Boatyard near Swansea?

[DangerousPirate]

Hi, I am looking for an affordable boatyard to store the boat ashore near swansea, so I can work on it. I'd live in swansea, so anything within an hour by train would be great so I can go and work on the boat for 1-2 months. Unfortunately, swansea marina is really over the top with their pricing.

 

[tico]

East Lanion near Pembroke dock is lower cost bu nowhere near a railway station.

 

[PCUK]

How about Britton Ferry? If I remember correctly! You can see it from the M4 approaching the Swansea turnoff.

 

[MisterBaxter]

What's going on at Burry Port these days? Sorry to answer a question with a question...

 

[bitbaltic]

Surprised Swansea marina is over the top with pricing as this is a council marina and generally more affordable. If it’s out, no marina in the Bristol Channel is likely to fit the budget any better. Britton Ferry (monkstone) are famously uncontactable and without facilities for visiting yachts and Burry Port is near inoperative and similarly without facilities.

If arriving at the marina by train is essential then Milford Haven should be your objective as this is an hour or so from Swansea and the train terminal is a 2 minute walk from the marina control building. 1) prices I guess are similar to Swansea and 2) the marina maintain a (possibly fantastical) position of a 2 year waiting list for berths.

Going west from Swansea into the upper reaches of Milford Haven, you have East Llanion (mentioned by Tico) which is a very capable yard with a heavy lift (at top of tide) or Rudders Boatyard. Eastward you have Barry Yacht Club ego used to advertise very good shore facilities or Cardiff, where there are two marinas and two yacht clubs all with facilities equivalent to Swansea marina snd all with prices much higher.

 

[Tremyporth]

You have not said how big the boat is, which has substantial bearing on the relevance of replies. Assuming it is not enormous, you could try asking Loughor Boat Club: they have a reasonably large storage yard, but not very near a railway station. There is a reasonable bus service from Swansea though. As for Burry Port, while it is true that the harbour has become heavily silted following the construction of a sill and narrower harbour entrance a few years ago, there are two boatyards with storage/ workspace adjacent to it, and they are very close to the railway station. Enquire at Gower Marine or at Boathunters. Also there is a small storage area for members at the Burry Port Boat Club.
To the east of Swansea there is a boat club with storage compounds near the mouth of the Port Talbot river.

 

[Dellquay13]

To the east of Swansea there is a boat club with storage compounds near the mouth of the Port Talbot river.

Isn’t that the mythical Monkstone club? It seems to exist only in a parallel universe, but can sometimes be glimpsed from the corner of your eye as an ethereal collection of mastheads as you go over the M4 bridge.

 

[Tremyporth]

No, Monkstone is near the mouth of the Neath River, below the M4. The club at Port Talbot is south of the town centre alongside the Port Talbot river. They both show up on the satellite view of Bing maps or google.

 

[Graham_Wright]

Barry. They can lift out (trolley on slipway) up to ten tons and 11'8" beam (personal experience).
There is shore power and some undercover accommodation.
The station is directly above the compound.

 

[DangerousPirate]

Thank you for the answers, the boat is 30ft. I should ahve mentioned that.

Quite surprised that swansea is supposed to be a council run marina. The prices are really awfully high, especialyl considering how tidal the area is.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Thank you for the answers, the boat is 30ft. I should ahve mentioned that.

Quite surprised that swansea is supposed to be a council run marina. The prices are really awfully high, especialyl considering how tidal the area is.

Heavens above -Swansea is not tidal by local water standards (14m range at Bristol, 12m at Barry or Uphill), though locking and other arrangements are expensive at Swansea for the council due to such tides as there are.

Swansea and Milford/Neyland are the only all weather havens on the Bristol Channel and Swansea is one of the principle towns of Wales so no wonder Swansea is relatively expensive though not by Solent standards .

The trundler gets from Swansea to Milford, and for a whole weekends working on the boat any of the boatyards round there should be fine

 

[Dellquay13]

Heavens above -Swansea is not tidal by local water standards (14m range at Bristol, 12m at Barry or Uphill), though locking and other arrangements are expensive at Swansea for the council due to such tides as there are.

Swansea and Milford/Neyland are the only all weather havens on the Bristol Channel and Swansea is one of the principle towns of Wales so no wonder Swansea is relatively expensive though not by Solent standards .

The trundler gets from Swansea to Milford, and for a whole weekends working on the boat any of the boatyards round there should be fine

If you do consider a boatyard on the Milford waterway, Milford Haven marina boatyard is only a couple of hundred yards from the train station, but as a boatyard customer only, sleeping on board isn’t really allowed and you would need to be discrete (but it’s very commonly done as it’s allowed for berth holders and liveaboards are welcomed). There is a range of local accommodation from £30 workman’s B&Bs to a 4* hotel. However, there is no lifting facility onsite for unstepping or refitting masts without getting contractors in.

East Llanion, Neyland or Rudders are less train friendly being a few miles away but have mast lifting capabilities. I camped onboard for a week at East Llanion during one of the covid lockdowns, but the washroom setup is very primitive.

Neyland has the biggest chandlery and refit business with Dale Sailing but they dominate all the onsite facilities and run the Neyland yards to their price point. MH has a small chandlery, a marine electronics supplier/installer, a pair of local marine maintenance companies, and everything else to be found in a small town. East Llanion is the most easy going and cheapest but a bit out of the way. I have no experience of Rudders boatyard but they are the most remote.

Ratseys are the local riggers and sailmakers and cover all the yards.

 

[bitbaltic]

Thank you for the answers, the boat is 30ft. I should ahve mentioned that.

Quite surprised that swansea is supposed to be a council run marina. The prices are really awfully high, especialyl considering how tidal the area is.

Thank you for the answers, the boat is 30ft. I should ahve mentioned that.

Quite surprised that swansea is supposed to be a council run marina. The prices are really awfully high, especialyl considering how tidal the area is.

I don’t think a high tidal range makes it any cheaper to run a marina, and if watchet is anything to go by, quite w bit more expensive.

All marinas in the BC are locked except Neyland. What happens outside the lock gates (which cost money to run) really isn’t part of the cost picture.

 

[DangerousPirate]

I don’t think a high tidal range makes it any cheaper to run a marina, and if watchet is anything to go by, quite w bit more expensive.

All marinas in the BC are locked except Neyland. What happens outside the lock gates (which cost money to run) really isn’t part of the cost picture.

It makes marina uncomfortable though to leave and enter as a lot more planning is necessary. It's a convenience fee. The better the position of your marina, the more desirable it wouild be to be there. At least those were my conclusions up until encountering bristol channel.

Either way. Can't change the prices anyway.