cheap mooring in Essex/Kent/Anglia

[roadsterfun]

I am thinking of getting a used small boat like the Hurley 22 and am looking for a mooring in Essex/Kent/Anglia which doesn't cost so much. Towing is not an option for me.

Am I right that mariners are usually more expensive than boatyards? And about seasonal mooring i.e. by taking out the boat out of water for a few months of the year to carry out cleaning tasks. Please advice where and costs etc.

 

[davidej]

join the Marconi club on the Blackwater where they have moorings, winter storage and lift in/out facilities on a do-it-yourself basis

 

[FullCircle]

Same for Stone Sailing Club just up the road.

 

[millbeach]

Also my club.. Millbeach marine club... on the Blackwater.
We have swing moorings, winter storage,also prob best slip on the river.
Only down side is that you require a trailer, as we tractor haul our craft out.
Great club, non profit making,we do most of our work ourselfs.
Most important "cheap as chips".
Look on our web page for more info..

 

[Ecosse120]

It really depends on were you live and how easy it is to get to. I used to be moored on the Blackwater, but that was a 45 minute drive away. I am now moored 7 minutes away (plus a dinghy ride), helps when you leave something on the boat. Also are you happy with a drying mooring as these tend to be cheaper ?? I belong to the Stour Sailing Club, mooring is cheap but we have limited room for storage during the winter. But 10 minutes up river is Mistley marine which is about £70 for a lift in/out and also does storage.(can not remember costs as I have a trailer). Hope this helps

 

[roadsterfun]

I live in Brentwood Essex so very accessible to main roads and the coast. Trailer is not an option so pantoon mooring (cost more) or swinging mooring are more suitable.

Ideally, a lower cost pantoon type mooring with 6-8 (or more) useable hours and winter storage facility. Don't mind to travel a bit from Brentwood for the right one.

Just wonder if it is safe to leave your boat with a swinging mooring?

 

[surekandoo]

Cheapest marina with pontoon berths & swinging moorings on the Blackwater is the Blackwater Marina @ Maylandsea. Boats do settle in the mud though when the tide's out.

Steve the manager (mobile: 07530527905 or email: info@blackwater-marina.co.uk) may be able to do you a deal. I used to self launch & recover from a trailer with my previous boat and didn't get charged for using the slipway.

It's also pretty sheltered unlike some of the swinging moorings in the river.

 

[Gumpy]

Bradwell Marina
http://www.bradwellmarina.com/
about £1800 for 25ft good access except 1hr either side of low tide.

There are moorings sometimes available in the creek outside
http://www.danburyoutdoors.com/dinghy_park_and_moorings.php

Julian

 

[davidej]

A marina pontoon will cost probably 5 to 10X a swinging mooring but you have to consider the need for a dinghy ( and probably an outboard) if you choose the latter.
I wouldn't worry about the safety of the boat - there are literally thousands on swinging moorings on the east coast and more boats have been stolen from marinas than lost on moorings.
The Blackwater sounds ideal for you - why dont you do what I did 10 yrs ago. Drive from end to end looking at all the clubs/marinas, checking prices and talking to the locals. Well worth a weekend.

 

[Duncantaz]

If you don't mind a bit of a drive then Hoo Ness Yacht Club on the Medway has cheap moorings and offers lift out and storage ashore. Currently fin keelers require a yard trailer, bilge keelers go on the hard. Other yacht clubs are available!

From Brentwood the Crouch is worth a look, various clubs and orgs offering moorings/berths. You could also try Benfleet and Leigh on Sea but I'm sure others will have a better idea than me of facilities on the south essex coast.

Good luck.

 

[Firefly]

You could try the Thames. Gravesend Sailing Club has drying moorings, winter lift out etc at very good rates and we are a very friendly club as well. Have a look at our website. Easy to get to from your area as long as you don't choose rush hour.

 

[Daydream believer]

Google
Stlawrencefairwaycommittee.com

 

[Burnham Bob]

I think you might need to look at what you would like as well as good sailing. Most marinas are in the middle of nowhere. Bradwell is great but there's one pub and the marina club house. Same as all the Blackwater suggestions. Burnham on Crouch might be a better location for several reasons. Firstly, if you are a weekend visitor, a good economic mooring is a swinging mooring off Priors. That's where we keep our baot. There's a launch service during weekends and bank holidays which will take you out 9-5. If you arrive on a Friday night, there's always a Priors dinghy at the end of the pontton and you can 'borrow' a set of oars to get you out to the boat. Most of the moorings are an easy row from the pontoon. However, it's only good manners to bring the dinghy back with the boat and then go out again. Or you can stay on the pontoon and go to one of the ten or so pubs, five or six good places to eat or the cinema. (Indian, Chineses, Thai, good pub food, take your pick!)

You might want to invest in a rigid dinghy and an outboard simply for flexibility. But the point is if you come over from Basildon and the weather is not as good as you expected for sialing, there is lots to do in a small town like Burnham compared to the Blackwater locations. There are shops in easy reach including a supermarket. In Bradwell any food you needed for the weekend you'd have to bring with you. Same with the Stone sailing club etc.

I love sailing on the Blackwater. It's a lovely river. But if I was thinking of driving from Basildon, it's an extra thirty minutes on Burnham on Crouch and when you get there there's not a lot apart from boats. Need a new shackle or piece of rope, or any kit for your boat? There are three chandleries in Burnham within walking distance of Priors. Nothing like that on the Blackwater.

As for sailing, there's an easy sail up to Fambridge and weekends a pontoon and a lauch service there for lunch or dinner at the Ferry Boat Inn. Or go and anchor down Yokesfleet Creek and watch the seals as the sun sets and you enjoy a beer in the cockpit. Or for longer periods than a weekend, you can get to all the places in the Blackwater, the Walton Backwaters, the Orwell and the Deben, so you won't be missing anything.

Priors also offer winter storage and full boatyard services. No connection other than a happy customer. Why not take a drive next weeked and have a look at the Blackwater and Burnham. SWMBO will probably like the fact that Burnham has shops, restaurants, pubs, and as I said even a cinema. So its a good place to visit even if you only use the boat as a floating weekend cottage.

More details if you PM me and we can have a chat on the phone.

 

[dombuckley]

+1 for Priors at Burnham. They are also one of the few boatyards where you can store your boat inside a shed for the winter. Makes a big difference to winter maintenance when you don't need to worry about the weather.

 

[Daydream believer]

Problem with the Crouch is that the tide makes a big decision about where you sail.
Plus, of course, who wants to sail in a ditch?

 

[Burnham Bob]

The tide isn't too much of a problem in the Crouch when you are on a swinging mooring. Weekends you won't sail far in the Blackwater either as you won't have time. In the Crouch Fambridge is worth a visit - see my original post - you can sail up a bit further to Brandy Hole, or down the Roach to Paglesham and Yokesfleet. Or just sit on the mooring and watch the racing. Cliff is a pleasant picnic anchorage, as is the mouth of the Roach. Both are good for a summer night's anchoring.

On the other hand if the weather turns bad where do you go without the car if you're at Stone or Bradwell? I'm not knocking the Blackwater, but if you are travelling up from Basildon on a Friday night, a small town is a better venue than an isolated Marina. But the OP can easily take a look for himself rather than depend on us.

 

[Stork_III]

The tide isn't too much of a problem in the Crouch when you are on a swinging mooring. Weekends you won't sail far in the Blackwater either as you won't have time. In the Crouch Fambridge is worth a visit - see my original post - you can sail up a bit further to Brandy Hole, or down the Roach to Paglesham and Yokesfleet. Or just sit on the mooring and watch the racing. Cliff is a pleasant picnic anchorage, as is the mouth of the Roach. Both are good for a summer night's anchoring.

On the other hand if the weather turns bad where do you go without the car if you're at Stone or Bradwell? I'm not knocking the Blackwater, but if you are travelling up from Basildon on a Friday night, a small town is a better venue than an isolated Marina. But the OP can easily take a look for himself rather than depend on us.

As the OP posted in June 2010, he's probably sorted by now.

 

[gildamon]

storage

Also my club.. Millbeach marine club... on the Blackwater.
We have swing moorings, winter storage,also prob best slip on the river.
Only down side is that you require a trailer, as we tractor haul our craft out.
Great club, non profit making,we do most of our work ourselfs.
Most important "cheap as chips".
Look on our web page for more info..

hi, ive just got a caravan at st lawrence and i have a 16' bass boat on a trailer. im looking for somewhere to keep it and launch it. any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks gil

 

[Daydream believer]

hi, ive just got a caravan at st lawrence and i have a 16' bass boat on a trailer. im looking for somewhere to keep it and launch it. any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks gil

If you look into the bay you will see loads of moorings
If you feel happy mooring it we can fix you up. But it can get choppy

If you go online to www.stlawrencefairwaycommittee.com you will see the initial application form.
As you are based at the caravan site you are put to the front of the waiting list
As well as the annual rent you will need mooring tackle etc which will set you back about £300-350
However the chain will last 3 years & other components will last much longer
So real cost is the initial fee over several years plus annual rent
I have spaces opposite the park so you will not get a cheaper, nearer mooring
I live at st lawrence so you can give me a ring & we can sort something or you

Alternatively (as a resident of the caravan park)you need to contact parish council for a key to the public ramp & you can launch there
You will not be able to park there though
A better ramp is at Bradwell marina but it costs £15-00 per launch

The watersports club at Stone is another option but you would have to join. But you get benefits of club membership & tractor to launch at all states of the tide any time

 

[Daydream believer]

Also my club.. Millbeach marine club... on the Blackwater.
We have swing moorings, winter storage,also prob best slip on the river.
Only down side is that you require a trailer, as we tractor haul our craft out.
Great club, non profit making,we do most of our work ourselfs.
Most important "cheap as chips".
Look on our web page for more info..

Stone sailing club can launch recover bilge keelers without a trailer & moorings are
Available --- google stone sailing club