Davits and berthing fees

N

Neals

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In anticpation of moving to the Med I am considering adding Simpson davits to help increase storage space. Doing so will increase the length and put me in what could be a significantly higher bracket for mooring fees in many places. According to Simpson the brackets are "easily removable for shipping and winter storage" but removing them would not be something that you would want to do every day. I would be interested to know of people's experience (particularly in the Med) and whether marina's etc.. usually check the measurement to the nearest cm or simply rely on the LOA in the registration document. If the former, could I argue that that davits are removable and therefore should not be included in the LOA?

Many thanks
 
Remove before arrival ..... once fees and everything agreed - put 'em back !!

Have known others measured for ALL extremities to catch that few extra quid in fees .... anchors over bow, davits with dinghy's etc. Marina's excuse being - it occupies space.
 
to be fair to the marina businsesses there's only one sensible measurement to take - from the front to the back - otherwise you can see that they would end up in debate with every berthholder on what appendages to include and what to exclude! It would become a real source of aggro.
 
disagree ............

Most boats have an official LOA ......... if you are SSR or Pt 1 - you have LOA ....

Second if you tow a dinghy in as well - you do not get charged for dinghy additional to boat ... so why when its hanging in a davit ?

Official LOA does not include davits etc. .......
 
Re: disagree ............

You lot like to have your cake and it eat..! A marina is a business. If you take up the space then pay for it..! If you want to save money then settle for the small inconvenience of removing davits and anchor and go for the smaller fee. I've found Med marinas to be more tolerant than UK ones and they normally settle for whats in your Blue book. At the end of the day if you don't like the price then find another place.
 
Re: disagree ............

[ QUOTE ]
Most boats have an official LOA ......... if you are SSR or Pt 1 - you have LOA ....

Second if you tow a dinghy in as well - you do not get charged for dinghy additional to boat ... so why when its hanging in a davit ?

Official LOA does not include davits etc. .......

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course it doesn't - but having davits extended means you'll take up a berth designed for a bigger boat so why should a marina let you have it for less dosh that they can get from another which is really the right size for the berth?

I'm one who actually gets pissed off having to duck under overhanging bowspirits / anchors or risk braining myself on extended davits when staggering home in the wee hours past such boats. This usually happens 'cos the berth is too small for the boat.

IMO tell them the total size you need (davits incl) when radioing in - you'll then get the right berth.

I've not found a med marina (so far) who has physically measured anything - they've simply taken ones word for size - or maybe cross checked the registration.........so when you go up to pay it's the boat not the berth that they usually consider.

If it were me I'd get easily removable ones anyway - but if you choose not to - don't think you'll find it a major problem.

Cheers
JOHN
 
Its more than money

[ QUOTE ]
Remove before arrival ..... once fees and everything agreed - put 'em back !!

Have known others measured for ALL extremities to catch that few extra quid in fees .... anchors over bow, davits with dinghy's etc. Marina's excuse being - it occupies space.

[/ QUOTE ]

Say the davits plus dinghy add another four feet or so to the boat's effective length. Put it is a berth with others of the same length on deck and that can cause real problems for the neighbours getting in and out in some marinas where space is limited or there is a tidal flow.

There's a boat near ours with a longish overhang at the bow and an anchor stowed in the bow roller. It takes up at least half of the pontoon between the berths, making it difficult to move loading trolleys past it etc. and downright dangerous for anyone not paying close attention at night.

Occupying space isn't an excuse, but a reason and a good one too.
 
If you do a search ...

You will find that I do not agree with anchors over bows etc. - ok there are those with hefty great lumps that make it difficult / impossible to lift etc.

Davits extending over pontoons - I agree also ... I don't like them ... but it doesn't happen that often and most boats will put nose to pontoon unless it is stern to med moor - then the stern is off the quay / dock enough to not be a problem ....

I have boats in med style moor marina, in UK nose in alongside finger and also stern to pontoon end ....

I do not argue the validity of above arguments ... and would expect others to consider inconvenience to other users wherever possible.
 
The plastimo 60mm davits are more than adequate for my Zodiac 2.6m Fast Roller and as bought are easily removable by just turning and lifting. - mine aren't cause I have a large solar panel mounted above them. They are also cheaper than the S/L
 
It\'s water space that is the probem

[ QUOTE ]


Davits extending over pontoons - I agree also ... I don't like them ... but it doesn't happen that often and most boats will put nose to pontoon unless it is stern to med moor - then the stern is off the quay / dock enough to not be a problem ....

I do not argue the validity of above arguments ... and would expect others to consider inconvenience to other users wherever possible.

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe you have a LOD of 31 foot and go in a slot for boats around that size, although you are effectively a 35 or 36 footer. In many marinas the space between pontoons will be related to the boat size they were designed for, so you stick out far further than the boats around you and make it much harder for them to manoeuvre around you. Davits and dinghies are much harder to fend off than sterns too, if things do go pear shaped in tide and wind. This can be a real problem in older marinas built when boats were generally smaller. It's a bit like gigantic SUVs in ordinary car parks effectively making next door spaces unuseable because of their beam.

Your effective length includes your davits and dinghy. That's the length for which you are needing accommodation and that's the length you should work on when requesting it.
 
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