The high cost of housing has driven some people into the water, literally. They?ve found that it is often less expensive to live on their boat than to find affordable housing in the Baltimore area.
“That?s why they do it,” said Dan Naor, operating partner of the Baltimore Marine Center, just one of several marinas in the area that allow boaters to float their homes.
Located on Lighthouse Point in Canton, the Baltimore Marine Center hosts four boaters who live aboard among the 500-boat slips at the marina. It costs $25 per foot per month, and includes whatever the boater requires. The cost, he said, is often less expensive than renting a house or apartment.
But the majority are people who simply dock their boat at the marina and come “play” on the weekends.
“We see ourselves as a resort marina,” Naor said, pointing out that the Baltimore Marine Center has a pool and workout facility, restaurant and entertainment venues.
At the Harborview Marina, 53 people live aboard full-time; however, no others will be accepted, dock master Bucky Dibley said. When asked why, he said, “I can?t get into it right now.”
For other boaters who aren?t navigating the waterways full-time, there are plenty of options for finding a berth. With about 30 marinas along the Patapsco River, finding a place to dock isn?t difficult. And locating one that offers specific amenities such as electric, showers, laundry and pumping facilities isn?t difficult either. The Web site baydreaming.com charts the perks offered at dozens of sites.
If it?s the bustle of historic downtown that you want, Baltimore?s Inner Harbor offers dockage at a rate of $1 a foot per day during the spring and summer months ? half that during the late fall and winter. If you want electricity, add $4 a day. But you can only stay for a week.
Steven Smith, from Union Bridge, docks at the harbor because “everything is easy to walk to.”
“It is a tourist attraction,” David Brown, public relations officer of Baltimore City?s Department of Transportation, said of the Inner Harbor. “Baltimore has one of the more premier inner harbors. It is a perfect place to come to our shoreline and come into the many attractions that Baltimore has.”
Inner Harbor dock master Fran Knauff said that with three piers that are 158 feet long on the outside and 140 feet long on the inside, plus 6,000 feet of bulkhead docking, there?s plenty of room for boats of all sizes.
“It can get pretty crowded during Ravens and Orioles games,” she said.
