A REDLAND Bay man believes council are ripping-off boat owners by stopping them from storing their dinghies on the foreshore at mainland beaches.
Rob Mansfield said it was unfair that boaties were able to keep dinghies in council storage facilities on the islands but mainland residents were asked to remove them from dry land and fined $266 if they did not comply.
He said he used his dinghy to travel to a bigger boat that he had moored at Redland Bay but was unable to use the same car parking spaces as others near the ramp because he carried his dinghy in a van, not on a trailer.
He said he would struggle to find a regular park near the ramp on weekends and was forced to park on the street but it had raised the ire of a local resident who wanted council to stop people spending long periods of time parked on the road.
"We would have to take the boat down, then bring the van all the way back home and walk a kilometre back down. It would get too ridiculous," Mr Mansfield said.
"People at Victoria Point are in the same boat. They have got their boats sitting in the water because you are not allowed to keep them up on dry land.
"When the tide comes up at Point O'Halloran, they are anchored there basically which is a bit precarious.
"For boat owners, I think it is a bit of a rip-off that we cant leave them there."
A council spokeswoman said storing goods at any parks and reserves within the local government area was prohibited.
She said council would need to consider management and cost issues before making a decision on whether to install storage facilities at Redland Bay.
"These would include updating council's asset management plan, amending the relevant local law and considering whether to raise a charge or seek external funding," the spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman did not say how much they estimated a storage rack to cost.
Mr Mansfield said he knew other people whose dinghies had been taken away by council after storing them on the foreshore and wanted people that had boats moored in difficult to access parts of the marina to be given an exemption.
"Then you could get down there and you could possibly park around the corner or somewhere a bit further, it wouldn't matter," he said.
"Because we have only got a small dinghy to get out to our boat, we don't need a trailer but then we are restricted with where we can park.
"...I think it would look quite cute with the dinghies there on the shores if it was done neatly and properly."
The council spokeswoman said Redlanders could moor dinghies or keep them in a structure by applying for a Maritime Safety Queensland permit.
"There is no restriction on who can apply for a transfer of existing, or request a new permanent mooring within Moreton Bay," the spokeswoman said.
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