Aint this a fine howdy do?

[DieselInc]

So i bought a brand new 16 bass cat and i was planning on storing it on the side of my house on the new patio behind my fenced in yard.Fence isnt done yet so i have had it in my driveway for a week,Some dickbag neighbor complained that it was in my driveway and now i get a letter from the town saying it cant be stored anywhere on my property unless its in the garage because it is a violation of the zoning laws. I can understand that people might have a problem with a boat in a driveway but i cant have it on the side of my house? I don't understand kinda crap is that? Now im searching for places to store it and cant find a d**n thing.All the marinas and yacht clubs are full or on waiting lists.Im beyond ticked. Anyone else ever have this problem? Any ideas what i could do. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[thomas15]

Try a self storage facility.

[cadman]

Not to be an ### but why didn't you look into your local zoning laws before you made the purchase???? Anyway, I also cannot keep my boat on my driveway. It has to be on the side of the house on a paved driveway no grass. I keep mine in a storage garage. I pay a lot, but it keeps the boat from getting ruined in the sun in the summer and the cold/snow in the winter. I have a 2007  Ranger and it looks like the day I bought it.

[DieselInc]

2 hours ago, thomas15 said:

Try a self storage facility.

tried about 10 in my area none have any that will fit the boat.

2 hours ago, cadman said:

Not to be an ### but why didn't you look into your local zoning laws before you made the purchase???? Anyway, I also cannot keep my boat on my driveway. It has to be on the side of the house on a paved driveway no grass. I keep mine in a storage garage. I pay a lot, but it keeps the boat from getting ruined in the sun in the summer and the cold/snow in the winter. I have a 2007  Ranger and it looks like the day I bought it.

I actually did and was given misinformation by the guy from my town that came to my house to inspect the property for the fence installation.I redid my patio as well because i was told i could keep a boat behind the fence on the patio as long as it is not visible.Apparently i cannot so now i am left with finding another option.What state do u live in. Did you have to get an exemption to keep it on the side of your house? How big is the garage that u keep it in and around how much monthly? My only other option is joining a boat club and paying a shitload of fees to either trailer the boat or keep it on a slip.

[cadman]

5 hours ago, DieselInc said:

tried about 10 in my area none have any that will fit the boat.

I actually did and was given misinformation by the guy from my town that came to my house to inspect the property for the fence installation.I redid my patio as well because i was told i could keep a boat behind the fence on the patio as long as it is not visible.Apparently i cannot so now i am left with finding another option.What state do u live in. Did you have to get an exemption to keep it on the side of your house? How big is the garage that u keep it in and around how much monthly? My only other option is joining a boat club and paying a shitload of fees to either trailer the boat or keep it on a slip.

I'm really sorry to hear about that, that really sucks, and I apologize for assuming you didn't ask ahead of time. Now my situation is this, in our subdivision, we are not allowed to keep any boats, cars, vans or any other vehicle in the same spot for more than a week. Reason being is they don't want people working on their cars, outside and making it into a repair shop. Now I do keep my car out there but it doesn't sit out there covered with leaves and garbage all around. The vehicles have to be driven regularly. However we can park a boat on the side of the house, with no fence or canopy. However the boat has to be parked on a paved area. It cannot just be backed in on the grass. There are no permits needed to park your boat on the side, but the village inspector has to approve it before you decide to park your boat there. Again they don't want people leaving there boat with all the grass overgrowing the property and making it look unkempt.

I live in northern, Illinois and I keep my boat in a storage place that has a security system night and day, and I put my boat in garage, that I lock with my own padlock. My space is 25' deep by 10' wide at the door. I have a 619VS Ranger parked in there with a swingaway tongue, and there is plenty of room side to side, and fits no problem in length. I did put a provision in my contract, that I need access to the gate 24/7. Reason being is that sometimes I need to get the boat in at 9:00 or 10:00 pm, and the office is closed. So they did give me gate access to that. You just have to explain, that you need to get your boat in and out any time of the day or night, as you do tournaments and you can't keep your boat on your driveway. I currently pay $225/month. Now many people are going to say that whoa that is expensive, and yes it is. However, I don't have to deal with any neighbors BS, and my boat is in a garage, so I don't have to cover it, and it is safe and secure. I don't have to worry about sun damage, or anyone trying to steal anything off of my boat, or kids damaging it.

One other thing, and that is you can store your boat outside in a fenced in storage yard, but my buddy did that, and someone put bullet holes in his hull from outside the fence. There was a problem with his insurance and the storage facilities insurance, and now he keeps it inside as well. I have looked for cheaper alternatives, however I have not found any yet. Yes, I can probably buy another boat in 10 years with what I pay for rent, however it works for ma currently. I wish you good luck in finding a space.

[DieselInc]

Thanks for the info...i have contacted a few civil lawyers who think i can get an exception.Aside from that i am looking into boat storage facilities and boat/yacht clubs nearby.

["hamma"]

  Dang! ,... I thought we lived in a free country. I'd contest my property taxes as it seems you really dont "own" squat. Ask the "right" town official about those canvas portable garages on your property, or the metal ones. just a thought

[A-Jay]

Here's an option ~

If the town has a "Fine" for violating a zoning law, the Cost $$ of the fine may be less than the cost of the storage . .

So you'll pay one way or the other but if it's close - one is certainly more convenient than the other.

And after a while your neighbor will get over it.

Just a thought.

Good Luck to you

A-Jay

[DieselInc]

6 hours ago, Keith "Hamma" Hatch said:

  Dang! ,... I thought we lived in a free country. I'd contest my property taxes as it seems you really dont "own" squat. Ask the "right" town official about those canvas portable garages on your property, or the metal ones. just a thought

Aint that the truth...my thoughts exactly....Massachusetts is such a joke. I am weighing all options...asked a civil lawyer to look into it, calling about storage and even contemplating a boat club 10 mins from my house. Merica - Home of the free....right!!

[deaknh03]

14 minutes ago, DieselInc said:

Aint that the truth...my thoughts exactly....Massachusetts is such a joke. I am weighing all options...asked a civil lawyer to look into it, calling about storage and even contemplating a boat club 10 mins from my house. Merica - Home of the free....right!!

I'm assuming it's the zoning in your town...file for a variance and go before the selectman and state your case, chances are you will get what you need. Good luck.

[DieselInc]

So after speaking with a town lawyer they are telling me i need the boat and trailer off the property. What a joke right? I am gonna have to join a boat club since there is no storage for my boat within 30 mins. Unreal.

[deaknh03]

14 hours ago, DieselInc said:

So after speaking with a town lawyer they are telling me i need the boat and trailer off the property. What a joke right? I am gonna have to join a boat club since there is no storage for my boat within 30 mins. Unreal.

What did your lawyer say?

[DieselInc]

talked to 2 lawyers that deal with town zoning issues and they both said that theres nothing they can do as its in a residential district and the laws are the laws.BS that u pay taxes to live in a nice town and they tell you what you can and cant have. I am gonna have to most likely join a yacht club nearby because i have looked everywhere to find some kind of boat storage with no luck. 

[Bluebasser86]

The town I live in doesn't allow boats in the driveway but you can park them in the grass on the side of your house or behind the house. You can't put gravel down because it's against code but you can pave it. I had my boat parked in the driveway for 3 years before they decided to make it an issue. There's not enough room between the houses to even park my boat without being on the neighbor's yard, and the idiots who build 3/4 of the houses in town made the garages so small that anything other than a compact doesn't fit (my wife's Nissan Altima was such a tight fit she had to walk around the car before she shut the garage door or she wouldn't be able to get inside).

 It's a smaller town and there's lots of outdoorsmen here, so I made a presentation, asked as many people as possible to come to the city hall meeting. I went and spoke at city hall and had a bunch of information and research as to why it's a ridiculous rule. Myself and a couple others got exemptions and the code was suspended until it could be further discussed. When the city council took a vote on it, they ended up changing it from no boats or trailers, to allowing up to 2 boats or trailers in a driveway. There's lots of restrictions as to what is within the guidelines to prevent huge yachts, or broken down boats or RV's from rotting in someone's driveway, but a majority of halfway decent fishing boats are within the new code, so it was a mission accomplished.