If you lived on a docked boat, around how much are the docking fees, and do you use the dock's bathroom facilities? Do you need a special permit to legally live on a boat? Also, what do you do when the weather gets rough and a storm comes in, where do you go? I always figured that even people who lived on their boats, would need a vehicle and trailer to remove it from the water if needed, is that true?
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The fees are all over the place. Most places go by the length of the boat and will charge anywhere from $8-$20/foot, so if you have, say, a 27' sailboat right off the bat you pay $216 - $540/month.
Then there are usually "live aboard fees" ranging from $50 - $150.
Electric at the dock can be a set price - $50-$100/mn - or metered service. Your choice of 30 or 50 amp.
Cable, internet, water and such may or may not be included.
So all told, for that 27-footer you might be paying from $316 - $900 a month - a very wide range. You also have to consider whether "pump-outs" are included or charged separately - that's when they empty your head (bathroom waste).
I've been looking at marinas on both coasts of Florida and of course if you're near a major metropolitan area you're going to pay through the nose. Places like Miami are WAY over-priced, but then you have places like the Titusville Municipal Marina, where I could park a 38' cruiser with all amenities supplied for about $450/mn.
Many marinas have bath/shower and laundry facilities, usually a little bait and tackle store, cold drinks, snacks and ice. Most have parking (sometimes an additional charge) and some go to the high end with tennis courts, pools, fitness centers and posh restaurants.
I guess it all depends upon how Spartan you like to be and what you can afford. For me I'll have to be a Spartan.
Most places I've looked at so far do not require any special permits; Florida doesn't even require testing or licensing, so theoretically you could just take a quickie online test to show you know the basics, get a certificate from them and then go terrorize the local waters. Or, you could go for Coast Guard-approved training and learn the right way.
A few places I've looked at require you to move your boat
out of the marina when a hurricane is brewing, I suppose so you don't end up crashing into other boats and the docks themselves. Kind of a scary thought, though ...
As for trailers, up to a certain size you can load and unload your boat at their ramps, and some marinas offer "dry" storage where a giant wheeled crane picks your boat out of the water and carries it to an industrial-sized rack, or simply puts it up on blocks in the shipyard. That's also for when you want to do maintenance - de-fouling, painting, repairs, etc. But if you're a live-aboard you're pretty much in the water all the time.
I still have tons of things to learn, but I'm getting there.
