Advantages of various options:

Option 1: current policy - berth cannot be transferred with sale of the boat

• The waiting list rolls over faster, allowing owners of boats purchased new or from other areas to gain easier access to desirable berths.
• Current berthers who would like to move to a different berth can do so more easily, also because the waiting list rolls over faster.
• Might be a mechanism for discouraging the transfer of derelict or non-navigable live-aboard boats. But see comments on live-aboard transfers.
• Might have the effect of causing more older boats to be removed from the marina, replaced by newer boats and newer money. From a marina managment POV this might be considered a good thing.

Option 2: old policy - berth can be transferred with sale of boat

• The value of boats in the marina is enhanced. A significant number of boat purchasers want to keep the boat right where it is. Even if there are suitable berths available, there will always be uncertainty about the new location in the marina if there are waiting list entries in line for that berth. In the case of older low-value boats, it's not uncommon for a boat to be purchased for it's berth, and then replaced with a newer vessel. "Berkeley berth" has always been a selling point in the classified ads for used boats.
• Less work for marina staff. There is administrative overhead every time a berth is assigned to the next person on the waiting list, and every time a boat moves from one berth to another. Transferring a berth from an old owner to a new owner is much simpler than finding the next berther on the waiting list. The task of managing the waiting list is complicated by the fact that a high proportion of names on the list are not ready to occupy a berth as soon as it becomes available. In order to run the list fairly, each name has to be contacted in order, and staff has to wait for a response before moving on to the next name on the list.
• If berths can be transferred, buyers and sellers have no motivation to conceal the sale from the Marina Staff in order to allow the new owner to stay in the old berth. This means that the Marina will have more accurate and up-to-date records on vessel ownership and contact info, which could have important safety and property tax implications.
• Derelict boats will always retain some value as long as there's a demand for berths, with the likely result that derelicts will be sold and replaced. This will help alleviate the problem of derelict boats by market forces rather than by intervention of marina staff.
• Because berth transfer with boat sale has been the de facto policy for so many decades, it is likely that boat sellers will represent this as the current policy to boat buyers. (And even if they know about the change in policy, there's considerable incentive to misrepresent it to a prospective buyer who shows an interest in keeping the same berth). If berth transfers with new ownership are not allowed, marina staff will be left to deal with boat owners who were told they have a right to keep their boat in the old berth when in fact they don't. Each case could become a time-consuming adversarial issue.
• This policy might have the effect of causing fewer older boats to be replaced with newer ones. This helps to retain a more diverse range of boat values and types, as well as a more diverse range of owner incomes.

Option 3: Berths are transferable with change of boat ownership on payment of a transfer Fee

• Retains most of the advantages of option 2 (but a high fee will be an incentive to conceal sale from Marina management).
• Generates some revenue to cover administrative work associated with berth transfers.

Transfer of Live-Aboard Status

The transfer of live-aboard status from the boat seller to the boat buyer is a separate issue, and there is probably consensus that this is not a good idea. Although, it's not unusual to see ads that list "live-aboard berth" as a major selling point, and this part of a boat's value would be lost.

There's a perceived problem with derelict or non-navigable boats being used as low cost housing. The new marina ordinance addresses this issue with clear navigability requirements for legal live-aboards. The proposed key card system, along with other measures, will make it much easier for staff to take action against illegal live-aboards.

Creating a waiting list rollover for each boat sale is not likely to be an effective way to address this particular problem. Some ownership transfers (or "sublets") will simply not be reported to the marina. Other transfers, especially in larger sizes, might find a vacancy on the waiting list anyway. "Problem" live-aboards should be dealt with directly.