Buying a mooring

[Summer Sailor]

Hello All,

Please can some of you wise people advise me? I am fairly new to this forum, but got some great advice from a previous thread; so am hoping for some more!

I wish to buy my own mooring. I have only ever had contracts before with marinas where everything is arranged for you for an annual fee. I want to ideally get something in the south west of England. I am hoping to get a deep water mooring that can be mine forever and not just on a lease. What things do I need to consider? Are there annual harbour fees? What is likely to be the purchase and maintenance cost? Where should I look?

Any advice would be appreciated. I'd love to hear from some of you who own your own, or who have looked into the implications.

Many Thanks

 

[robmcg]

Good Luck!!!! Priivate moorings for sale are rarer than hen's teeth in the South West. The only exception may be on the River Exe but we aren't talking very deep water there. Everywhere else is dead men's boots!

 

[Tranona]

You cannot normally own the seabed, but you can own the mooring with a licence from the owner of the seabed (either the Crown or one of its lessees such as a harbour authority). The availability, price and terms of the licence varies according to the situation, and they usually come with conditions on what type of mooring and how they are maintained.

As already stated it is unlikely you would be able to buy one in the popular rivers in the SW as they are already taken up by clubs, boatyards and the authorities themselves. Those in private hands tend to stay that way - unless you buy one of those mulit million £££s waterfront residences that come on the market from time time - they often have moorings with them!

 

[colvic987]

start ringing around, asking at sailing clubs, harbourmasters office, but don't expect to get prime site, you will most probably have to compromise. cost will depend on what is need for the mooring in that area(it will vary according to depth and tide and location), licence fee to council/sailing club, fee to contractor for supply of mooring and maintenance.

Mine forever ? you will find that if you can get a mooring you would only be covered for the year, if you cannot keep up with the conditions of the mooring lease then you lose it.

Or if your leasing of mooring is subject to a dispute between fisheries etc you could ended up with nothing. (maybe rusty chain for garden ornaments)

 

[Searush]

Even if you find a mooring to buy & are happy to pay the annual Crown estates demands, don't forget that it needs to be properly maintained if it is to be secure.

Requirements vary from location to location & I have only ever had drying moorings - so my annual inspection was a pleasant stroll across the sands each autumn. But some have to hire divers or have their whole kit lifted & relaid after examination. You also need to replace swivels, risers, strops & bouys on a regular basis - but not every year thank heavans!

Sorry to dump cold water on your idea, but if you are able to accept a mud berth up a river somewhere you may be able to sort something out at a reasonable cost - but then you need to think about where to park & leave the car, where to keep & launch the dinghy & how to get your piles of start (and end) of holiday gear on board.

I hate marinas, but love my current old working harbour in N Wales, even if it is rather pricey. And my former, self-laid & maintained mud berth in the River Dee was pretty good too. But you do need to think carefully about what you need & what is available. If you like an area start asking around, every location is very different.

 

[ianat182]

As said above the moorings are hard to come by everywhere.The choices are usually half-tide moorings(swinging usually) deepwater swinging to a buoy;fore and aft moorings on a trot (deepwater) ;and fore and aft moorings onto piles(deepwater) (sometimes with boarding pontoons- needing insurance cover)
The fees are often in two parts, the Crown Commisioners agents and the County Council/Harbour Boards. The annual licence is issued by the Crown Commissioners agent.
I own my fore and aft deepwater mooring and am responsible for renewal of the chain risers at about 3 year intervals, depending upon inspection annually and self- certifying for the first 2 years;the third year both of the risers will be inspected and renewed and the contractor certifies this time.
This year I had the ground chain renewed and both risers replaced for just under £850; the ground chain will be good for at least 10 years and has lasted for 16 years according to the contractor who laid it.
The mooring buoys are 30" in diameter and are about £120 each, solid ones with a topshackle are about £200 each. I use a pair of mooring warps at each end they are about £35 each I splice and fit neoprene tubing to prevent chafing the hull on each.
A pick-up buoy and lines completes the mooring. The nearest place there might be a mooring from here would be on Keyhaven(near Lymington) that can be a bit exposed and a logish row from shore or Yacht Club there. Of course most moorings are tidal so some less easy to get to in windy conditions and spring ebbs. You could try Yarmouth for a mooring on the Yar there.

ianat182

 

[capt_courageous]

Hi
As the others have said I don't think there is such thing as a private mooring on the coast unless you own Beaulieu. They are normally under the control of the Crown Commisioners, Local Councils or Harbour Authorities and on yearly leases. That said I have never heard of anyone losing a mooring so long as they pay up and follow the rules which are usually fairly sensible.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Hi
As the others have said I don't think there is such thing as a private mooring on the coast unless you own Beaulieu. They are normally under the control of the Crown Commisioners, Local Councils or Harbour Authorities and on yearly leases.

I've just a got a three (I think, may be four) year licence from the CEC for mine.