Demand for marina and mooring berths soars in UK

[Concerto]

According to a survey by British Marine, demand for marina and mooring berths soars in UK. Occupancy rates over the whole UK is at 90%. The average yield per berth is now £3551 and some marinas are planning to extend their number of berths due to demand.

Demand for marina and mooring berths soars in UK - Marine Industry News

 

[Birdseye]

not really surprising. GRP boats dont rot away like old wooden ones - we have maybe a dozen parked against the back compound fence which everyone but the owners know arent going to be launched maybe ever again. Plus morrings are now expensive in the EU so some boats will be coming back home.

 

[blush2]

We lost a sale on our boat over a year ago because the buyer couldn't get a mooring on the Dart. At that time the waiting list was 4-5 years for a marina berth and don't even think about a harbour master's mooring.

 

[Sandy]

Very clearly seen on Plymouth, marinas full and a 25% increase in fees. Goodness knows where all these boats have come from, I suspect over the water.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Our local harbour is expanding it’s finger berths by 75% this spring. It might shorten the waiting list from 10 years to 3.

 

[Bouba]

One advantage of buying new is that you transfer the problem to the sales staff…no berth no sale

 

[Dutch01527]

We lost a sale on our boat over a year ago because the buyer couldn't get a mooring on the Dart. At that time the waiting list was 4-5 years for a marina berth and don't even think about a harbour master's mooring.

I got a Dart Harbour swing mooring 3 months in after applying in 2021, maybe different now. Depends on the boat, mine is a shallow draft, lift keel Southerly. There happened to be no other boats on the list that were that shallow. A 35 foot plus boat with a deep draft wanting a mooring close to town will be a long wait but there are other options. Great place to keep a boat.

 

[Dutch01527]

Deleted duplication

 

[Baddox]

Our marina has a planning application to add more pontoons. Finding a visitor’s berth near here used to involve turning up and asking for one. Now it's not so easy as demand has increased.

 

[Concerto]

Surprisingly MDL's Chatham Maritime Marina was not full last year as they booted out 32 boats as they were being used as liveaboards, which was against the condition of the lease for the basin that MDL rents and part of their Terms and Conditions. For years they had turned a blind eye to them provide they still looked like regular boats. However Covid was the reason they were sent packing as flat dwellers complained about people walking round the marina during lockdown when it should have been fully closed. This was compounded by MDL as was just about to start negociating a new lease for the dock as the original 20 year term was nearing its end.

The number of marina berths in the future could increase substantially as the commercial basin is due to close in the next few years and there is talk of this bigger basin becoming a marina. This basin has twin separate access locks that are far larger and could be run by a different marina company. I doubt if the competion would drive prices down.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

So, planning more marina berths is widespread. Our harbour is just slightly ahead. Construction starts in March I am told.

 

[ashtead]

We lost a sale on our boat over a year ago because the buyer couldn't get a mooring on the Dart. At that time the waiting list was 4-5 years for a marina berth and don't even think about a harbour master's mooring.

I was quoted for Noss berth by Premier this year about the same as Haslar -considerable less than MDL prices .

 

[Daydream believer]

We have plenty of cheap deep water moorings, in an excellent sailing area.
£125-00 PA but one needs to pay for the tackle at the start along with a £75-00 laying fee.
Access is usually via the Sailing club which involves membership as well. So first year is expensive but reduces considerably thereafter. Winter storage can be at the marina, or the much cheaper sailing club if bilge keel, or own trailer
www.stonemoorings.com

 

[ashtead]

Any berths still going on medina I wonder as they were once very cheap.

 

[matt1]

The problem with just building out more marina berths is that we aren’t making best use of the existing moorings. Taking the Hamble as an example, many of the mid stream pile moorings are littered with berth hoggers that just don’t use their boats at all, and in some cases don’t even come down to check on them. I know of several moorings that could be free’d up. I guess it just becomes easier to pay the annual invoice than to make an emotional decision or otherwise dispose of someone’s once pride and joy. Not sure what can be done though, just a shame that good moorings are being used as long term “storage”

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Any berths still going on medina I wonder as they were once very cheap.

There’s no waiting list as far as I know. We left there in January. By South coast standards, it is very reasonable. Not so easy to access these days. The Folly has installed parking cameras, and claimed it’s right to most of the parking, and medway mariners is really full in the summer, a rowing club park their eights there. Cowes river taxi? £14 each way, per person. We had started parking in Baring Road, weest Cowes, and launching opposite the Globe, and motoring up in the tender. It's a long way. I don’t fancy the swinging moorings in the harbour mouth, and neither did our insurers.

 

[Daydream believer]

Very clearly seen on Plymouth, marinas full and a 25% increase in fees. Goodness knows where all these boats have come from, I suspect over the water.

Bear in mind that long term storage in the Netherlands, Northern France & the med is now greatly restricted, it may be that a lot have come home to the UK; or new boats have not actually gone there in the first place.

 

[Daydream believer]

The problem with just building out more marina berths is that we aren’t making best use of the existing moorings. Taking the Hamble as an example, many of the mid stream pile moorings are littered with berth hoggers that just don’t use their boats at all,

But with due respect, who are you to decide how others should use their boat? If they only want to use it, say, once a year, then surely that is up to them. It is not up to others to dictate that they should use it every weekend, or whatever.
ie a good example--Our dinghy class members often sneer at some of the cruisers that do not move. But what they do not see is a couple of owners coming down mid week & casting a rod off the boat, fishing for a while, then going home. One couple, with a Fulmar, would row out, have a cup of tea, sit & watch the world go by for an hour, then row back. They would always stop & chat to passers by on the beach & that was their afternoon. They did this many times a season for at least 5 years to my knowledge. In fact Dave Selby even joked about it in one of his PBO articles.

 

[blush2]

I got a Dart Harbour swing mooring 3 months in after applying in 2021, maybe different now. Depends on the boat, mine is a shallow draft, lift keel Southerly. There happened to be no other boats on the list that were that shallow. A 35 foot plus boat with a deep draft wanting a mooring close to town will be a long wait but there are other options. Great place to keep a boat.

We got our original Dart mooring in 2019 in about a month after applying, for a deep keel forty footer, and gradually moved up river, we didn't need to be near town.

 

[Sandy]

The problem with just building out more marina berths is that we aren’t making best use of the existing moorings. Taking the Hamble as an example, many of the mid stream pile moorings are littered with berth hoggers that just don’t use their boats at all, and in some cases don’t even come down to check on them. I know of several moorings that could be free’d up. I guess it just becomes easier to pay the annual invoice than to make an emotional decision or otherwise dispose of someone’s once pride and joy. Not sure what can be done though, just a shame that good moorings are being used as long term “storage”

If all that the people who run the moorings are interested in is that a mooring is paid for are you suggesting that they check if a boat is being used? In extremis this could mean that the 'usage police' checking daily that a boat is on/off its mooring and if not used removed it at the end of the season, the boat then either sold on or cut up and placed in landfill.