title as a 50-percent owner and will not be required to give up the slip presently occupied by 

 that craft. It was evident that the demand for boating facUities greatly exceeded their 

 availabiUty and that new slips were being filled as fast as they were constructed. The Bureau 

 of Outdoor Recreation predicts that this problem will worsen. In 1965, boating was the 

 10th most popular outdoor recreation activity according to the Bureau. The Bureau's 

 pubUcation, "Outdoor Recreation Trends," projected an increase of 215 percent in boating 

 participation from 1965 to 2000. The Bureau's statistics show that the number of pleasure 

 boats in use in the United States almost tripled between 1950 and 1971 from about 

 3 miUion to 9 million, exceeding the 215-percent projection growth rate. This trend should 

 be taken into account in the master plan, with the number of shps being maximized within 

 any project and provisions for expansion given closer consideration. 



Many of the marinas experiencing this problem of being too small also related difficulties 

 in correcting the situation. A common complaint was that the piecemeal development, 

 afterthought design, and scab-on expansion projects tended to dislocate the operational 

 routine of a previously smooth-functioning operation. Maintenance procedures were often 

 complicated when added facilities consisted of proprietary systems that were not similar to 

 those in the original installation. In several instances, owners stated with regret that no 

 provisions had been made for future expansion and the now obvious growth potential 

 cannot be realized. However, detailed planning of projected future facilities long before they 

 are scheduled to be built is also unwise. Changing concepts of marina development indicate 

 that it is best to plan specific facilities before development. This allows the planner to take 

 advantage of the most current state-of-the-art. 



Other problems revealed by the survey were not easily predicted; they were based on 

 trends less obvious and more difficult to forecast. Nevertheless, they now plague many of 

 the surveyed marinas. The trend to wider-huUed craft and craft with high prows has caused 

 problems with fendering systems and berth spacings. The emphasis placed on pollution 

 problems is being felt and the majority of large installations cited problems in keeping the 

 marinas clean. Sixty-two percent of the marinas surveyed specifically mentioned the 

 growing demand for sanitary pumpout facilities, whereas only nine marinas indicated that 

 they had such facilities. 



Surprisingly, much discussion concerned the planning trade-offs made between 

 functional design and esthetic design. Several marina operators stated that practical planning 

 had been preempted by esthetic consideration with resultant inconvenience to patrons. 

 They felt that appearance should not be the major consideration in locating fueUng docks, 

 or administration and supply buildings. The location of utility runs in inaccessible places 

 was another point of contention, particularly with maintenance personnel. The operators 

 beUeved that most marina patrons were little concerned with the appearance of utility 

 systems as long as they functioned properly. 



251 



