I'm mad as hell ...

[caguy]

Dept of Beaches and Harbors has just raised my mastup storage fees by 61%. The fees were reasonable and affordable before but raising $86.25/ mo. fees to $139 is unconscionable. The original mission in creating the harbor was to provide a marina that was accessible by the average and not just the rich citizenry.
Any ideas on what can be done would be appreciated.

 

[Jim]

pay it. Do you have a choice. How about buying a trailor and taking the boat home.

 

[kloudie1]

Typical GovMint money grab.. Sorry to hear that, Frank.. If ya want to and have the time to, you can research the budget that they have to operate on versus the income from the users. It is public record.. But when the Govmint gets into a bind, they usually find the folks that are least likely to complain and stick it to 'em. Seems like I recall that the oil dollars from the Channel were supposed to be used to keep from having to bleed the users? Again, sorry to hear that..

 

[Ross]

For how long haad the fee been $86.25? How much were you earning per month then versus now?

My property taxes went from $1200 to $2850 Per year Between 1972 and 2009.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Welcome to the 21st century

 

[Roger Long]

$139 is unconscionable.

That's about what I had to pay for two nights dockage here in Portland when I had to move my boat off the mooring for Danny and couldn't take it to a protected anchorage.

Here in Portland, we would take your new deal in a second.

 

[Rick D]

That's awful, particularily with the lousy maintenance. I doubt it would be lowered. Slip rents are going way up too in MDR but not that percentage. I suspect as leases are renegotiated or the county takes direct control that the slip fees will head north too. In fact, the County is the major factor in my moving to Long Beach. Their poor stewardship of that asset soured me, and that was after 34 years there. I am glad I moved. You should try other local marinas too.

 

[Timo42]

To clarify for those who think Frank is in a slip, he is in dry mast up storage near the public launch ramp, an 11'x30' piece of asphalt behind a 6' chainlink fence where they just capped the water spigots to force everyone to use the coin operated boat wash faucets and there are never any paper towels in the bathroom. This isn't yacht club dry storage with facilities. A buddy is paying almost $500 a month for a slip for a 30' with homeless people sleeping in the bathrooms. Sorry to hear that Frank.

 

[tommays]

I may live in NY BUT i have been to this drysail place in CA and it is SO much better than ANYTHING i have ever SEEN on the east coast even at HIGH DOLLAR clubs

 

[Rich Stidger]

"coin operated boat wash faucets"

WHAT???

Is there a chronic water shortage? What's next? 25 cents per gallon to fill your tanks with drinking water?

Please don't spread this money-grab idea. It's hard enough trying to keep this sport affordable...

BTW, I'm with Rick D. I would look into alternate facilities. Vote with your pocketbook and feet.

 

[Dan Johnson]

I just got my...

winter storage contract (November 1 through April 30) and was greatly relieved to find that the $29 a foot rate has not been increased. Just a couple of years ago it was only $21 a foot. For that you get haul-out, power wash of the bottom, four jack stands, and a re-launch in the spring. Additional jackstands are $25 each.

 

[Ross in Tampa]

Your new price is still less than I spend for a month here in FL. It's all relative, sounds like you were getting an incredible deal before, it's tough to swallow, but at least they're not closing the marina.

 

[Ken Honeycutt]

We can only dream

winter storage contract (November 1 through April 30) and was greatly relieved to find that the $29 a foot rate has not been increased. Just a couple of years ago it was only $21 a foot. For that you get haul-out, power wash of the bottom, four jack stands, and a re-launch in the spring. Additional jackstands are $25 each.

About those kind of prices in Chicago. Ours are just about twice that..then you add the cost of covering the boat. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so addicted to sailing.

 

[Roger Long]

Is there a chronic water shortage?

Yes. And the way things are going in CA 25 cents a gallon is going to seem incredibly cheap in 5 - 10 years, if you can get water at all.

 

[Stu Jackson]

California water

All you east coast guys need to be verrry careful here. California Water is a very serious issue which has been neglected by the CA govt for altogether too long. Last year there was actually a deal worked out between the farmers, the tree huggers the state and the feds, which is now being jeopardized by four or five new bills in the state assembly. Ahnold is bringing up the old 1982 peripheral canal again which went down to defeat by ballot. The canal, depending on who you believe, is designed to save "The Delta" (Sacramento to San Francisco and the rivers between) and send water south, OR the canal will kill it. Seems the concept is that bypassing fresh water before it hits the rivers and then the ocean would save what's left OR kill it. The physics haven't changed since 1982. I do not understand how bypassing water through a fresh water river woudl save the river. Makes NO sense. So. Cal. has dried up the Colorado River and is taking more and more from No. Cal. It's back to Water Wars 101. Remember "Chinatown?"

I wouldn't mind so much, but the politicians who are working on this one are the same grunts who almost killed the state by not being able to work up a budget. The Republicans refuse to find new revenue that is reasonable equitably spread among all citizens of the state (user fees rise, like CAguys') and the Democrats spend like there was still money there.

And they still don't have water meters on homes in Sacramento. There are even laws requiring water guzzling LAWNS. Bloody insanity.

 

[Timo42]

and "Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over"

 

[Marcia]

I understand your pain, it's never a good feeling when prices go up, especially when it's for something that we are unwilling to give up - like sailing. I'm blessed to be able to keep my boat on a US Navy base. The price is very reasonable at less than $4 per foot for a fixed dock wet slip - includes water and electricity, too. Count your blessings, pay the bill and enjoy your life. Maybe you can cut the financial impact by cutting back something else that is not as important as sailing.

 

[Bob V]

You're mad as hell??????????

I can't understand why. This is California real estate you are talking about isn't it. That seems like a very reasonable cost to me. You mentioned that it is a county facility and I think it's cost would be borne by the users. It is not as if CA has a lot of budget surplus to spread around. You guys will be lucky to keep basic infrastructure going with all of the tax cuts you vote yourself.

As far as water goes, you should expect to pay for it. It is kind of like gasoline (oil) in that it is a precious resource that people have been getting way too cheaply and it allows for wastefull practices.

I didn't think CA had any water anyway. Isn't that Colorado water you people use?

 

[Ross]

Re: You're mad as hell??????????

We have much too easy a life in this fair country! If we don't have what we want we just buy it.
Need water? dig a well. Need a boat slip? find some land near the water and build a dock. Need food? plant a garden. Need a boat? find some trees, cut them down and build your boat. How many days each year do we work: to pay our boating expenses? to pay our housing expenses? purchase all of our food? buy our wine, beer, rum etc.? pay for our health care?

I just finished reading a novel with a setting in Manhattan, NY. It was a two day journey from one end of the island to the other during colonial days. (almost as bad as rush hour today) There is not enough water naturally on Manhatten island to flush the toilets today. It is piped into the city from the mountains surrounding the lands north of the city.

I cheerfully pay the price because I know how hard it would be to provide everything I want by myself.

 

[Deadline2]

Try San Pedro

It's not that far away and very quaint, albeit a rough neighborhood inland.

Marina Del Rey defied Will Rogers' notion that "God ain't makin' any real estate anymore," so perhaps you could rationalize paying for it with that uniqueness in mind.