At first glance, we see many marinas being turned into condos but even
the condos have space in front of them for boats so condos do not
necesarily reduce the number of slips. I even know of two local
marinas that went out of business due to tax problems and currently
have NO boats in them. If you look along the various waterfronts,
there is plenty of space for boats that is not being used.
Unlike many people, I do not need a marina although my boat stays in
the water. I have no hookups of any kind so all I need is a mooring or
a post to tie to. For people like me, even a dock is not necessary.
Why not just put in pilings to define boat parking spaces with no
docks. Boaters would dinghy to and from their boats and the expense of
a dock would be saved. Such a system would allow more boats for a
given space than a mooring field.
When I was at Cedar Key, Fl, there was no dock space available at all
and the only marina was sevaral miles away with water too shallow for a
sailboat. There was plenty of space for 6 moorings in a tongue of deep
water near the waterfront. All the tourists taking pictures made sure
that they had my anchored boat in the background of their shots so I
know such would not be an objection to them. Transient boaters using
such moorings would be willing to pay $15-25/night and would certainly
eat at the nearby restaurants. How long would it take for installation
of such moorings to pay for itself? (of course, moorings would have to
be vacated or otherwise have the city held blameless during storms).