As the popularity of power boating has soared, marinas have become crowded with boats squeezed side-by-side.
That's OK if you're just parking your power boat there and walking away, but for people who want to spend a lot of time on their boat, the squeeze can become uncomfortable.
One of the ways people have overcome the overcrowded marinas problem is they just moor their boat on the open water. They don't get any of the amenities of a marina, such as electric hookups, showers, wi-fi access, security and others, but they feel less restricted and freer to move about.
The drawback to mooring is if you don't find a slow speed zone where you can moor, you going to get the wake of passing boats. Also, you can't leave your boat without the fear of getting burglarized.
Also, some local governments, especially Florida, have strict restrictions on mooring because they're afraid it will create a bigger problem with pollution and derelict boats.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is setting up five pilot mooring fields -- in St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Marathon and Key West. The commission is studying how to manage mooring fields and boats that anchor outside them.
Capt. Thomas Shipp, the commission's head of boating and waterways, said they want to find out what does and doesn't work with the mooring fields.
Outside of Florida, mooring fields aren't as a big a controversy, but they are just as crowded. Cities from New England to Southern California are trying to find ways to create more moorings for boats as the area for marinas has just about been used up.
A Florida International University professor, Ron Giachetti, who also is an avid boater, came up with a formula for maximizing the number of boats that can anchor in a mooring field. His mathematical formula, he said, could increase the amount of area for mooring boats by 25 percent. In his research, he argues that allowing a 10 percent overlap would create more room for boats without increasing the risk of boats bumping into each other.
As the number of power boats continues to grow in the United States, the demand for marinas, moorings and boat launches as well as docks for private residences, also will increase. It is one area that more attention needs to be given.
Florida-based EdgeWater Power Boats is a leading builder of unsinkable, v-hull boats, producing vessels for everyone from the weekend angler to the year-round boater.
That's OK if you're just parking your power boat there and walking away, but for people who want to spend a lot of time on their boat, the squeeze can become uncomfortable.
One of the ways people have overcome the overcrowded marinas problem is they just moor their boat on the open water. They don't get any of the amenities of a marina, such as electric hookups, showers, wi-fi access, security and others, but they feel less restricted and freer to move about.
The drawback to mooring is if you don't find a slow speed zone where you can moor, you going to get the wake of passing boats. Also, you can't leave your boat without the fear of getting burglarized.
Also, some local governments, especially Florida, have strict restrictions on mooring because they're afraid it will create a bigger problem with pollution and derelict boats.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is setting up five pilot mooring fields -- in St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Marathon and Key West. The commission is studying how to manage mooring fields and boats that anchor outside them.
Capt. Thomas Shipp, the commission's head of boating and waterways, said they want to find out what does and doesn't work with the mooring fields.
Outside of Florida, mooring fields aren't as a big a controversy, but they are just as crowded. Cities from New England to Southern California are trying to find ways to create more moorings for boats as the area for marinas has just about been used up.
A Florida International University professor, Ron Giachetti, who also is an avid boater, came up with a formula for maximizing the number of boats that can anchor in a mooring field. His mathematical formula, he said, could increase the amount of area for mooring boats by 25 percent. In his research, he argues that allowing a 10 percent overlap would create more room for boats without increasing the risk of boats bumping into each other.
As the number of power boats continues to grow in the United States, the demand for marinas, moorings and boat launches as well as docks for private residences, also will increase. It is one area that more attention needs to be given.
Florida-based EdgeWater Power Boats is a leading builder of unsinkable, v-hull boats, producing vessels for everyone from the weekend angler to the year-round boater.