Boat owner Joe Rongen said he was in ''disbelief'' when Port Otago gave him 30 days' notice to remove his 13m launch Manatee from the Steamer Basin marina.
The notice would have been easier to comprehend if Port Otago had given him a relocation option, he said.
''It was a like a bolt of lightning - like a cannon going off. There was no plan B for me.
You would have thought they would have had a look around Otago Harbour to find something for me.''
The 15-tonne launch was too big to put on a trailer and Dunedin's deep-water moorings were full.
''There are not a lot of options, especially for this size of vessel.''
He had been investigating mooring options and feared he would need to leave Dunedin.
The launch had been moored in the marina for more than 20 years and had been his ''holiday home'' for six years. He had taken it on regular harbour cruises.
Port Otago gave no reason for the eviction notice but he suspected it was because the jetty had become a hazard after years of poor maintenance.
''Some more wake-breaking panels have fallen off and the rest of it is about to collapse.''
All the wharves in the basin were in a poor condition, he said.
Otago Harbour was ''magnificent'' and the basin needed to be redeveloped and more jetties provided, he said.
''There are limited amenities for boaties in Otago Harbour and this is another nail in the coffin. Port Otago should be improving facilities, rather than decreasing them.''
Moorings Otago owner Kevin Waters said he regularly took calls from boaties seeking deep-water moorings in Dunedin and he struggled to accommodate them.
Major development in the basin was needed, he said.
Port Otago was neglecting boaties and they were sailing to marinas elsewhere, which would have a ripple effect on the Dunedin economy, Mr Waters said.
Port Otago chief executive Geoff Plunket said Port Otago was trying to find a temporary mooring arrangement for Manatee at a Dunedin wharf, to give Mr Rongen time to find a suitable long-term berth.
There was not enough commercial demand in Dunedin to warrant building a larger marina, he said.
''If there was the demand, we would have built something. There's no point building a marina for one or two boats. It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation.''
Because it was a commercial matter, Mr Plunket said he would not reveal why Manatee was evicted of whether Mr Rongen was the only boat owner given notice.
