Cheap non Marina Mooring on South Coast?

Wandering Star

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Am thinking of purchasing a 40 footer of approx 12 ton displacement. I’ll shortly be moving to Dorset And would like to find an affordable fairly sheltered swinging mooring in a pleasant location for her. For example I love the idea of a swinging mooring on the Beaulieu River but that’s way way out of my budget. Being retired, I really don’t mind a fairly longish traffic packed drive to get to her base since I can choose to drive there during the evening or night time any day of the week, and when I do arrive I won’t be constrained to short weekend stays, I can stay pretty much as long or as short a time as I want.

Do cheap moorings still exist anywhere in the South or the South West of England? either to purchase outright or to rent?
 

TernVI

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What do you call cheap?
Have a look around the Poole Harbour clubs for buoys.
Weymouth?
Portland?
 

ashtead

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Depends on your draft but cheap moorings in Chichester harbour up thorney channel or if time for travel is not an issue look on the Isle of Wight at the Folly or even in Bembridge harbour.
 

Stemar

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Gosport boat yard has swinging moorings in Portsmouth Harbour, so does Quay lane, but not sure if QL has anything for a 40 footer. A drying mooring will always be cheaper than deep water, and Portsmouth mud's gloopy enough that a fin just floats on the mud in most places
 

Boathook

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If you are moving to Dorset I would think Poole harbour is the place to look. Depending upon boat draft there are mooring buoys in some remote locations that would require a sensible dinghy to get to.
 

Wandering Star

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Thanks for the suggestions, I used to keep a 27 footer at Cracknore Hard but when I enquired recently, I was told the mooring dry now! I’m looking into a mooring on the Exe which seems a beautiful place to be!
 

C08

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My sailing club at Fareham have swinging moorings on the Fareham Creek, a very pleasant spot and a lovely sailing and motor boat club with a little informal club racing, some fishermen and mostly sailing cruisers. We had one there and we enjoyed it before being elevated to the peerage of a pontoon mooring. However the length limit is 36ft as are many other "cheap" club moorings.
 

longjohnsilver

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Thanks for the suggestions, I used to keep a 27 footer at Cracknore Hard but when I enquired recently, I was told the mooring dry now! I’m looking into a mooring on the Exe which seems a beautiful place to be!
I have had a mooring on the Exe for almost 25 years. On a good day it is hard to beat, it really is beautiful. But on a bad day, it can be brutal. Getting to and from your boat can be difficult. There is a water taxi that runs during the summer months, otherwise its a dinghy ride.
The biggest problem then is dinghy storage, there isn't any! Apart from very limited spaces at either the Exe sailing club or the Starcross fishing and cruising club.
If you want any more info, send me a PM.
 

newtothis

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Dartmouth is around £1200 a year for swinging mooring.
Sadly a bit more of a schlep to the boat from southeast London than getting down to Pompey.
I find these mooring prices put the whole cheap boats thread into perspective. Yes, you can get a great boat for £10k, but it will cost you that much again in mooring fees in just three years :cautious:
 

Lightwave395

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Depends on your draft but cheap moorings in Chichester harbour up thorney channel or if time for travel is not an issue look on the Isle of Wight at the Folly or even in Bembridge harbour.
My 40 footer (well 39.5 feet) was IIRC around £1400 on the Medina up towards the Folly a couple of years ago, pontoon but not attached to shore, tender kept at the Folly for £30 p.a.
Otherwise 'cheap' and 'South Coast', at least around the Solent, can be something of a contradiction... if I lived in Dorset I'd look West.
 
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