Bucklers Hard

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alancollins

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Called into Bucklers last week for a quick lunch stop. After talking to the HM on the way up-river we tied up on the visitors' pontoon by the fuel berth. We were charged £11.40 for a mid-week short stay for our 7.6 metre boat. Not surprisingly the pontoon was empty. Will they never learn?
 
Max £1 per metre is more than enough....that's what I pay in Cowes......IMHO Bucklers Hard charges have always been a rip-off!!
 
Come on, eleven quid for one of the most gorgeous walk ashore spots on the south coast. You don't have to pay to wander round Bucklers Hard, they maintain 2 walking / cycling paths up to the village, you can plug into the leccy, fill up with water, the pontoon is in good order, they've got showers and toilets if you need them. I paid that for a plastic bottle of water in Cannes :)

I'm going to stick up for Bucklers Hard on this one, we've had a couple of lovely visits this year in Emily Jo.

I never thought I would write it on a public forum but we even enjoyed a meal at the Master builder. I know! Great ribs.

Henry :)
 
Before we had a permanent mooring in Cowes, Beaulieu used to be cheaper than Cowes for short stay. Certainly a lovely place to stop though regardless.
 
alancollins said:
Called into Bucklers last week for a quick lunch stop. After talking to the HM on the way up-river we tied up on the visitors' pontoon by the fuel berth. We were charged £11.40 for a mid-week short stay for our 7.6 metre boat. Not surprisingly the pontoon was empty. Will they never learn?
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That’s about the price of 4 hours in the M&S car park in Truro, for a 5m space. You can use the M&S toilets, but the views are nothing special unless you park on the top floor - there is a Whetherspoons around the corner tho’....
 
What has happened to the Master Builder. Was good years ago and now it's just rubbish. Food is nasty now and what's with the furniture inside.....?

Such a shame.

But other than that I love Beaulieu...such a peaceful place to stay.
 
I'm with Henry and the guys on this one. We keep our boat there and it is idyllic. As he says, pontoons are well maintained and the showers and facilities are always spotless and sweet smelling. Agree with Sailorsam about the pub food though, its ok but no cigar!
 
Have found that Bucklers Hard and Lymington are amongst the most expensive places to stay in the Solent and both always seem to be well booked up and have tried to get in there on occasions without success so I would assume that means prices are acceptable (well to me they are), I have used the Master Builder and stayed in Hotel before and both were excellent so no reason for complaint there, I was more disappointed at paying for a mooring in Yarmouth and the way they crammed everyone in around me made it difficult to get on and off boat and left us with very little privacy, I feel when you are paying for a mooring you should get a mooring and not have to be rafted up with others having to share the same spot (I have nothing against rafting but object to paying the same as someone who gets single mooring at same cost)
 
Boat2016 said:
Have found that Bucklers Hard and Lymington are amongst the most expensive places to stay in the Solent and both always seem to be well booked up and have tried to get in there on occasions without success so I would assume that means prices are acceptable (well to me they are), I have used the Master Builder and stayed in Hotel before and both were excellent so no reason for complaint there, I was more disappointed at paying for a mooring in Yarmouth and the way they crammed everyone in around me made it difficult to get on and off boat and left us with very little privacy, I feel when you are paying for a mooring you should get a mooring and not have to be rafted up with others having to share the same spot (I have nothing against rafting but object to paying the same as someone who gets single mooring at same cost)
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My point was that on a lovely day the visitors pontoon was empty and maybe this was because other Solent harbours like Cowes, Lymington etc are so much cheaper. Overnight in Lymington cost me £21 including electricity. A short stay in West Cowes is about £8. If I were running Bucklers I would be worried that I had an empty pontoon and no income. Perhaps they make so much money at the week-ends they don't need to bother.
 
Lunch at Bucklers Hard is one of the joys of this world.

£11 to moor seems great value to me. We spent a few days there both this year and last, and without a doubt next as well.

Food in the Master's seems much better in the evening. As a Barclays member you also get 25% of your total bill if you book before turning up.
 
alancollins said:
My point was that on a lovely day the visitors pontoon was empty and maybe this was because other Solent harbours like Cowes, Lymington etc are so much cheaper. Overnight in Lymington cost me £21 including electricity. A short stay in West Cowes is about £8. If I were running Bucklers I would be worried that I had an empty pontoon and no income. Perhaps they make so much money at the week-ends they don't need to bother.
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I wouldn't mind betting if they dropped their prices to match those of West Cowes they would see no increase in uptake.. however why would they, West Cowes is the most god awful place. But mid week a load of harbours and marinas geared for visitors will be pretty empty late season.
 
alancollins said:
My point was that on a lovely day the visitors pontoon was empty and maybe this was because other Solent harbours like Cowes, Lymington etc are so much cheaper. Overnight in Lymington cost me £21 including electricity. A short stay in West Cowes is about £8. If I were running Bucklers I would be worried that I had an empty pontoon and no income. Perhaps they make so much money at the week-ends they don't need to bother.
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Am I correct in thinking that it was mid week and also when the boat show was on?

Schools are now all back so things will be massively quieter than a weekend in the middle of the school holidays. That's the Solent for you. Friday and Saturday night peak season it's rammed, during the week and out of season it's pure bliss :)

I don't think charging £8 rather than £11 would make a blind bit of difference to the number of people moored up.

What speed were you doing in the Solent on the way there & back and where had you come from ? I ask the question because I suspect by reducing your speed by a knot & timing your journey to coincide with the tide would have saved several times more than the 3 quid.

If only you knew the full cost of running a marina / moorings you would be asking how they managed to off the space for a mere £11 :)

Henry
 
Gentlemen, I take it all back and am heartened that other Solent marinas are apparently running at a loss for our benefit!
 
alancollins said:
Gentlemen, I take it all back and am heartened that other Solent marinas are apparently running at a loss for our benefit!
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No one mentioned running at a loss. By charging £11 Bucklers Hard are able to function, any less and they may not be able to. Some places might benefit from higher visitor numbers, lower costs or even grants so direct comparison isn't always fair.

Ultimately if £11 is too much you will go elsewhere. We will keep visiting. :)

Henry :)
 
henryf said:
No one mentioned running at a loss. By charging £11 Bucklers Hard are able to function, any less and they may not be able to. Some places might benefit from higher visitor numbers, lower costs or even grants so direct comparison isn't always fair.

Ultimately if £11 is too much you will go elsewhere. We will keep visiting. :)

Henry :)
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+1 I agree, if i was worried about 11 quid I wouldn’t own a boat, imho other boating costs give me bigger cause for concern
 
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