarding slips. Not a pleasant thought but one that I firmly believe will happen. There is one condo marina on Kent Island but I fear there will soon be additional ones.
The article in Chesapeake Bay magazine about losing marinas stated that Maryland boat owners may soon be in the same situation as those in California and Florida regarding slips. Not a pleasant thought but one that I firmly believe will happen. There is one condo marina on Kent Island but I fear there will soon be additional ones.
Your only hope
is that the hurricanes start blowing down some of these condos and they stop building. You see, people are willing to pay a lot more for the place they live then the place to keep a boat, so a marina can't compete with condos. There will still be marinas in places that are too far from people's work, but soon that will be all. After all, the population is rising and the baby-boomers are getting to that age where they have money and don't need houses and would like to take it easy near the water. I guess your just going to have to move up in boat size and become a live-aboard like me
That way you can afford it. The good news is that it hasn't hit that hard here yet but I fear it will. I just need 4 more years of marina life then it's all anchorages from there on. That's my plan. What's yours? Time for you to start working on your plan because you're going to need one.
is that the hurricanes start blowing down some of these condos and they stop building. You see, people are willing to pay a lot more for the place they live then the place to keep a boat, so a marina can't compete with condos. There will still be marinas in places that are too far from people's work, but soon that will be all. After all, the population is rising and the baby-boomers are getting to that age where they have money and don't need houses and would like to take it easy near the water. I guess your just going to have to move up in boat size and become a live-aboard like me
That way you can afford it. The good news is that it hasn't hit that hard here yet but I fear it will. I just need 4 more years of marina life then it's all anchorages from there on. That's my plan. What's yours? Time for you to start working on your plan because you're going to need one.Try pressuring the municipalities . . .
Long Beach (Calif) has several marinas run by the city's Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Marine. From what I read, we here in LB are in boating nirvana. I think it would be easier and more effective to try and raise h--- with the local municipalities about having waterfront recreation available for ALL residents, not just the rich.
Long Beach (Calif) has several marinas run by the city's Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Marine. From what I read, we here in LB are in boating nirvana. I think it would be easier and more effective to try and raise h--- with the local municipalities about having waterfront recreation available for ALL residents, not just the rich.
Me too
I'm in a marina that belongs to the National Park Service, so it can't get sold, but I'm worried about development putting upward pressure on slip costs, too. On the bright side, if you're a house-renting boat owner, is that the coastal real estate bubble appears to be bursting. No more easy money, higher interest rates, bye-bye condo construction. Hang in there...
I'm in a marina that belongs to the National Park Service, so it can't get sold, but I'm worried about development putting upward pressure on slip costs, too. On the bright side, if you're a house-renting boat owner, is that the coastal real estate bubble appears to be bursting. No more easy money, higher interest rates, bye-bye condo construction. Hang in there...
Condo-dockominiums
The disease is spreading to North Carolina as well. The City of Washington, NC will host a 92 slip, 48 housing unit condo-docko project on the town waterfront between the NC Estuarium and the Norfolk Southern Railway bridge, building the slips over the abandoned site of a lumber mill wharf. In New Bern, a similar project is under construction on the north bank of the Trent River between the Sheraton Grand Marina and the Tryon Palace grounds. In Bellhaven the former site of Robb's Boatyard is now well underway for a condo-docko. I'm not discussing Oriental on purpose; it is already overrun with overpriced real estate. Don, I enjoy walking past Lil Pep, she reminds me of the good times I had on my 260. When are you going to bring Tellico down. Steve Kamp Hunter 38 Carolina Currently at Bridge Pointe, New Bern
The disease is spreading to North Carolina as well. The City of Washington, NC will host a 92 slip, 48 housing unit condo-docko project on the town waterfront between the NC Estuarium and the Norfolk Southern Railway bridge, building the slips over the abandoned site of a lumber mill wharf. In New Bern, a similar project is under construction on the north bank of the Trent River between the Sheraton Grand Marina and the Tryon Palace grounds. In Bellhaven the former site of Robb's Boatyard is now well underway for a condo-docko. I'm not discussing Oriental on purpose; it is already overrun with overpriced real estate. Don, I enjoy walking past Lil Pep, she reminds me of the good times I had on my 260. When are you going to bring Tellico down. Steve Kamp Hunter 38 Carolina Currently at Bridge Pointe, New Bern
Real estate boom over ?
I think that we've seen or are seeing the crest of the wave on real estate values. Sales of new homes are down two or three months in a row, and sales of pre existing homes were down for the last report. Prices have just spiraled out of control. I just refinanced my home, and the appraisal has dropped better than 10% in a strong market, since September. Hang in there, and hope for the worst...if you don't own real estate that is. larry wilson Richmond,Va.
I think that we've seen or are seeing the crest of the wave on real estate values. Sales of new homes are down two or three months in a row, and sales of pre existing homes were down for the last report. Prices have just spiraled out of control. I just refinanced my home, and the appraisal has dropped better than 10% in a strong market, since September. Hang in there, and hope for the worst...if you don't own real estate that is. larry wilson Richmond,Va.
Long Island
is going the same way, folks. I'm desparately looking for a slip for my boat. There are no moorings on the south shore of Long Island, private slips are going for $85 to $110 per foot for the SEASON, not even the year, and the town slips have a 5-6 year wait list (7-10 years for the county!) What happened to "keeping a boat" for pleasure and a little relaxation?
is going the same way, folks. I'm desparately looking for a slip for my boat. There are no moorings on the south shore of Long Island, private slips are going for $85 to $110 per foot for the SEASON, not even the year, and the town slips have a 5-6 year wait list (7-10 years for the county!) What happened to "keeping a boat" for pleasure and a little relaxation?
And another one bites the dust...
Just found out today that my winter marina home in NC is going condo. That's about 300 slips going to new condo owners (starting at $600k) and the marina will cease to operate. I've followed the drumbeat of marina deaths in Florida, and I know the northeast rental rates are sky high. But it's stunning when it happens to you. There are a fair number of liveaboards at this marina who will now be effectively homeless. I keep seeing more and more boats on Ebay, particularly in Florida, where they simply have nowhere to dock the boat. And, at many marinas I visit, so many big boats are up for sale - fuel and dockage makes it impossible for them, unless they are rich and don't care. I've been consdering newer/bigger or something, but can't see doing anything until I can find a slip somewhere to buy. At least I'll have somewhere to park the boat if I run out of other options. Is boating going back to being the sport of millionaires as it was in the early 20th century? I don't mean to be a downer here, but slips are disappearing very, very quickly. Unless you buy, you will be paying top dollar rental, and boat yards are disappearing even faster. So, prices for available slips go sky high, and boat prices drop due to the oversupply on the market. Is that what we face? Someone above suggested pushing the local and state gov'ts to do something. Down this way the govt's fall all over themselves to accomodate the developers in order to increase the tax base, attract the wealthy retirees, and get on the ground floor of the new developments themselves. And, the locals are too concerned about the health care they just lost or can't afford, much less the boaters they think are rich, and the new properties they can't ever hope to afford. So, that approach isn't going to work, at least not in the foreseeable future. Geesh. What do we do? (Steve K...saw "Carolina" today and she's a beaut. You are actually in "Tellico"'s slip from the past 2 winters. And yes, the marina is going, going gone.....did you know that?)
Just found out today that my winter marina home in NC is going condo. That's about 300 slips going to new condo owners (starting at $600k) and the marina will cease to operate. I've followed the drumbeat of marina deaths in Florida, and I know the northeast rental rates are sky high. But it's stunning when it happens to you. There are a fair number of liveaboards at this marina who will now be effectively homeless. I keep seeing more and more boats on Ebay, particularly in Florida, where they simply have nowhere to dock the boat. And, at many marinas I visit, so many big boats are up for sale - fuel and dockage makes it impossible for them, unless they are rich and don't care. I've been consdering newer/bigger or something, but can't see doing anything until I can find a slip somewhere to buy. At least I'll have somewhere to park the boat if I run out of other options. Is boating going back to being the sport of millionaires as it was in the early 20th century? I don't mean to be a downer here, but slips are disappearing very, very quickly. Unless you buy, you will be paying top dollar rental, and boat yards are disappearing even faster. So, prices for available slips go sky high, and boat prices drop due to the oversupply on the market. Is that what we face? Someone above suggested pushing the local and state gov'ts to do something. Down this way the govt's fall all over themselves to accomodate the developers in order to increase the tax base, attract the wealthy retirees, and get on the ground floor of the new developments themselves. And, the locals are too concerned about the health care they just lost or can't afford, much less the boaters they think are rich, and the new properties they can't ever hope to afford. So, that approach isn't going to work, at least not in the foreseeable future. Geesh. What do we do? (Steve K...saw "Carolina" today and she's a beaut. You are actually in "Tellico"'s slip from the past 2 winters. And yes, the marina is going, going gone.....did you know that?)
This is a tough read!
Its a tough read here and I am sorry to hear of fellow sailors falling victim to rapid land development and the dissappearance of once popular marinas. It stinks! My wife and I still plan on living aboard in several years; however, its now an issue of where liveaboards are secure at marinas! Our target areas are Charleston, Savannah and/or Jacksonville and we are watching carefully what is going on at certain marina locations. I remember cruising the ICW in Florida back in 1983 aboard my Coronado 35 and everyone welcomed liveaboards then. From Biscayne to Pensacola the cruising sailor and liveaboard was always welcomed. Today Florida is plagued with mooring limitations, condo associations pushing local politicians to ban anchoring in their backyards, county ordanances prohibiting extended stay anchoring, and on it goes. Is the writing on the wall? Can we get sufficient support from manufacturers, magazine publishers, even BoatUS? Will the day come when all we will ever see is the 3-5 story highrise powerboat lofts with a single dock for launching? And that will be a "marina"? Will dockage for sailboats be limited to a lottery system or the very wealthy? Its not getting any better and all concerned boaters should voice their concerns over this matter. Better yet, we should just all stand up, and say, "I am as mad as hell, I am not going to take this anymore". Sailors, what a special group of folks. Bob
Its a tough read here and I am sorry to hear of fellow sailors falling victim to rapid land development and the dissappearance of once popular marinas. It stinks! My wife and I still plan on living aboard in several years; however, its now an issue of where liveaboards are secure at marinas! Our target areas are Charleston, Savannah and/or Jacksonville and we are watching carefully what is going on at certain marina locations. I remember cruising the ICW in Florida back in 1983 aboard my Coronado 35 and everyone welcomed liveaboards then. From Biscayne to Pensacola the cruising sailor and liveaboard was always welcomed. Today Florida is plagued with mooring limitations, condo associations pushing local politicians to ban anchoring in their backyards, county ordanances prohibiting extended stay anchoring, and on it goes. Is the writing on the wall? Can we get sufficient support from manufacturers, magazine publishers, even BoatUS? Will the day come when all we will ever see is the 3-5 story highrise powerboat lofts with a single dock for launching? And that will be a "marina"? Will dockage for sailboats be limited to a lottery system or the very wealthy? Its not getting any better and all concerned boaters should voice their concerns over this matter. Better yet, we should just all stand up, and say, "I am as mad as hell, I am not going to take this anymore". Sailors, what a special group of folks. Bob
Marinas -- endangered species?
Funny thing about the disappearance of marinas and the diminishing welcome for sailboats in some places. Almmost every chamber of commerce or tourism bureau finds a way to feature sailboats in their brochure and commercials, even if they are in the middle of the desert.
Funny thing about the disappearance of marinas and the diminishing welcome for sailboats in some places. Almmost every chamber of commerce or tourism bureau finds a way to feature sailboats in their brochure and commercials, even if they are in the middle of the desert.
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